La Salve brewery lighting project
We invite you to know all the details of our lighting project for the La Salve brewery in Bilbao. A challenge in which the Secom team applied a series of specialized luminaires for beer preservation, which are specially designed to avoid the photochemical reaction generated by sunlight or artificial light on this product, which generates sulfurous components that can damage the fine and elegant aroma coming from the hops.
This article addresses...
- A BRIEF LOOK HOW BREWING HAS EVOLVED
- AMBER LED LIGHTS FOR ENSURING THE QUALITY OF LA SALVE BEER
- REGULATIONS AND SOLUTIONS
A brief look at how brewing has evolved
The history of beer is as old as civilisation itself. Even before we began to read and write, we were already brewing and drinking it. Nowadays, beer is one of the most commonly consumed beverages in the world and it is popular not just for its taste; it also has excellent health benefits. Among other advantages, some studies suggest that moderate consumption of beer can be good for our bones and has a number of cardiovascular health benefits.
Brewing has developed into a very elaborate and meticulous process and each master brewer likes to give it his or her own personal touch. The technology available today means that we are able to control the process from start to finish, make significant improvements and achieve aromas and flavours that were simply not an option just a few years ago.
One leading brewery is located in the Basque Country. It dates back 130 years and has won best beer awards on numerous occasions. Its name is La Salve.
Elaborating such a specific and delicate product entails making precise calculations that are all geared towards preserving the beverage’s quality.
Amber LED lights for ensuring the quality of La Salve beer
Can lights really have that much of an impact on the quality of a beer? The answer to that question is that they most certainly can. Sunlight and artificial lights that emit ultraviolet rays can do irreparable damage to the quality of the beverage. Beer is generally bottled in opaque, amber or green glass bottles because they can prevent up to 85% of this kind of radiation damage.
At La Salve brewery where the company’s exceptional beer is brewed and stored, lights that do not emit ultraviolet rays but do provide the kind of illumination that is stipulated in applicable legislation are a must.
This can be achieved thanks to luminaires with amber LED lights because they emit an elevated luminous flux without generating ultraviolet light. The LEDs used by Secom Iluminación meet all the requirements and maintain very high quality levels while emitting a light spectrum that is free from this kind of radiation.
Regulations and solutions
As mentioned in previous articles, depending on layout, it is possible to play with colour tones in order to highlight specific spots in a room or building. However, the colour of the lights at La Salve brewery need to be amber in order to meet the requirements mentioned above. Of course, certain levels of light are necessary in order to adhere to applicable legislation on ensuring employee safety.
In the legislation for premises of this kind, there are stipulations regarding a range of different lighting levels depending on the precise characteristics of the space.
- Brewery work zones for washing, filling barrels, cleaning, sifting and dehusking:
- Average illumination: 200 Lx.
- Uniformity: 0.4.
- Cleaned product classification, milling, mixing and packaging:
- Average illumination: 300 Lx.
- Uniformity: 0.6.
Protek LED luminaires fitted onto the brewery pillars themselves were the preferred solution in this project.
These luminaires consist of a bracket for fixing the lights in place and for positioning them so that beams of light hit the areas that need to be illuminated. In this case, the lights needs to focus specifically on machinery and work areas.
La Salve brewery continues to produce excellent beer and maintain excellent standards in aroma, flavour and facility lighting.
