T&J installs tank beer at Zigfrid von Underbelly of Hoxton Square, London and beer sales increase
T&J’s first tank beer installation for Budweiser’s Budvar premium lager brand was at Zigfrid von Underbelly in Hoxton Square. The subsequent increase in beer sales in the venue indicates that tank beer may well be the next big thing in the UK brewing industry. T&J Installations was recently made the preferred UK installer of the tank beer system for Budvar, including beer delivery logistics.
New to the UK, tank beer is a system of beer storage and dispensing that provides fresh, cask conditioned beer, as if it was direct from the brewery. Not only is the sheer freshness and quality of the product markedly different, but the tank beer system is also very space efficient compared with barrels.
Tank beer involves the installation of a tank or multiple tanks within a pub, bar or restaurant. This can be done without restricting the day-to-day operations of the premises, and the benefits from storing and dispensing in this way are extensive.
Budweiser’s premium lager brand, Budvar, is most commonly available in bottles in the UK, but has seen great success in Europe with the tank beer method. Now looking to introduce tank beer to the UK, Budweiser has chosen T&J installations as their preferred installer for Budvar tanks, with a shared goal of ensuring that beer is served exactly how it’s intended to be.
T&J’s first installation for Budvar was at Zigfrid von Underbelly, aka Ziggy, in Hoxton Square, London. This involved the installation of special copper tanks installed front of house. With the tanks exposed and on show to the general public, housed in a glass framework, designed by the designer and artist Paul Daly who also owns the venue, it was never more important that T&J’s installation was done to the highest standards and well presented. Zigfrid von Underbelly was not disappointed.
General Manager at Ziggy, Alex Putjatins, said: “Following the installation, the tanks have been superb. The quality of the beer we’re serving is clearly being recognised by our customers, because the feedback has been great and sales of Budvar have increased.
“The tanks themselves look fantastic. The rustic, yet squeaky-clean, copper aesthetic and their vintage, embossed ‘Budvar’ logos suit our venue so well. They’re a real focal point, and a frequent conversation piece in the bar.
“T&J has done a first class job with the installation and the support they’ve provided since has been first class too. Getting used to the system was made a lot easier with their help, and the time we’re now saving has made the whole process, to serve a beer on tap, more efficient for us.”
The benefits Zigfrid von Underbelly has seen since installing the tank system include:
- Great space and time saving – the beer is contained in a pressurised, sterile inliner within the barrel and is replaced when beer is replenished. This process is done far less often than with barrels and reduces space required in stores.
- The ability to provide pasteurised or unpasteurised, cask-conditioned beer that is ‘fresh from the brewery’ – the tanks can store beer at serving quality for up to three months pasteurised or 21 days unpasteurised.
- Beer storage under ideal conditions – with no added CO2, and at a temperature of 8-10°C.
T&J Managing Director, Ian Jones, said: “We believe that utilisation of the tank beer system in the UK will grow significantly over the next few years, as it has done in Europe. The staff and customers at Zigfrid von Underbelly have seen the benefits of the method, first hand, as have we, and we’re delighted to champion the tanks.
“To have Budvar, who’ve seen such great success with the system in Europe, choose us as their preferred installer is a great endorsement for T&J. So far, our tank beer installations have provided fresh, cask-conditioned Budvar beer in the UK, even though it is being brewed in the Czech Republic.
“As we try to encourage the tank method into mainstream use in Britain, Budvar’s beer clearly demonstrates to the country’s brewing industry, just how good it can get – by utilising all that tank beer can bring to the table.”
For more information on T&J’s tank beer installation, maintenance and beer delivery services, please contact Paul Jones on 0121 783 8925 or email pjones@tjinstall.co.uk
