Delphic Brewing Company

BACKGROUND

Delphic Brewing Company is the thriving market town of Newbury’s first craft brewery. It was founded in 2019, in nearby Thatcham, by head brewer and real ale enthusiast Tom Broadbank who, once he turned 18, started his brewing journey working at a real ale pub and brewing for an established local brewer, before starting his own operation out of a rented double garage on a modest 50l system. He honed his craft alongside his day job, upgraded to a 500L system and filled the garage to the rafters.

With Tom’s beers proving popular, when a rare industrial space in the town centre became available, he took the plunge and secured the space. He upgraded his brewing kit to a new, modern 2.5BBL (500l) system, eight temperature-controlled fermentation tanks and a dedicated cold store. The company brews many seasonal beers for cask and keg while its core Best Bitter ‘Level Crossing’ is available year round. Delphic’s lively taproom, where customers can drink its beers at their freshest, direct from the source, has quickly become a feature of Newbury’s vibrant nightlife. Open on Friday and
Saturday nights, it is just a two-minute walk from the station.

THE CHALLENGES

Tom recognised from the start it was critical not to skimp on flooring in the notoriously demanding brewery environment. Brewery flooring has to be tough and durable, able to withstand continuous impacts from kegs, barrels, pallets, forklift trucks and dropped tools, as well as bearing the weight of extremely heavy equipment. But that’s not all: like all food and beverage production facilities, flooring also has to be hygienic -non-porous and free of cracks or gaps that can collect bacteria -resistant to chemicals and slip-resistant.

Tom Broadbank appointed Sika-approved contractor Performance Flooring to install the floor. Sales Manager, Frank Crawford recommended Sika® Ucrete® UD 200 for the tanking area. A heavy-duty resin floor, it has very good resistance to aggressive chemicals, heavy impact and temperatures up to +150 °C.

Frank explains, “Ucrete® is not cheap but it will stand the test of time. Sometimes brewery owners go for the cheapest option – paint – and regret it when the heavy machinery goes in, the floor gets ruined and has to be redone. Smart companies consider the lifetime cost, which includes downtime for repeated maintenance and, ultimately, the replacement of lesser products.”

Having spotted news of the brewery’s opening in the local paper, Sika was happy to help support a promising new local business. As Ucrete® was more competitively priced than the vinyl quote Tom had been given for the toilet floor, it was used there as well. Tom then opted for Sikafloor®-267 in the bar and seating area.

The job wasn’t without issues but, with his experience of brewery environments, Frank had encountered them before. The Delphic Brewery building had formerly been an auto repair shop with vinyl flooring and when the latex covering was removed, Frank discovered the floor consisted of eight separate slabs. Sometimes when vinyl comes up, it brings some of the concrete with it and Frank’s team needed to undertake localised repairs before pouring the Sika® Ucrete® resin. Despite this hiccup, the project was completed within a month from start to finish.