Shortage

The American Southwest is facing historic reductions in something that breweries use in great quantity: water. The situation is politically fraught, but there are ways that breweries can reduce their water use and make a difference.

Whether we’re sucking it directly from the air or recapturing it from active fermentation, several factors—shortages, rising costs, and environmental concerns—are nudging more breweries away from dependence on external CO2 supply.

CO2 prices are spiking, allotments are limited, and suppliers don’t expect the shortage to let up until late fall at the earliest. Is it time to consider shifting to nitrogen in the cellar? Boston’s Dorchester Brewing offers an example and some guidance.

Money doesn’t grow on trees, but fruit does—and yet, it can be a finite resource. For all the talk of how climate could affect malt and hops, fruit is another raw material of modern beer that’s vulnerable to weather, as well as to supply-chain issues.

Even as the shortage of aluminum cans gradually eases, supply-chain issues are wreaking havoc on price and availability. Here are specific tips for making sure you have the packaging you need, when you need it.

Have a plan—but build it with a cushion that will allow your business to adapt to the unexpected and take the occasional risk. Here, the planners at North Carolina’s Highland Brewing share their evolving approach and best advice.

The crunch on aluminum cans comes just when COVID-19 fears have made breweries more dependent than ever on packaged-beer sales. Relief is unlikely to arrive soon.