There are several challenges in the brewing industry, this blog discusses such challenges and how Toast Brewing have overcome these by adopting a circular business model.
Most notably, the process of brewing uses large amounts of freshwater. To produce a single litre of beer, approximately 3-5 litres of water is required. This is used within various stages of the beer making process, from boiling to cleaning. Reducing this water intensive process is a key driver in creating a clean beer. Similarly, the processes of heating and cooling beer in fermentation uses significant energy. As the majority of energy comes from non-renewable sources, the carbon footprint of a can of beer can be as high as 1.11kg of Co2e per kg. This is the same as driving 2.5 miles, which granted, doesn’t seem like a lot, but considering the world goes through 178.6 billion litres of beer per year, it all adds up.
To brew, barley and hops must be grown, which relies heavily on the agriculture sector. Climate change is posing significant challenges such as unreliable crop yields due to changing weather patterns. Lower supply of such grains causes the price to increase too. Additionally, many beers are shipped worldwide, and to achieve this, products must be transported. This, as you can imagine, creates a huge carbon bill which the vulnerable experience the brunt of.
Finally, the beer industry creates substantial amounts of waste, from spent grains to packaging. That is until Toast Brewing.
Toast Brewing are a certified B Corporation who use surplus bread to produce beer! Bread is one of the world’s most commonly wasted food products, and the use of one persons waste means there is less demand for agricultural land. Bread replaces 25% of the malted barley in this process, reducing the demand for water, land and energy by 1/4. Malt typically makes up 30-40% of a beers carbon footprint so this initiative really makes an impact. The remaining 75% of malt needed to produce high quality beer is bought from Crisp, a regenerative barley grower based in the UK. Furthermore, each beer is brewed with 100% UK-grown hops. These are basically the flowers from a Humulus lupulus plant, they add the bitterness to the beer whilst also acting as a preservative.
Post brewing in Kent, all spent grain (waste) is used for animal feed by local farmers, also collecting spent hops to use for composting. Furthermore, all wasted water is treated and put back at a better quality than it was taken out. Toast Brewing doesn’t stop there, they donate 100% of their profits to environmental charities.
Enjoy a guilt free beer from Toast Brewery by clicking here to visit their website. You can also find their products in Waitrose, Co-op and Aldi.
Not My Monkey 