News from the environmental sustainability front from Colorado’s Odell Brewing, with the announcement that the brewery is adding a carbon dioxide recovery system to its facility in Fort Collins. Not only does this reduce the amount of atmospheric emissions from the location but I imagine it will also help with the CO₂ shortage threatening the beer industry.

Press release:

Independent Colorado brewery, Odell Brewing, is thrilled to announce a major step forward in carbon reduction with the addition of a CO2 recovery system to their Fort Collins brewing facility. Breweries of all sizes utilize carbon dioxide in two key parts of their production process – one as a natural byproduct of fermentation that enters the atmosphere, and then again to re-introduce CO2 to finished beer in the form of carbonation. This unfortunate “double dip” in CO2 consumption requires that it be both produced and purchased.

Odell’s new CO2 recovery system not only nearly eliminates the venting of CO2 to the atmosphere but also reuses it in the finished beer while eliminating the carbon emissions of producing and shipping finished CO2 to the brewery.

“Throughout our 30-year history, we’ve consistently and deliberately re-evaluated our processes and production materials looking for opportunities to create better, more sustainable practices,” explains, Plant Manager, Matt Bailey. “Without a doubt, CO2 reduction is one of the most meaningful ways we can reduce our carbon emissions and help our planet.”

Odell Brewing anticipates that within one year this new recapture system will prevent 1.4 million pounds of CO2 from entering the atmosphere. Per EPA calculations, that equates to the annual carbon emission of 70,000 gallons of gasoline. Installation of the system has already begun and expect it will be fully operationalized by April of 2023.

“To us, sustainability means having something that can carry on past our generation. And that’s what this really is,” explains Bailey. “After the 7-year mark, we see the financial return, but a project like this doesn’t fit traditional ROI calculations. Our return is closing the loop and putting more value on our planet and our future.”

To achieve these carbon reductions, Odell has partnered with Pentair out of Denmark, who has spent many years engineering and developing equipment that’s scalable to breweries of Odell’s size. After nearly a decade, Pentair has achieved those goals.

“We are proud to be working in close partnership with Odell Brewing Co. as their CO2 recovery solution provider,” commented Pentair North American Director of Sales, Molly Tsipis. “Our CO2 recovery plant, Pentair Haffmans CO2mpactBrew, is enabling Odell Brewing to become CO2 self-sufficient, a critical strength in the current CO2 supply landscape. By generating their own continuous supply of CO2 with Pentair Haffmans CO2mpactBrew, Odell Brewing can contribute toward a sustainable future while avoiding volatile pricing, supply risks, and quality issues.”

To learn more about Odell’s commitment to sustainability, visit www.odellbrewing.com/impact

About Odell Brewing
Odell Brewing, the 20th largest craft brewery in the U.S., is a regional, independent, and employee-owned craft brewery. Since 1989, the culture of family and collaboration has thrived, fostering a brewery full of beer-centric people. It is this passion for beer that inspires Odell Brewing to create quality, hand-crafted and innovative brews. Odell Brewing is committed to providing exceptional service to its customers while making positive contributions to their co-workers and community through its outreach and charitable giving programs.

I’d love to see more breweries adopt CO₂ recovery technology, considering the amount of carbon dioxide they are already generating. I don’t imagine the systems are cheap, though.