Brewing beer is an energy-intensive affair: First, brewing in the brewhouse requires a lot of heat, then fermentation and storage require a constant supply of cold energy. No wonder that breweries are currently leaving no stone unturned in view of the increased energy prices and the need for climate protection to reduce their energy consumption.
The Braucommune Freistadt can certainly feel like a pioneer in this effort. Measures to save energy were already taken when the brewery was renovated before the 2013 state exhibition. 2018 saw the start of an energy efficiency project devised with long-term supply partner Linz AG. This should make the Braucommune the first brewery in Upper Austria with a consistently green production process.
Yesterday, an interim assessment of this strategy was drawn up together with Climate Protection Councilor Stefan Kaineder, Linz AG boss Erich Haider and Mayor Christian Gratzl. Managing Director Ewald Pöschko emphasized the objective of making Braucommune an energy self-sufficient brewery and making Freistädter beer a CO2-neutral beer. “That’s why we don’t use cans or PET bottles at all, for example. 98 percent of our beers are filled in returnable bottles that go through a 60-fold circulation.”
Even fermentation gas is recycled
Other measures such as the use of energy-saving LED lighting, heat recovery and wooden roof racks with a span of 45 meters in the new logistics center help to keep the ecological footprint small. Modernization of the brewery technology has already reduced energy consumption by 50 percent. The delivery of the gastronomy in the city area will soon be carried out with an electric truck. Even the CO2 released during fermentation is captured and filtered to be reused in lemonade production.
Source: Nachrichten
