Hop dosing from SWISCA

Water, malt and hops are the basic ingredients of beer. Water is the basis, malt provides the strength and hops the aroma. Hops are the most expensive of the three raw materials. Why is hops in beer so important? The ingredients bring a spicy-bitter, tart or even fruity taste and have a calming, preserving and foam-stabilising effect. Hops is a climbing plant and belong to a plant genus from the hemp family. Female plants carry valuable umbels which contain resins and essential oils and lend flavour and bouquet to beer.

In Switzerland in the village of Appenzell, directly at the foot of the Alpstein, the Locher family brews a very special beer. According to exact recipes, with hops and malt, and the fresh water from the legendary Alpstein, directly from the source. This makes Appenzeller beer special and unmistakably tasty. The fifth generation of the family brewery is creating new types of beer. The innovative spirit of this specialty smithy is the source of the enormous variety and high quality. Appenzeller beer is exported to Germany, England, Russia, Canada, Taiwan, Japan, USA and Singapore, among others. The start-up SWISCA AG was founded in Appenzell in 2018 by experienced experts in the development, design and distribution of food processing and weighing technology. The focus on quality and innovation is essential for SWISCA AG. Thanks to best technology and experienced engineers, SWISCA AG realizes innovative product developments and food processing plants for the world market.

To produce special beers, the Appenzeller Brewery Locher and SWISCA AG jointly developed an innovative weighing system for the exact dosing of hop pellets. The consistency of the process technology guarantees a high product quality of the innovative beer varieties. The combination of excellent brewing art and new weighing technology was made possible by the New Regional Policy of the Swiss Confederation, which promotes projects that strengthen innovation, added value and competitiveness of rural regions in Switzerland. The financial aid granted from the Regional Development Fund is shared equally between the Swiss government and the canton. The project enabled the value chain within the Canton of Appenzell to be extended. Image carriers and the positively perceived products from the region strengthen the business location. The project contributes to the promotion of cutting-edge technology, digitalisation and securing of attractive jobs.