Tour: Guess the company ...scroll down for photos, answers

Think Again: I love facility tours and did another in February. Guess where? Eleven hints follow. 1. It is a business one year older than the U.S. town that shares part of its name. 2. It was established before the Civil War. 3. It contains a lot of automation and instrumentation, and few key portions of the process were hand-crafted more than 100 years ago and still serve admirably.

Mark T. Hoske, editor-in-chief

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I love facility tours and did another in February. Guess where? Eleven hints follow.

1 . It is a business one year older than the U.S. town that shares part of its name.

2 . It was established before the Civil War.

3 . It contains a lot of automation and instrumentation, and few key portions of the process were hand-crafted more than 100 years ago and still serve admirably.

4 . Raw materials are relatively few for the main products made there. (Some people make their own.)

5 . Tour guide noted that one portion of the process is located in a room that has cellar in its name, though ironically it is located on the second floor due to how the business has expanded several times on site. Temperature control is key.

6 . Larger competitors have given up what some consider an environmentally friendly practice that this company still does as part of its supply chain, another irony in an evermore green era.

7 . They package products of smaller competitors.

8 . Without snow, location is about 4.5 hours drive from the Control Engineering main office. Anyone is welcome to take regularly scheduled facility tours, not only automation fans (though the tour guide seemed to appreciate the additional questions, even if my son rolled his eyes). As with anywhere, a few things could stand replacing, including fixture for a proximity sensor mounted with putty and a plastic locking cable tie — not pretty, but creative and apparently serviceable.

9 . Tours (for a nominal fee) start in a gift shop full of logo-laden merchandise and end with free samples in a hospitality area next to a small museum.

10 . Photos and more hints are posted with this article online, March 2008 at www.controleng.com/archive .

Want an “Engineer and proud of it” pocket protector? Use the post a comment feature with this article online to correctly name the company described and include URL of another plant tour that you enjoyed and why. Or if you don’t know, post a favorite tour location. After close of business in March, I’ll randomly select one lucky posting from the correct (or best) answers (decision of the judge is final) and send a pocket protector. Please include some means of contact.

11 . On April 1, I’ll point out the company name with URL in a posted comment to this story, along with answers to the questions above.

Good luck and happy touring!

MHoske@cfemedia.com

ONLINE EXTRA - photos

, more hints, answers follow at bottom

As promised above, here are three images, showing more of the process described, which takes 28 days, the tour guide said. Good luck. Scroll down for the answers!

Photo A.

Photo B.

STOP

scrolling now, if you don't want to see the answers yet!

ANSWERS
Here are the answers to the March 2008 Think Again questions.
1. Stevens Point Brewery.
2. Established 1857.
3. The grain bin and malt scale date back to 1902.
4. Water, barley, hopps, malt, and yeast are the main ingrediants for beer. Soda, also made, has a different longer list. Point rootbeer contains honey.
5. The fermenting cellar, kept at 33 deg F year round, keeps the beer 21 days.
6. Returnable bottles.
7. Trucks deliver beer from smaller labels, including one from California.
8. Brewery tour information is here, $3 when I went, with a souvenier glass and free samples.
9. Several cases full of memorabilia includes bottles from 1902 and photos of a Dan Ackroyd movie that featured the beer.
10. Photos (above) are:
A. This is the two story high mixer.
B. The mix then goes to the mash kettle, right, where hopps are added. (Note the boom box on the control panel, left.)
C. At right is the can filler, left can seamer, and in back, the bottle washer. I thought these were pretty good hints.
D. Fermenting cellar, below. I didn't post this one until after April 1... logo was a bit of a give-away.

Thanks for all the answers. The randomly selected winner (as described above) was Glenn.
Still wanting one of those pocket protectors? Ask Charlie .
11. Sorry for the pun. (Did it help?)
History, tour, and other good information are available through www.pointbeer.com . I could include more specific links, but won’t because I really like the idea of the online age check that Stevens Point Brewery does on its site.
Thanks, everyone, for the input.
Please feel free to continue to post your favorite industrial tour location, if you happen
Mark