 How much water does it take to manufacture a gallon of beer?
Article by Paddy Fleming, Center Director
Common sense would lead us to think that the number would be something just shy of 1 gallon of water. What we don’t think about is the washup water that is being used. The best breweries in the world can make 1 gallon of beer and washup with 2 gallons of water. The water use ratio in this case equals 2. In Montana, our breweries have water use ratios of 4 to 8. That means that every gallon of beer that is manufactured in Montana requires anywhere from 4 to 8 gallons of fresh water.
Why does that matter? The number of breweries in Montana is growing fast. According to the Montana Brewers Association, the number of breweries doubled from 2012 to 2017. Montana’s breweries are now manufacturing approximately 23 million gallons of beer annually. Impressive numbers, and the Montana economy is better off as a result. If we assume that our breweries have an average water use ratio of 6, our breweries are using approximately 139 million gallons of fresh water per year. Is that bad? Well, it takes a lot of electricity to pump that much water out of the aquifer. Both the electricity and the water could probably be put to better use elsewhere, and both cost the breweries money.
Another issue is discharge. If Montana’s breweries are using 6 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of beer, 5 of those gallons are being discharged to our municipal sewer systems or septic systems. Our Montana municipal sewer systems and septic systems are processing about 115 million gallons of brewery waste water per year. Does that matter? That depends on where the brewery is located. Some municipal sewer systems welcome the brewery wastewater to balance other discharges. In other areas, the municipal sewer systems can’t handle anymore brewery discharge.
As a brewer, why should you care? First of all, it’s good to be aware of your water usage and how it impacts your operations and your community sewer system. You can then consider how to use that information as you manage and grow your business:
- Do you know what your water use ratio is? You can look at your water bills and your production records to determine your water use ratio fairly quickly.
- Would improving your water use ratio reduce your operational costs? Given the low cost of water in Montana, reducing your water use ratio may not result in the greatest return on investment but, your customers are getting more educated and they are paying attention.
- Would improving your water use ratio set you apart in the marketplace? With nearly 80 breweries in Montana, how are you different from your competition? One of your competitive advantages could be that you use less water than your competitor. View article online
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Founded in 1986, Bozeman based ILX Lightwave Corporation has 60 employees and designs, manufactures, and sells a broad range of photonics instruments, including laser diode controllers and drivers, temperature controllers, and optical power and wavelength meters. In 2011, Newport Corporation of Irvine, California purchased ILX for $9.3 million. In April 2016, MKS Instruments, Inc. (NASDAQ:MKSI), a global provider of technologies that enable advanced processes and improve productivity, acquired Newport Corporation. ILX continues to operate in Montana and maintains market leadership through the relentless pursuit of quality, performance, and innovation.
Read more on how MMEC helped ILX Lightwave meet increased demand
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