During the last few months we have been quietly, industriously working on some major changes and improvements to our products. We now feel that our new lining is ready to be made available on our website. To say that we are happy with the changes to our drinking vessels would be an understatement, we are absolutely over the moon!
When we started searching we knew that not just any modern resin would do. It would have to be one that fits with the history and ethos of our products. Historically Hidebound vessels were waterproofed, or beer proofed, with brewer's pitch, being the traditional method of caulking wooden beer casks, or lining water tanks and pipes. So we started by asking questions of people in the modern brewing industry. While they don't have to think about lining wooden beer casks, they do have to think about lining the huge vats now used to brew beer, and to make sure that it does not affect the beer at all. We located a source of this epoxy resin who is not only able to provide all of it's relevant certification for use in both the food and alcohol industries, but most importantly was able to provide it in black! We wanted it to still look like pitch, and it really does!
This all came about when we tried to place our normal order for brewers pitch. Only to be informed that we would now have to buy it in ten ton loads! Our last order was half a ton, which has lasted us for a number of years. We just don't have the space to store ten tons, never mind the cost in on huge lump. For years we had been subject to dwindling choices of suppliers who sell brewers pitch as more and more producers stopped stocking it. We were down to our last outlet, when we were finally and monumentally let down.
However, it turns out to be a blessing in disguise. The changes to our vessels are a vast improvement. The resin is much tougher than the pitch ever was, so they are now much more durable. This doesn't mean they are unbreakable though. Squeeze anything hard enough and it will break. But you'd have to work a lot harder to do it.
We hope you will agree that these changes have improved our products, we'd love to hear what you think. Please do let us know.