Beer City's Big Secret
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Asheville’s nickname is Beer City, a title rightly earned considering the city has over 35 breweries. A study conducted by The Asheville Area Chamber of Commerce found that breweries created 2,571 jobs in Asheville in 2016 alone. The total economic contribution from these 35 plus breweries in 2016 was 934 million dollars.
But like most other industries, beer has its dark side. According to an article from Modern Farmer, brewing 1 liter of beer requires 20 liters of water. After all, beer is 90 to 95 percent water. Growler Magazine points out that “Much of the water used in breweries is lost to evaporation or is simply sent down the drain.”
This means that most of the water used in the brewing process never makes its way into the can or bottle. Additionally, a significant amount of water is wasted due to leaky machinery. It’s estimated that breweries spend an average of 4 dollars per hour because of this.
Water is also heavily used on the agricultural side in order to grow the hops and barley that beer lovers enjoy. Some varieties of hops require as much as 60 inches of rain per year.
Aside from water usage, wastewater from breweries can also be problematic. While a representative from Asheville’s Metropolitan Sewerage District said they welcome the city’s plethora of breweries, other municipalities across the nation are burdened by their breweries’ effluent. Growler Magazine states that brewery wastewater often has too high of a particulate matter as well as an improper pH balance for facilities to handle.
Thankfully, innovative breweries across the country are finding ways to make their brewing process more sustainable. One homebrewer in Milwaukee who works as a wastewater engineer produced his own beer, the Activated Sludge Wheat Ale, from wastewater. Local brewery Lakefront Brewery taste-tested the beer and awarded it a 7 out of 10.
Stone Brewing in Escondido, California, invested in an 8 million dollar water treatment system to achieve a 3 to 1 water to beer ratio. As a consumer, you have the choice to support sustainable breweries.
