30 Mar 2026 California craft brewery debuts a world-first beer
The project replaces fossil-linked CO₂ sourcing with on-site atmospheric capture, stabilising a critical brewing input...
A California craft brewery has launched what it claims is the world’s first beer carbonated with carbon dioxide captured directly from the air, marking a shift in how a critical industrial input can be sourced.
Aircapture, a company focused on direct air capture (DAC), partnered with Almanac Beer Co to debut Flow – Clean Air Edition.
The system sits inside Almanac’s brewery in Alameda, California. It pulls CO₂ from ambient air and refines it to beverage-grade quality before feeding it into the brewing process.
The launch follows a turbulent period for US manufacturers. A nationwide CO₂ shortage in 2022 disrupted operations and raised costs across food and beverage sectors, with breweries among the hardest hit.
The shortage exposed a structural weakness. Most commercial CO₂ comes from fossil-fuel-linked processes such as ammonia and ethanol production.
When those slow or divert supply, downstream users feel the shock.
Breaking CO₂ supply chains
Aircapture’s system bypasses that dependency. It captures CO₂ onsite, eliminating reliance on external industrial supply chains.
The unit produces liquid CO₂ at 99.999% purity, exceeding standard beverage requirements.
This approach reframes carbon dioxide as a localised input rather than a volatile byproduct.
For brewers, it reduces exposure to supply disruptions and price swings. It also offers a more predictable production environment.
“Until now, CO2 has been a volatile byproduct of fuel and chemical production,” said Matt Atwood, CEO and Founder of Aircapture.
“With Flow – Clean Air Edition, we’re making high-purity CO2 from the air right where it’s needed, and delivering it at a cost that works for business owners,” said Matt Atwood, CEO and Founder of Aircapture….
Read the full article here: Interesting Engineering