M. STEELE (1), D. Thornton (1); (1) Clemson University, Clemson, SC, U.S.A.

Poster

Brewing beer requires malted grains typically obtained from northern sources, such as Canada, and transportation of these ingredients can contribute significantly to life-cycle impacts on the brewing process. There is a lot of interest within the craft beer industry to make the industry more sustainable by brewing with locally sourced ingredients. This study used Earthsure Brewer LCA software to assess life-cycle impacts for a beer brewed with ingredients all obtained locally (from sources in North and South Carolina) and compared these results to the same beer produced using conventionally sourced ingredients. Analysis of alcohol content, specific gravity, color, and pH were used to compare product quality. Results showed that the locally sourced beer showed much lower life-cycle impacts, but that some quality was sacrificed by using these ingredients. This study indicates that local malt houses must improve the quality of their products if the craft beer industry is going to become more sustainable while maintaining high quality in their beers.

Muriel Steele is a Ph.D. student and NSF Graduate Research Fellow in environmental engineering and science at Clemson University, where her research focuses on sustainability and life-cycle assessment. She is also the president of the Clemson Brew Crew, a student organization that focuses on the science of fermentation and brewing and has been involved with the Science of Beer class for several years. After graduation, Muriel hopes to find employment in the brewing industry, where her training can contribute to sustainability through water-quality and waste-management improvements.

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