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We already have instant coffee and hot chocolate, and even powdered milk that mixes with water to feed babies. So why can't the same be done with beer? A German monastic brewery is working on just that, with a powdered beer formula that could cut the carbon footprint of the drink.
We already have instant coffee and hot chocolate, and even powdered milk that mixes with water to feed babies. So why can't the same be done with beer? A German monastic brewery is working on just that, with a powdered beer formula that could cut the carbon footprint of the drink.
The production of beer has a not insignificant impact on the planet. Why? Because it consists of 90% water, says the owner of German brewery Klosterbrauerei Neuzelle, located in the East of the country. And that's without taking into account the environmental cost of transporting and distributing the drink in glass bottles. As a solution, the brewery founded by the neighboring abbey at the end of the 16th century decided to shake up the industry by proposing a beer in the form of a powder to dilute in water.
The concoction, which is similar to a lager, required no less than two years of research to perfect. It is enriched with dextrin, a texture agent used in a variety of foods because of its thickening properties. Apart from the presence of this polymer derived from starch, the beer is brewed in a conventional way before being transformed into granules. Another particularity is that it does not contain any alcohol, at least not for the time being. But the brewery's experiments will continue over the next few months to see how alcohol molecules can be integrated into the preparation.
From an environmental point of view, the German brewery could save on transport with its powder mixture to be diluted in water. Aware that purists will not be keen to sample its innovation, the brewery aims above all to win over more distant markets like Asia and Africa, where exported products require significant transport costs. The manufacturer also hopes to reach out to resellers who have no knowledge of brewing. Speaking to the trade website The Drinks Business, the brewery's general manager says that this kind of beer powder could save between 3 and 5% of CO2 emissions in Germany alone.
