Flexible pouch makes new beer dispenser possible

The new SYNEK countertop beer dispenser utilizes a flexible pouch produced by Mondi in North America. The pouch can be filled with draft beer, which is kept fresh for over 30 days. *Source: SYNEK.*

SYNEK beer dispenser — The new SYNEK countertop beer dispenser utilizes a flexible pouch produced by Mondi in North America. The pouch can be filled with draft beer, which is kept fresh for over 30 days. *Source: SYNEK.*

The SYNEK countertop appliance refrigerates, pressurizes and dispenses beer for the home consumer. The system holds and preserves a full gallon of beer stored in a custom-engineered flexible pouch developed by Mondi’s consumer goods packaging business in North America.

“Because of the delicate nature of beer, the dispenser’s pouch is a critical draft system component,” says Markus Hoedebeck, vice president of product development for Mondi. “The pouch is designed to handle the intense pressures beer produces and to preserve the beer’s freshness for over a month.”

Steve Young, the founder of SYNEK, developed the new beer delivery system to fill the void between bottled beer and growlers (jugs used to transport draft beer). The first step was developing a portable, flexible container that could transport beer and keep it fresh for many weeks. Young met with Mondi executives, and the two companies worked together for a year to produce the packaging.

The result is a flexible pouch consisting of three layers: an FDA-approved inner layer that does not react to the ingredients in beer; a stretched aluminium middle layer that functions as an oxygen barrier and protects the pouch’s contents from UV rays; and a polymer-like exterior that adds strength and durability. In addition, Mondi and SYNEK collaborated with a third company to develop a frontal spout for the pouch.

For more information:

Bob Giuliano, 610-328-1051, bob.Giuliano@prplace.biz, www.mondigroup.com.

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Debra Schug was Editor-in-Chief of Food Engineering. She began her media career over a decade ago writing and producing broadcast news for both television and radio at the local and national level. She spent many years as the managing editor for two trade magazines in the oil industry and the research editor for an annual petroleum report. She has a master’s degree in journalism and mass communication from Iowa State University.