Medieval mines had to be reinforced to make way for Dreher’s new, monumental tanks

The fermentation and settling tanks were transported by road from the Csepel Free Port to the factory site in Kőbánya overnight in October and the first half of November. The largest, 20–22-meter pieces, had to be manufactured without insulation in order to obtain permission for oversized transportation in Budapest. The outer insulation layer is installed on site, in a hall set up for this purpose, with the help of an international team of experts.

“From time to time, a historic company reaches a point in its life when comprehensive developments and complete renewal of certain processes are required. This has now occurred in Dreher’s 21st-century history. Thanks to our professional and business successes in recent years, we have managed to get Asahi Europe & International to start a significant investment with us on an international level, which will secure the future of our factory in the long term,” said Mike James, CEO of Dreher Breweries.

One ​​of the most critical steps in beer production is fermentation, which follows brewing, during which the yeast converts the sugars in the wort into alcohol and carbon dioxide. – this fundamentally determines the taste, aroma and carbonation of the beer. That is why the current investment is decisive in the life of Dreher: in addition to modern buildings and 300 cubic meter tanks, new technologies are also appearing. In addition to the fermentation building, a new energy center is also being built, which will later serve the entire production process and improve the efficiency of water and energy use.

“We are implementing the largest investment in the domestic beer industry to date in Hungary’s market-leading brewery*, in a historic location, and without stopping production. To do this, we need to be extremely creative in handling all logistical challenges. The complexity of our Master Plan project is clearly demonstrated by the fact that we had to reinforce 800-year-old tunnels in order to lift such large tanks into place with a 500-ton crane, which could not even be transported on domestic roads in their finished form,” András Rácz, Dreher Breweries’ Integrated Supply Chain, said about the project. Director.

Asahi Europe & International has increased the efficiency of the Kőbánya factory and Dreher’s export capacity with numerous developments in recent years: compressors and filter equipment were replaced for 4.6 billion forints, and a new aluminum can production line was installed for 7 billion forints. The first phase of the Master Plan gigainvestment, which is also being implemented entirely from its own funds, is expected to be completed by the end of 2026. After that, the further direction of the developments will be determined based on the development of the domestic market.