Page 18 - Beverage Master_DecJan2022

Craft Brewery

system gives most breweries that same opportu- while some claims are not part of their guaranteed
nity to avoid waste and produce a better product results, brewers currently using Earthly Labs units
while also helping the environment. Operationally, report additional quality benefits, including better
most brewers larger than 1,000 barrels can now mouth feel and aroma, head retention and lacing.
implement and maintain a CO2 capture system. There are also reports of lower dissolved oxygen in
Historically, the economic feasibility of a system the finished product.
used to be governed by the purchase price of CO2.
For example, a brewery with an annual production “The natural CO2 that brewers create and then
of 5,000 barrels paying one dollar per pound for capture comes from the brewer’s ingredients ver-
CO2 supply would receive a faster payback than a sus hydrocarbon sources, so the resulting CO2
brewery producing 20,000 barrels paying ten cents waste gas doesn’t include many of the volatile
a pound. However, post-Covid, that supply chain is organic compounds or hydrocarbons found in com-
now challenged with volatile pricing and reduced mercially available CO2 gas,” said George. “As a
availability. The risk of not being able to make your result, there is statistically less oxygen in the gas,
beer due to CO2 shortages puts pressure on ways often well below the allowable beverage grade
to capture your waste gas to use in your beer-mak- limit. We like to say that this captured CO2 is the
ing process.” fifth ingredient in great tasting beer.”

George said that carbon capture helps avert short- The CiCi system captures the waste CO2 vent-
ages, provides cleaner CO2 for use, reduces pur- ed from a blow-off arm. A stainless-steel drum
chases and ultimately makes products better. The called a foam trap replaces the blow-off bucket,
Earthly Labs carbon capture CiCi system is designed designed to seal the gas and push it via flex tub-
for craft brewer or beverage manufacturers with ing to the carbon capture system, purifying the
an annual production rate of 5,000 barrels or more. gas through a three-step process. First, the CO2 is
Additional designs for breweries with annual pro- dried to remove water and oxygen, then scrubbed
duction rates of 1,000 barrels up to those that top to remove the VOCs and other impurities down
the 20,000 barrel mark are in the works. The CiCi to the parts per million or parts per billion levels.
system uses a three-step gas purification system After that, the gas is converted to a liquid at -34.7
that dries, scrubs and liquifies the captured gas to degrees Celsius, sterilizing the gas allowing more
remove unwanted acid gases, aromas, moisture, accessible storage. Finally, the liquid is stored in a
oxygen and volatile organic compounds. This pro- CO2 tank and usually connected to a vaporizer for
cess ultimately provides a clean product that can integration into the brewery manifold, facilitating
potentially help brew a tastier beer. use in carbonation, packaging and purging.

“Additional benefits include more certainty of Earthly Labs provides field training through the
supply while reducing costs caused by delivery fees, installation, including equipment operation, trou-
surcharges and price volatility,” said George. “Your bleshooting, safety, cleaning and general mainte-
brewery will reduce CO2 emissions, improving safe- nance. The design of the CiCi system makes it easy
ty while enhancing your brand image by offering to use while it runs in the background, allowing
a more sustainably brewed product. Looking at the brewer to concentrate on making their beer.
cost-benefit alone, most breweries recover their Essential maintenance, including weekly cleaning
investment within two to three years. That can be and monthly filter changes, can be done by brew-
far less looking at resulting sales gains based on a ery personnel. The system is also connected to a
better-quality product and marketing that product cloud-based dashboard so Earthly Labs can remote-
on a sustainable level. The expected time to recov- ly troubleshoot to resolve the issue or dispatch
er your investment cost is directly affected by your field personnel to service the unit if necessary.
current cost of CO2, how much you’re using, and
the expected volatility of your supply. For example, Packaging for a Sustainable Future
if you currently can’t brew your beer due to CO2
shortages, then you can recoup your investment in “Packaging choice is another option to increase
a matter of months.” sustainability in your brewery, but like ingredients,
you should consider the quality, availability and
George told Beverage Master Magazine that other hidden costs of your choice. There is always a

16 December - January 2022 BEVERAGE MASTER

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