Beer Companies Go Green By Reducing Water Consumption

Concerned about the world's water consumption? Then a (major-label) beer is your drink. Two major beer producers, MillerCoors and Heineken, are currently working to reduce the amount of water they use in their respective brewing processes. This eco-friendly shift comes on the back of a recent study by SABMiller brewing company, the World Wildlife Federation, and the German international development agency GIZ. The study discovered how much water is used to brew a single liter of beer — about 60 to 180 liters of water.

The classic five-to-one beer ratio that most brewers have been using has caused concern for the industry.  Since the amount of breweries in America has reached a recent high, this number causes alarm for the future of beer.  With growing water demand and limited supplies, brewers are realizing that their current production manner is not sustainable.

In order to decrease their water consumption, MillerCoors announced their intentions to decrease the water-to-beer ratio to 4:1 at the majority of their breweries. They will also change their beer cooling system so that it recycles water in an effort to reduce their overall energy consumption.

Whether or not the decreased water ratio changes the taste of beer or not, it's good to see that major beer companies are taking responsibility for their impact on the environment. We'll raise a glass to that.

(Photo Modified: Flickr/mozzercork)