Reliable nitrogen generation for breweries: Joseph Holt case study

Joseph Holt Brewery, Manchester, operating from the same Empire Street site since 1860

Summary

Client: Joseph Holt Brewery Location: Manchester, UK Engineering partner: ALS Industrial Services Technology: Parker NITROSource PSA (dual-purity) Payback: 1 to 3 years

About the customer

Joseph Holt is an independent, family-owned brewery based in Manchester. Founded in 1849 and brewing at its Empire Street premises since 1860, the company employs 15 production staff who draw on more than 175 years of expertise to produce award-winning draught and bottled beers.

Joseph Holt award-winning Diamond Lager: reliable nitrogen generation for breweries ensures consistent product quality — Joseph Holt’s award-winning Diamond Premium Lager

The site houses three mash tuns and three coppers, giving it a daily capacity of up to 500 barrels. As well as supplying its own estate of 128 pubs, Joseph Holt sells beer to hundreds of free-trade accounts across the region.

The challenge

Before the new system, Joseph Holt purchased bulk liquid nitrogen and CO₂ for a range of production tasks, including:

emptying bright beer vessels and purging kegs to 2 barg
feeding an Alfa Laval nitrogenation unit for stout, mild and smooth bitter
supplying a de-aeration water plant
general blanketing and purging to exclude ambient oxygen

Large outdoor bulk liquid nitrogen storage tank previously used at Joseph Holt Brewery before on-site generation was installed — The previous bulk liquid nitrogen supply, which brought high costs and logistical complexity

Rising energy-linked gas prices, expensive CO₂ and the logistical burden of bulk deliveries created pressure to cut expenditure without compromising beer quality, taste or affordability. The brewery also needed standby capacity for resilience, room for future growth and a demonstrable reduction in environmental impact. Critically, any replacement gas had to maintain strict dissolved oxygen limits in the finished product. Oxygen pick-up causes oxidation and spoilage, so there was no room for compromise on purity.

The impact

Before (bulk supply)

high annual gas expenditure
dependent on supplier delivery schedules
risk of supply interruptions
limited control over gas purity
ongoing delivery logistics burden
higher carbon footprint

After (Parker NITROSource)

60 to 70% reduction in gas costs and about 30% less CO₂
on-site generation around the clock
dual-purity standby system (50% capacity)
consistent EU food-grade purity (10 ppm)
no deliveries: liquid nitrogen and tank rental gone completely
lower carbon footprint

Industrial de-aeration water treatment unit at Joseph Holt Brewery requiring ultra-high-purity nitrogen supply — De-aeration water plant requiring ultra-high-purity nitrogen to maintain low dissolved oxygen levels

The ALS solution: nitrogen generation for breweries

ALS Industrial Services was appointed as the engineering and services partner. Working with Lloyd Rees, Second Brewer, ALS scoped, designed and delivered a complete turnkey nitrogen generation package using Parker NITROSource generators, from compressor and pre-treatment through to pipework and point-of-use filters.

Dual-bank configuration

ALS conducted a detailed consumption analysis and established that two nitrogen purity grades were required. General duties such as vessel blanketing and keg purging could be satisfied with nitrogen containing up to 0.5% residual oxygen. Nitrogenation and de-aeration demanded ultra-high-purity gas at around 10 ppm oxygen to protect the very low dissolved oxygen limits essential for beer quality. To meet both requirements efficiently, ALS engineered a dual-bank Parker NITROSource plant. One bank supplies 0.5% purity nitrogen for routine applications; a separate bank produces 10 ppm nitrogen for the most demanding processes. This configuration allows the brewery to match energy and purity to each task, avoiding the inefficiency of over-specifying gas for simple purging work.

Why Parker NITROSource?

ALS selected Parker NITROSource generators for their proven performance in food and beverage applications and their energy efficiency. The units use pressure swing adsorption (PSA) technology with a carbon molecular sieve (CMS) to separate nitrogen from compressed air. Parker’s Energy Saving Technology (EST) adjusts cycle times based on actual demand, reducing compressed air consumption by up to 25 to 30% compared with traditional fixed-cycle generators. This translates directly to lower energy costs and faster payback. Each unit integrates a continuous oxygen analyser that monitors purity in real time, displaying the result in parts per million or percentage. This integral sensor provides complete traceability for food-grade compliance under EU Regulation 231/2012 and connects to remote monitoring systems, allowing ALS to track performance and plan preventative maintenance proactively. The CMS technology also delivers an exceptionally long service life, reducing the long-term maintenance burden.

Equipment supply and installation

Joseph Holt cleared out a storage space and provided an electrical supply. ALS then completed the installation, comprising self-contained generator modules with dedicated pre-treatment packages. The pre-treatment equipment removes oil, moisture and particulates from the compressed air feed, producing oil-free air meeting ISO 8573-1 Class 0 for oil content, essential for food-grade nitrogen generation.

Parker NITROSource nitrogen generation for breweries installation by ALS Industrial — Parker NITROSource generators with pre-treatment and filtration, part of the turnkey installation from compressor to point of use

ALS designed the installation with modular aluminium interconnecting pipework, engineered to minimise pressure drop and simplify future expansion. The compact footprint required no major civil works, keeping installation time and cost to a minimum.

Close-up view of Parker NITROSource nitrogen generation modules with point-of-use filters and interconnecting pipework at Joseph Holt Brewery — Generator modules with point-of-use filters and modular aluminium pipework in the brewery’s repurposed storage area

Compressed air integration and standby capacity

To ensure supply resilience, ALS configured the system to operate from two compressed air sources. Under normal running, a new dedicated screw compressor (sized by ALS to match the brewery’s duty profile) feeds the plant. In the event of a compressor fault or during maintenance, one 0.5% purity bank can switch to the brewery’s existing 10 barg compressor, providing 50% capacity and removing the risk of losing all gas supply.

Bank of green compressed air receivers and blue screw compressor supplying the nitrogen generation system at Joseph Holt Brewery, with standby capacity from the existing site compressor — Compressed air receivers and dedicated screw compressor feeding the plant, with standby capacity from the existing site compressor

Commissioning and compliance

ALS managed full commissioning, including purity verification, flow-rate validation and integration with the brewery’s control systems. The nitrogen output is independently certified to meet EU Regulation 231/2012 for food-grade gas (E941). The system includes a continuous oxygen analyser with data-logging outputs for full traceability. Remote monitoring capability allows off-site review of performance and proactive service planning. ALS also produced the piping and instrumentation diagram (P&ID) for the installation, arranged for the Written Scheme of Examination (WSE) and coordinated the first inspection required under the Pressure Systems Safety Regulations (PSSR).

Service and support

The system is covered by ALS’s preventative maintenance programme, with a minimum of two service visits per year. Visits include filter inspections, analyser calibration checks and overall performance verification. ALS also provides breakdown cover and technical support.

Results

Running since mid 2024, the system has delivered measurable improvements across performance, cost and resilience.

dissolved oxygen performance: lager typically sits at about 50 ppb in the bright beer tank and 150 to 200 ppb once filled into keg. The finished beer consistently meets Joseph Holt’s dissolved oxygen limit, supported by the dedicated 10 ppm nitrogen stream
CO₂ usage reduction: every product now goes into keg against nitrogen back pressure, lagers included. Together with tank emptying and blanketing on nitrogen, this has cut CO₂ use by about 30%, and the brewery no longer buys liquid nitrogen or rents a tank
carbon footprint: on-site generation has reduced the carbon emissions associated with nitrogen supply compared with bulk liquid delivery by lorry
supply security: splitting demand across two generator banks, plus the option to run from the existing site compressor, has eliminated the risk of running out of gas
operational flexibility: gas is available on demand, at the exact purity required for each application. The modular design allows future capacity expansion without major re-engineering

Kegging lager against nitrogen

The biggest CO₂ saving came from the keg line, and it was the change the brewery tested most carefully. Filling lager against nitrogen loses 0.05 to 0.1 volumes of CO₂. The loss is the same every time, so the team carbonates the beer about 0.05 volumes higher and it lands on specification. Dissolved nitrogen in the keg is normally 5 to 10 ppm. Joseph Holt found that anything up to 20 ppm makes no difference at the bar. Lager only starts to fob at about 30 ppm. The two purities were tested as well. Injecting the 0.5% grade into beer added about 100 ppb of dissolved oxygen. The 10 ppm grade added none that could be measured. That trial is why the ultra-high purity bank feeds every job where gas goes into the beer. Nitrogen has helped the cleaning routine too. Tanks are emptied with nitrogen, cleaned with caustic and refilled straight away. CO₂ left in a tank reacts with caustic, and nitrogen does not. The brewery also sees nitrogen as the safer gas to vent from its tanks.

Customer testimonial

‘The Parker NITROSource system has transformed how we manage gas supply. We’ve eliminated the complexity of coordinating bulk deliveries, and the cost savings, around 60 to 70% just as ALS predicted, have been significant. What’s impressed me most is the reliability. We’ve got 24/7 supply now, and the purity is consistently excellent. Our product quality hasn’t changed; if anything, it’s more consistent. The system was straightforward to commission, and ALS’s technical team has been responsive and professional throughout.’

Lloyd Rees, Second Brewer, Joseph Holt Brewery (after six months of operation)

‘It’s not let us down once, and it doesn’t demand much attention. Our engineers have a look once or twice a day, but they’re not intervening. The service from Parker and ALS has been very good. It’s been very reliable kit, which is reassuring.’

Lloyd Rees, Second Brewer, Joseph Holt Brewery (October 2026)

Industry insight

Nitrogen and CO₂ each play distinct roles in modern breweries. CO₂ is essential for carbonation and mouthfeel, but it’s increasingly expensive, and supply can be volatile. Nitrogen is less soluble, less reactive and cheaper to generate on site, making it well suited to purging, blanketing and pressurisation tasks that require only an oxygen barrier. On-site generation using PSA technology gives breweries direct control over gas quality, cost and availability. For many mid-sized breweries, payback periods fall within one to three years, depending on consumption and energy costs. Ongoing operational costs can be significantly lower than delivered gas prices. With delivered gas prices subject to market volatility, nitrogen generation is becoming a standard component of cost-effective, sustainable brewing operations.

Brewery yard at Joseph Holt showing stacked beer kegs with coloured handles ready for distribution to pubs across Manchester — Joseph Holt’s operational site in Manchester, now with enhanced gas supply security and reduced delivery traffic