6 minute read
Water in Brewing
It Runs Deeper Than You Think
BY DAVID NUTTALL
Advertisement
~ Lord Robert Baden-Powell
In the past couple of years, our planet has seen a massive shift in activity. Whether it’s work, leisure time, travel, or even home life, people's lives have been inexorably changed. Obviously, the arrival of COVID in 2019 has been a major reason for this transformation, but it has also gone far beyond health measures.
Whether it is climate change, workplace culture, water management, environmental stewardship, supply chain issues, staffing challenges, e-commerce, or something else, many of these matters have been of interest for decades.
The liquor industry has not been immune to these topics. From the agriculture that provides the ingredients for all alcohol, through the production facilities, to the delivery chain of goods and all points in between, no part of the industry has escaped unscathed. While many factors affect all sectors, some are more prevalent to specific segments of the industry. For instance, distilleries may have supply shortages, from barrels to bottles; restaurants and bars deal with staffing shortfalls and minimizing food waste; while sustainability and climate change are leading issues for wineries. For breweries, water usage is the number one concern. However you slice it, water is the driving force behind brewing. It is the largest component of beer, accounting for about 95 percent of the final product. To get to that point though, it is estimated that as much as 300 litres of water are needed for each litre of beer, when accounting for all the water needed from seed to package.
While breweries can't control the agricultural factors (unless they own their farms), they can manage the water inside their building. While we all think of water as the base of the beer, it is used all throughout the brewery. When including packaging, equipment cleaning, wastewater, utilities, and ancillary usages, like restrooms and food service (if applicable), the water-use ratio (or WUR) of an average brewery twenty years ago used to be around 10:1 for each litre of beer produced. Today, breweries are aiming for ratios of one half to one quarter of that and the improvement has to come from many areas within and outside the brewery.
It's apparent by these numbers that breweries use a massive amount of water that doesn't end up in the beer. Most of it is wastewater that heads down the drain and contributes to a large proportion of their environmental impact. In response, the industry is developing techniques that can help minimize this. The simplest way is to monitor, test, and measure water use, such as detecting for leaks, using multiple flow meters, or improving cleaning procedures.
In addition, wastewater can be reclaimed and treated within the brewery itself through a series of processes that can involve filtration, aeration, chlorination, reverse osmosis, and sterilization. The resultant clean water can be used for anything but the beer, as reclaimed water is not currently legal to brew.
In the United States, water usage is monitored much more closely than here in Canada. It is estimated this current two-decade old drought, which has been prominent over the US mid and southwest this century, is the most severe on record and probably the worst in over 1,200 years. As a result, the (American) Brewers Association has published a Water and Wastewater: Treatment/Volume Reduction Manual to help breweries control their water usage.
In Canada, there is no such comparable guide, but then our brewers' association is only just over three years old. However, one shouldn’t fall for the fallacious assumption that Canada has an inexhaustible supply of water. Drier summers, shrinking glaciers, and decreased snowpacks all manifest themselves as diminished flow rates in rivers and lower levels in lakes and reservoirs.
This has a multi-tiered effect on breweries. Low rainfall seasons or droughts affect grain levels. According to the Canadian Grain Commission, the drought of 2021 resulted in Western Canadian barley production being approximately 37 percent lower than 2020, despite the total area planted being 10 percent higher than the year before. Water levels and consumption rates also require conversations with communities and governments, who control permits for construction and the expansion of breweries. In the US, some localities have declined brewery approvals based on lack of infrastructure or water supply. In addition, fluctuations in flow rates can alter the chemical composition of existing water sources, which in turn will influence brewing recipes and processes.
The way to mitigate some of these issues is for breweries to keep in constant contact with local government water authorities and to partner with farmers to formulate plans for water conservation and sustainability. Simple things like strategic tree and vegetation planting can control erosion and help filter pollutants from entering water sources. Better and smarter water usage all down the line is an accessible starting point. The panic button hasn’t been pushed in Alberta yet, but climate change is here now, and how breweries deal with their water footprint will determine their very survival.
David has worked in liquor since the late 1980s. He is a freelance writer, beer judge, speaker, and since 2014, has run Brew Ed monthly beer education classes in Calgary. Follow @abfbrewed.
We’re delighted to announce new dates, new pairing dinners, and new menus!
Check culinairemagazine.ca/events regularly, and email to be included in our bi-monthly updates to hear about events before the rest of the city. They do sell out rather quickly!
Surf-Turf Fine & Dine at Big Fish/ Open Range Thursday June 9 A fabulous one-off premium evening, with a reception and canapes, followed by a 4-course dinner with five pairings! We sold out very quickly for this dinner last time! Vine & Dine at Las Canarias
Wednesday June 15 and Tuesday June 21
This year we have two nights of this authentic, 6-course Spanish pairing dinner, with some of the best paella in the city!
Patio Party Vine & Dine at Shoe & Canoe Wednesday June 29 Celebrating summer with a welcome reception and first course on the patio, followed by five more pairing courses in the always excellent Shoe & Canoe restaurant!
Vine & Dine at Buffo
Saturday July 9 and Thursday July 14
We’re coming back to Buffo for two Vine & Dine evenings of delicious, Italian 6-course pairing dinners! One-Off Fine & Dine at Oxbow Thursday July 21 We’re delighted to be at one of Calgary’s top restaurants, Oxbow, in Hotel Arts Kensington, for one evening only, to treat ourselves to a very special pairing dinner!
Peak Cellars Winemaker Pairing Dinner at Sirocco Golf Club
Friday July 29
We’re thrilled to have winemaker, Stephanie Stanley, of Peak Cellars in the Okanagan’s Lake Country, with us for this 6-course Fine & Dine pairing dinner.
New evenings are added regularly, so check them out and email linda@culinairemagazine.ca to reserve. We try to cater for all allergies.
OUR 8TH ANNUAL CULINAIRE Calgary Treasure Hunt!
SUNDAY AUGUST 14, 2022!
REGISTRATION IS NOW OPEN FOR OUR BRAND NEW 17TH AVENUE SW CULINAIRE WORLD TASTE TOUR - SUNDAY AUGUST 14, 2022
Everyone has gone home a winner at our Culinaire Treasure Hunts and Taste Tours; they’ve been so popular that the spots sell out every year, so now we’ve planned a new and exciting World Taste Tour with new treats to enjoy. Bison Tostada And it’s all in one location – just park up and walk, no driving across town! You’ll answer questions to learn and enjoy different foods at each stop, and use your new knowledge and skill to complete the 17th Avenue SW culinary puzzle to win fabulous prizes! And there are prizes for the best costumes, the funniest team names, the funniest photos on social media... and lots more!
It’s another very fun and rewarding day, so grab a partner and sign up as a team of two, or sign up solo at culinairemagazine.ca/treasure-hunt.
