Direct Air has released its recap of Brewers Congress 2025, reflecting on two days of panels, workshops and conversations with brewers at Big Penny Social in London. The team highlighted three practical focus areas breweries asked about most: moving to on-site nitrogen generation, optimising compressed air processes, and building dependable support around critical utilities.
“Brewers told us their priorities are consistency, cost control and resilience,” said Scott Cluley, Sales Engineer at Direct Air. “The discussions were about making packaging lines steadier, cleaning and bottling more reliable, and supply chains less fragile.”
1) On-site nitrogen generation for consistency & savings
Many breweries still rely on bulk liquid deliveries or cylinders, which adds logistics and price volatility. Direct Air’s conversations and demos showed how generating nitrogen on site can cut costs by roughly 20–30%, simplify supply chains and put brewers in control of purity and availability. On-site systems produce high-purity nitrogen from compressed air (“pipe in air, pipe out nitrogen”) and can be scaled as demand grows.
In food and beverage settings, nitrogen is routinely used for tank blanketing, line purging and protecting product quality by limiting oxidation during storage, transport and pre/post-bottling steps.
2) Compressed air processes that support quality
Breweries rely on clean, dependable compressed air across bottling, cleaning, instrumentation and fermentation support. Conversations at the stand focused on air quality and uptime. Poorly specified or maintained systems risk product spoilage, unplanned downtime and inconsistent performance. Industry guidance points to managing water, particles and oil – and many food & drink applications specify ISO 8573-1/12500 levels, often achieved with oil-free technology and appropriate filtration. The goal is practical: stable pressure and flow, verified air quality at point-of-use, and fewer stoppages on filling and packaging lines.
3) Tailored solutions and ongoing support
Attendees also explored how best to structure long-term support around these utilities. Regular, proactive maintenance is a common thread for reliability, with breweries valuing quick response when issues arise and planned interventions that keep lines running.
Practices discussed included scheduled servicing to manufacturer intervals, remote/condition monitoring, and contingency options that minimise downtime during repairs – all aimed at keeping production safe, compliant and predictable.
“When nitrogen and compressed air are treated as critical utilities, quality rises and risk falls,” added Edward Hill, Sales Engineer at Direct Air. “Whether a brewery is moving off delivered gas or tightening air quality at point-of-use, the wins show up as fewer interruptions, steadier packaging and better shelf life.”
About Brewers Congress
Brewers Congress brings together brewers, suppliers and industry experts for lectures, panels and an expo focused on brewing best practice and innovation. The 2025 edition was held 30 Sept–1 Oct at Big Penny Social, London.
About Direct Air
Founded in 1993 and headquartered in Coventry with additional locations in Cheltenham, Direct Air supplies and supports industrial compressed air and related utilities across UK manufacturing, including the food & beverage sector.
