The commodity crisis continues to challenge craft breweries – canned beer, ale/malt wine, hops. Carbon dioxide is another missing element. Breweries use a lot of CO2 on site, from transporting beer and precleaning tanks to carbonating products and bottling draft beer in tasting rooms. CO2 emissions have been declining for almost three years now (for a variety of reasons), supply is limited and use is more expensive, depending on the season and region.
Because of this, nitrogen is gaining more acceptance and prominence in breweries as an alternative to CO2. I am currently working on a big story about CO2 deficiency and various alternatives. About a week ago, I interviewed Chuck Skepek, director of technical brewing programs for the Brewers Association, who was cautiously optimistic about the increased use of nitrogen in various breweries.
“I think there are places where nitrogen can be really effectively used [in the brewhouse],” Skypack says, but he also warns that nitrogen “behaves very differently. So you don’t just swap it one for one.” and expect to have the same performance.”
Boston-based Dorchester Brewing Co. was able to transfer many functions of brewing, packaging and supply to nitrogen. The company uses nitrogen as an alternative because local CO2 supplies are limited and expensive.
“Some of the most important areas where we use nitrogen are in canning and capping machines for can blowing and gas cushioning,” says Max McKenna, Senior Marketing Manager at Dorchester Brewing. “These are the biggest differences for us because these processes require a lot of CO2. We’ve had a dedicated line of nitro beers on tap for a while now, so while it’s separate from the rest of the transition, it’s also recently moved from our line of nitro fruity lager beers [Summertime ] Moving on to the delicious Nitro for Winter stout [beginning with partnership with a local ice cream parlour, to make a mocha-almond stout called "Nutless". We use a special nitrogen generator that generates all the nitrogen for the tavern - for a dedicated nitro line and our beer mix."
Nitrogen generators are an interesting alternative to producing nitrogen on site. A nitrogen recovery plant with a generator allows the brewery to produce the required amount of inert gas on its own without the use of expensive carbon dioxide. Of course, the energy equation is never that simple, and every brewery needs to figure out if the cost of a nitrogen generator is justified (since there is no shortage in some parts of the country).
To understand the potential of nitrogen generators in craft breweries, we asked Brett Maiorano and Peter Asquini, Atlas Copco Industrial Gas Business Development Managers, a few questions. Here are some of their findings.
Maiorano: Use nitrogen to keep oxygen out of the tank when cleaning it between uses. It prevents the wort, beer and residual mash from oxidizing and contaminating the next batch of beer. For the same reasons, nitrogen can be used to transfer beer from one can to another. Finally, in the final stages of the brewing process, nitrogen is the ideal gas to clean, inert and pressurize kegs, bottles and cans prior to filling.
Asquini: The use of nitrogen is not intended to completely replace CO2, but we believe that brewers can reduce their consumption by about 70%. The main driver is sustainability. It is very easy for any winemaker to make his own nitrogen. You will no longer use greenhouse gases, which is better for the environment. It will pay off from the first month, which will directly affect the final result, if it does not appear before you buy it, do not buy it. Here are our simple rules. In addition, demand for CO2 has skyrocketed to produce products such as dry ice, which uses large amounts of CO2 and is needed to transport vaccines. Brewers in the US are concerned about supply levels and doubt their ability to meet demand from breweries while keeping prices stable. Here we summarize the benefits of PRICE…
Asquini: We joke that most breweries already have air compressors, so the job is 50% done. All they need to do is add a small generator. Essentially, a nitrogen generator separates nitrogen molecules from oxygen molecules in compressed air, creating a supply of pure nitrogen. Another benefit of creating your own product is that you can control the level of cleanliness required for your application. Many applications require the highest purity of 99.999, but for many applications you can use lower purity nitrogen, resulting in even greater savings in your bottom line. Low purity does not mean poor quality. Know the difference...
We offer six standard packages covering 80% of all breweries ranging from a few thousand barrels per year to hundreds of thousands of barrels per year. A brewery can increase the capacity of its nitrogen generators to enable growth while maintaining efficiency. In addition, the modular design allows the addition of a second generator in the event of a significant expansion of the brewery.
Asquini: The simple answer is where there is space. Some smaller nitrogen generators even mount to the wall so they take up no floor space at all. These bags handle changing ambient temperatures well and are very resistant to temperature fluctuations. We have outdoor units and they work well, but in areas with extreme high and low temperatures, we recommend installing them indoors or building a small outdoor unit, but not outdoors where the ambient temperature is high. They are very quiet and can be installed in the center of the workplace.
Majorano: The generator really works on the principle of "set it and forget it." Some consumables, such as filters, need to be replaced on an infrequent basis, but actual maintenance usually occurs approximately every 4,000 hours. The same team that takes care of your air compressor will also take care of your generator. The generator comes with a simple controller similar to your iPhone and offers all the possibilities of remote monitoring through the app. Atlas Copco is also available on a subscription basis and can monitor all alarms and any problems 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Think about how your home alarm provider works, and SMARTLINK works exactly the same—for less than a few dollars a day. Training is another big plus. The large display and intuitive design mean you can be an expert within an hour.
Asquini: A small nitrogen generator costs about $800 a month on a five-year lease-to-own program. From the very first month, a brewery can easily save almost a third of its CO2 consumption. The total investment will depend on whether you also need an air compressor, or whether your existing air compressor has the features and power to produce nitrogen at the same time.
Majorano: There are many posts on the Internet about the use of nitrogen, its benefits and the effect on oxygen removal. For example, since CO2 is heavier than nitrogen, you may want to blow from the bottom instead of the top. Dissolved oxygen [DO] is the amount of oxygen incorporated into the liquid during the brewing process. All beer contains dissolved oxygen, but when and how the beer is processed during and during fermentation, this can affect the amount of dissolved oxygen in the beer. Think of nitrogen or carbon dioxide as process ingredients.
Talk to people who have the same problems as you, especially when it comes to the types of beer that brewers brew. After all, if nitrogen is right for you, there are many suppliers and technologies to choose from. To find the one that’s right for you, make sure you fully understand your total cost of ownership [total cost of ownership] and compare power and maintenance costs between devices. You will often find that the one you bought at the lowest price doesn’t work for you over its lifetime.
Post time: Nov-29-2022