Ashland debuts at WBC 2012 featuring Polyclar™ beer stabilizers

The topics of quality, clarity and flavor are always on tap at the World Brewing Congress (WBC). At this year's event in Portland, Oregon, from July 28 through August 1, Ashland Specialty Ingredients, a commercial unit of Ashland Inc., (NYSE:ASH), presented its extensive portfolio of beer stabilizing solutions. This was the first time Ashland attended the event since acquiring International Specialty Products Inc. (ISP) in August 2011.

"This is a new, exciting area of business for Ashland," said Mustafa Rehmanji, leader, Ashland Specialty Ingredients global R&D and technical service for the beverage market. "The WBC offers an ideal setting for us to highlight our capabilities, including Ashland's Polyclar beer stabilizers, which are widely recognized in the industry as a leading technology for clarification and stabilization applications."  

In addition to inhibiting haze formation and loss of clarity, Polyclar products efficiently prevent color deterioration, reduce excessive bitterness, are completely removed by filtration and protect the flavor integrity of all types of beer. During the WBC, Ashland experts were on hand to deliver technical details on the prevention of chilling and permanent haze in bottled beer through effective and highly selective reduction of polyphenols.

"The combination of Ashland and ISP strengthens our commitment to providing customers with the high level of service and expertise they have come to expect through an increased global R&D footprint, and broader technology portfolio and technical expertise," added Rehmanji. "The WBC provides us with a great opportunity to discuss the latest technological advances in brewing science and to demonstrate how we can support the current and future needs of the beer industry on a global scale."

Ashland Specialty Ingredients is a world leader in cellulosic food and beverage ingredients, with our products meeting formulation customers' health, convenience, quality and processing requirements in major applications. Ashland creates value through applications knowledge, market insight and a powerful product portfolio that includes: Polyclar beer stabilizers, Aquacel™, Aquasorb™, Aqualon™, Blanose™ and Bondwell™ cellulose gum (CMC); Benecel™ MC and HPMC, Klucel™ and AeroWhip™ HPC and Supercol™ guar gum.

In more than 100 countries, the people of Ashland Inc. (NYSE: ASH) provide the specialty chemicals, technologies and insights to help customers create new and improved products for today and sustainable solutions for tomorrow. Our chemistry is at work every day in a wide variety of markets and applications, including architectural coatings, automotive, construction, energy, food and beverage, personal care, pharmaceutical, tissue and towel, and water treatment. Visit ashland.com to see the innovations we offer through our four commercial units - Ashland Specialty Ingredients, Ashland Water Technologies, Ashland Performance Materials and Ashland Consumer Markets.

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FOR FURTHER INFORMATION:
Ashland Specialty Ingredients
Media Relations
Richard Ruberti
+1 (302) 594-6850
rrruberti@ashland.com