Shortage of CO2 Leads Local Brewery to Alternative Carbonation Methods

NBC Washington ^ | 8/14/22 | Aimee Cho

[Libloather]

While you might have cracked open a cold one to enjoy Saturday’s preseason football game, the U.S. is experiencing a shortage of carbon dioxide, which produces all that fizz and bubbly in the beer.

Issues with contamination and a train line strike have impacted the carbon dioxide supply around the country. Many local breweries said they're monitoring the situation, thankful that their supplies haven’t fizzled out just yet.

While some breweries are worried about production, others are turning to greener methods to help.

Lone Oak Farm Brewing Company in Olney, Maryland, is one business using alternative methods to prevent products from going flat.

**SNIP**

In addition to using what’s created through fermentation, Lone Oak Farm is reusing the carbon dioxide from the finished beer.

The brewmaster said they use a blend of carbon dioxide and nitrogen in the beer that’s served in the tap room.

“When something is super carbonated, it's like a soda that almost burns the back of your throat. Nitrogen helps mellow that out a little bit and makes it a unique blend,” Chris Miller said.

Lone Oak Farm said its alternative methods are more environmentally friendly. The brewery goes “ground to glass” - growing its own barley and malting it on site.

[Libloather]

Now things are getting series.

[noiseman]

According to the envirowackos, you should be able to just fill a bottle with normal air, because it’s virtually 100% evil carbon dioxide (I’m sorry, “carbon”) now.

[Cronos]

For thousands of years, since the ancient Egyptians or Sumerians discovered beer, we didn’t add in carbon dioxide. It occurs naturally due to fermentation.

The best beers in the world, are Czech or German. They don’t add in CO2 beyond what occurs naturally during fermentation. Why do American beer makers need to do so??

[ifinnegan]

That’s what I was thinking. It happens naturally.

[TonyM]

Why did I just imagine a bunch of obese guy floating in a vat while farting their rear ends off.

[RandallFlagg]

I’ve been working at Coors in Golden, CO for the last 22 years making the malt, not brewing the beer. However, I did find this article that may answer your questions:

https://www.cacgas.com.au/blog/co2-carbon-dioxide-and-beer-brewing#:~:text=The%20gas%20gives%20a%20refreshing,distinct%20volumes%20of%20CO2%20required.

I’m guessing that they add CO2 because of this:

“Another method, faster and more efficient, and normally used in big breweries – it is better for high production – is also accessible for home brewers. This alternate method, called forced carbonation, is to add the CO2 into the beer. The CO2 is added to the beer using a cylinder of compressed gas. Pressure gauges, hoses, connectors, and regulators are required when putting CO2 into the beer when using pressurized cylinders. In this way the brewer has more control over the volume of CO2 inside the beer and the beer is ready to be consumed in approximately two days.”

Just my $0.02

[MRadtke]

That sounds right. I sometimes make my own homebrew, and it takes at least a month of conditioning after bottling before the beer is properly carbonated.

[HYPOCRACY]

Just inject the beer with nitrous oxide. That will make it way better.

[mad_as_he$$]

Thank you for watching over the malt that goes into my favorite mass produced beer.

[BobL]

Why don’t they just PULL IT FROM THE AIR - after all, isn’t the atmosphere full of Carbon Dioxide now, according to the media and the Globalists?

[Clutch Martin]

“For thousands of years, since the ancient Egyptians or Sumerians discovered beer, we didn’t add in carbon dioxide. It occurs naturally due to fermentation.”

I keep fermented vegetables continuously brewing...

I’m not familiar with beer brewing... and to TBH, I am a little shocked to find out that beer has CO² injected into the process and not naturally occuring.

[Antihero101607]

𝘞𝘩𝘺 𝘥𝘪𝘥 𝘐 𝘫𝘶𝘴𝘵 𝘪𝘮𝘢𝘨𝘪𝘯𝘦 𝘢 𝘣𝘶𝘯𝘤𝘩 𝘰𝘧 𝘰𝘣𝘦𝘴𝘦 𝘨𝘶𝘺 𝘧𝘭𝘰𝘢𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘪𝘯 𝘢 𝘷𝘢𝘵 𝘸𝘩𝘪𝘭𝘦 𝘧𝘢𝘳𝘵𝘪𝘯𝘨 𝘵𝘩𝘦𝘪𝘳 𝘳𝘦𝘢𝘳 𝘦𝘯𝘥𝘴 𝘰𝘧𝘧.

So that’s how Budweiser is made.

[GranTorino]

Lazy impatient brewer.

[Adder]

Collect, scrub and use cow farts...winwin

[eartick]

Good thing I grew up with flat beer

[dangus]

Shortage of CO2? I blame Tesla. ;-)

[ifinnegan]

Thanks.

[brewer1516]

I’m a homebrewer. Most of my beers are kegged and force carbonated, though I’ll occasionally bottle and carbonate naturally. Force carbonation provides more control over the finished product.

[Kalam]

They don’t want the dead little yeasties accumulating in the bottom of the bottle or keg when they die. You see in simplified terms, the yeast eats the sugars. They turn it into alcohol and carbon dioxide as a by product and that’s where the bubbling, foaming effect comes from.

[MCF]

CO2 is needed in the canning, bottling, and kegging operations. Oxygen greatly reduces the shelf life of beer.