20 Apr 2018 AB InBev develops new energy-efficient brewing method

AB InBev has developed a new brewing method which will reduce its CO₂ emissions by approximately 5% once the technique is utilised in its entire brewery network.

The new technique was developed at the company’s research facility in Leuven, Belgium and is able to generate gas bubbles without the need to boil the beer, ultimately saving both water and energy.

AB InBev claims the taste of beer is not affected by the process, and that finished products stay fresher for longer as the liquid is brewed at a lower temperature in the early stages of brewing.

The technique works by heating the brew to below boiling point before blowing gas into the brewing kettle, creating bubbles without altering the taste.

As well as the 5% reduction in CO₂ emissions, AB InBev claims the new technique will result in 80% less water consumption once the technique is introduced on an industrial scale, the equivalent of 1,200 Olympic swimming pools.

The company says that it will offer the new technique to other brewers worldwide due to the positive ecological implications of the method.

‘Small’ breweries will be able to apply for a free license, while larger breweries will be charged a variable fee depending on their production volume and the impact of the innovation.

David De Schutter, AB InBev’s director of R&D for Europe said: “Boiling and these gas bubbles are the sacred formula in the brewing process.

“As AB InBev’ s brewing techniques are already highly-efficient, out-of-the-box thinking was the only way to raise the bar even higher. Challenging ourselves and questioning basic processes ultimately led to this innovation,”

“Our innovation is to heat everything up to just below boiling point, which provides 80% energy savings at this point in time.

“There is a lot less steam released, which allows you to spend less on water. In our case, we managed to go from 5% evaporated water to less than 1%.”

Source: Foodbev.com