greendrinks
80,000 barrels of beer - and they’ll do so ha-
“I think we’re going to see a lot more
ving run entirely on 100 percent sustainable
breweries collaborating, sharing their pro-
wind-power. The energy alternative adds a 10
cesses in the future,” he says.
percent premium to a monthly bill that already
At home, too, Brooklyn Brewery continues
hovers around $20,000; but it prevents more
to evolve their brewing process. They are in
than 300,000 pounds of pollution from ente-
the midst of searching for a new facility, and
ring the earth’s atmosphere each year.
the opportunity to start afresh has fueled a
When the system was implemented se-
host of eco-friendly, energy-efficient ideas.
veral years ago, Hindy received unexpected
Harnessing solar energy, utilizing natural
praise: some sent letters, others simply
heat transfer, and capturing chemical reac-
bought more beer.
tions are a few of the promising initiatives
that would bring the brewery closer to run-
ning on its own homegrown power.
“I guess people
“Breweries lend themselves to a lot of eco-
friendly processes,” Hindy says. As soon as
feel better about
the battle for a new space is won, they’re
ready to tap in.
their beer knowing
Solar panels, for one, have the potential to
alleviate the largest energy expenditure in a
it’s powered by
brewery. Constant temperature modulation
(roasting grain solutions, boiling and sani-
the wind.”
tizing the sugary byproducts, then reducing
the scalding liquid down to cold, fermentable
In the face of corporate lip-service an- temperatures in the mid-50s) is akin to Broo-
nouncements, Brooklyn Brewery’s quiet klyn Brewery constantly heating and cooling
efforts led the way in showing New Yorkers the water held in 150 swimming pools.
that reducing their carbon footprint wasn’t According to the New York Public Services
about walking on USDA-certified organic Commission, however, solar panels could
eggshells. It was about everyday choices, supply half of that power (one-third of the
even the ones made in the beer aisles of the brewery’s total usage) with an initial price
local supermarket. tag of under $500,000. Recouping that cost
Months earlier, in a distant Williamsburg through energy savings and government re-
office, Hindy set the tone for such decisions. bates would take Brooklyn Brewery less than
After biking to work from his home in Park 20 years, half the solar panel’s lifetime.
Slope, he sat down at his desk, considering Furthermore, if they chose to couple the
operational improvements that might be solar installation with a heat-transfer sys-
made without reducing the quality of his tem, the brewery could make even more
beer. Some time in the afternoon, he recei- efficient use of energy. Pipes running along-
ved a call from a local energy advocate infor- side the hot panels could deliver water na-
ming him of a temporary strain on the grid. turally heated to 140 degrees, well on its
After Hindy hung up, he walked to the front way to the requisite boil.
of his office and switched off the lights and Processes happening within the brewery,
went on working near his window. many of them chemical, also hold poten-
He would go on to review improvents in tial to subsidize breweries’ energy needs.
his distribution network, making a concer- Scientists in Australia and Colorado have
ted effort to distribute within a reasonable discovered that the same bacteria used to
radius. Growing regionally is more practical, ferment beer can be used to help fuel the
he says, now that it costs more than $3 to brewery. The process is simple: What we
truck each case of beer across the country. consider waste, the bacteria consider food.
Down the road, Hindy’s staff anticipates By placing them in an oxygen-free microbial
working with partner-breweries to spread cell with the brewery’s waste water instead
the Brooklyn taste: crafting, bottling, and of in tanks of beer, the bacteria consume un-
distributing Brooklyn-inspired beers on so- desirable elements in the water, and, in the
meone else’s home turf. process, leave behind both chemical energy
OUR GREEN BOOK 43
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