AUSTIN — The fresh, doughy aroma around the conical fermentation tanks at Austin Beerworks is a sign that trillions of yeast cells are turning the sugary, hoppy liquid inside into beer.Fermentation releases CO2 as the yeast breaks down sugar to create alcohol. At most wineries and breweries, it is released into the atmosphere.
But while preventing fermentation emissions from being released into the air is a plus, Mack said, it’s also a cost-saving measure for the brewery. The cost of all major brewing ingredients — including CO2 — has outpaced the consumer price of beer, he said. “CO2 isn’t just a process element in beer, it’s an ingredient,” Skypeck said. “It’s so critical.”Brad Farbstein is in the process of adding Earthly Labs’ tech to his brewery in Blanco, Tex., about an hour’s drive west of Austin. He hopes to cut Real Ale Brewing’s CO2 purchasing in half by midyear, and stop buying commercial CO2 entirely by the end of 2023.
One of those companies was Earthly Labs, which first tried to deploy it to scrub the air in homes or near large, commercial boilers. amounts of CO2 released during fermentation. And unless breweries are using renewable energy, running the CiCi machine, which is powered by electricity, generates additional emissions.