Founded in 2012, the Deeds Brewing facility in Glen Iris is a relatively fresh addition to the Melbourne craft beer scene. From humble beginnings brewing from home, the decision to open a brewing facility was born of a very simple ethos the team at Deeds adhere to: they brew beer that they would want to drink.
This modus operandi is well-suited to Deeds Head Brewer Justin Corbitt, as his and his team’s palette for a well-brewed beer is as extensive as the range of meticulously crafted beers the team create in house.
“Our Senior Brewer, Packaging Manager, and their teams, the shift brewers, owners Pat and Dave, warehousing, admin, sales, marketing, and logistics all work together to make this happen,” says Justin.
In his role, Justin oversees the production and packaging of each of their beers including such popular core brews as Juice Train; Deed’s signature hazy, tropical IPA and Half Time; a hoppy pale ale with notes of pineapple.
Deeds releases four new and limited-edition beers every month, in addition to the five core brews that stay on brew year-round. “Our focus is on barrel-aged beers, some of which take years to ferment and all of which call for expert-level cicerone experience,” says Justin.
The technical and machined equipment of a brewery is particularly sensitive to the elements and incidental contamination of the product. Therefore, ensuring careful considerations are made when selecting food-safe oils for brewing equipment is paramount for Justin and his team.
CBC State Sales Manager Leon Stefanec, is attuned to the needs of new businesses stepping up to contend with the highly competitive and world-renowned food and beverage sector in Melbourne.
“From an industrial standpoint, the brewing industry presents some unique challenges for CBC staff to address,” says Leon. “A highly specialised environment requires specialised solutions.” Which is what lead Leon to suggest the INOX NSF-H1 certified food-graded range to Justin and the team at Deeds Brewery.
“INOX is an Australian business that has developed formulas that cater to the needs and challenges of the food and beverage segment,” explains Leon. “Their MX3 FG, MX5 and MX6 products are all formulated from base-oils and additives that are food-grade and meet the USDA Code of Federal Regulations item: 21 CFR 178.3750.”
When it comes to building a strong business relationship with Deeds Brewery, Justin confirms that the deed has been done, so to speak.
As his business has evolved, so too has his confidence in CBC customer care; reinforced by consistent delivery of high-quality products and services that enhance the performance of his brewing equipment.
“CBC has supplied various INOX lubricants and greases to keep our equipment operating smoothly,” says Justin. “We primarily use them in our packaging department where all of our moving parts are located. This is the stage of the brewing process where the product gets canned by our fillers and is run along conveyor belts.”
“We have various augers on site that are required for moving malt and grist from the mill area to the grist casings and then onto the mash mixer vessel,” he explains. “Being a bearings company, we also look to CBC to supply bearings for our augers and then we treat and maintain them with lubricants and greases. It’s important that we prioritise a food safety strategy to protect the quality of our brewing process, but we also need to keep an eye on our machines because a breakdown could compromise the quality of our product.”
When a beer is ready to be sold, there is a window of time when it is optimal for the best flavour for drinking, and the Deeds team like to nail that down as precisely as possible.
“It helps that CBC is very responsive and timely with their deliveries,” adds Justin.
He concludes, “In my line of work, if everything is running smoothly and there are no issues, then our relationship with a supplier will be very solid.”
