Climate change is devastating the world we live in, but the many effects of climate change are still distant from most people. Beer, on the other hand, relates more to our everyday lives and the changes in beers will probably create a more apparent effect on people.

New Belgium Brewing Company, a nationally distributed brewery in the United States introduced “Torched Earth Ale” in 2021, a beer made with smoke-tainted water, dandelions and drought-tolerant grains that tastes just like climate change. This is not exactly the beer you would expect, and it obviously did not win any awards. However, it made a loud statement and gave a perfect preview of how the climate could have a massive impact on our everyday lives.

The traditional beer brewing process is not really a sustainable practice. According to The Brewers Association, the average brewery uses seven barrels of water to produce one barrel of beer. Take into account the energy used in the fermentation process, the costs of shipping ingredients around the country and the canning byproducts. When the brewing is done, all that remains are undrinkable water, spent grains and hops. Beer could be increasingly more expensive and in short supply due to its primary ingredients being heavily impacted by climate change. It is only right for breweries to implement sustainability practices and help to tackle climate change. Luckily, more and more craft brewers around the world are embracing a more eco-friendly approach to their beer production process.

Carlsberg, the world-famous Danish beer company, carried out the Fiber Bottle Project in 2015 that introduced the prototype of a fiber-based bottle. Throughout the years of development, Carlsberg rolled out the latest public trial for Fiber Bottle 2.0 this year, a bio-based and fully recyclable bottle. Besides the packaging, they have also made further improvements to the beer itself by switching to organic barley to promote regenerative agriculture. With a continued focus on evolving technology and sustainable practices, Carlsberg has reduced carbon emissions by 40% since 2015 and continues its way to achieve net-zero emissions.

Singapore brewery Brewerkz announced in 2022 that they are testing out a bold concept for their new product NEWBrew, a blonde ale beer made from recycled sewage and urine water. The description alone is enough to keep any customer away, however, when you take into consideration that Singapore is one of the most water-stressed countries in the world, the concept itself makes sense. Keep in mind that the production goes through thorough sanitation and microfiltration process that transforms the liquid waste into the beer we drink. NEWBrew is out now on Brewerkz online store and selected places in Singapore, would you drink it?

The first Friday of every August marks International Beer Day, TGB Charity invites you to celebrate with us on August 5th, 2022 and learn more about environmentally friendly beers and the breweries behind them. Join us to tackle climate change and protect our planet. Let us preserve the refreshing, sophisticated, sweet and savory taste of beer for the next generation.

Sources:
https://www.brewersassociation.org/educational-publications/water-wastewater-sustainability-manual/
https://brewerkz.com/newbrew/
https://www.carlsberg.com/en/green-fibre-bottle/
https://www.newbelgium.com/
https://www.wri.org/insights/ranking-worlds-most-water-stressed-countries-2040

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