New Belgium Brewery practices sustainable engineering

Recognized as much for its sustainability efforts as its world-class lagers and ales, New Belgium Brewery is viewed by many as a benchmark example of how being sustainable and profitable are not mutually exclusive. In fact, New Belgium (which started in founder Jeff Lebesch's basement in 1991) has experienced double digit growth each year over the last several, and is now the third largest craf...

By Control Engineering Staff April 1, 2009

Recognized as much for its sustainability efforts as its world-class lagers and ales, New Belgium Brewery is viewed by many as a benchmark example of how being sustainable and profitable are not mutually exclusive. In fact, New Belgium (which started in
founder Jeff Lebesch’s basement in 1991) has experienced double digit growth each year over the last several, and is now the third largest craft brewer in the U.S. by beer sales volume—even though it’s not yet available in all 50 states.

From wind power and green transportation to methane gas co-generation, the company is also practicing sustainable engineering. Much of New Belgium’s production control system is based on Opto 22 products, and Opto 22 invited Control Engineering editorial director David Greenfield to visit the brewery and interview chief automation and electrical engineer Igor Valuyev.

To view the video interview, go to www.controleng.com , click on the “video” tab in the multimedia box on the right side of the page. Select “view all videos” and you’ll be able to access two separate videos related to New Belgium—the interview conducted by Greenfield, and another video featuring Valuyev conducted by Opto 22.