COLD
BY DESIGN.

A 1,000-litre example batch

The starting cold-process inputs come from this engineering budget. Volumes, equipment loads and timings are assumptions you can replace with your own measurements.

Product-water allowance

1,000 L

Hot cleaning water

1,000 L

Cold rinses

1,000 L

Other site water

500 L

Cleaning-water quantities mean fresh water taken in. A pump circulating the same cleaning solution does not consume that volume again on every pass.

Heat and electricity

The example heats cleaning water from 15 to 70°C, includes regenerative thermal treatment at 95% heat recovery, and allows for boiler and distribution efficiency of 85%. Product chilling uses a coefficient of performance of 3.

Fuel input

83.3 kWh

Electricity

69.6 kWh

Electricity includes product chilling plus assumed average loads for filling and compressed air (8 kW × 4 h), mixing (2 kW × 4 h), cleaning circulation (3 kW × 2 h), room refrigeration (3 kW × 4 h) and auxiliaries (1.5 kW × 4 h).

These settings explain the example budget, not a validated cleaning or preservation procedure. The finished beer’s stability determines the production treatment.

At the site

Both columns cover fuel, electricity and incoming water where the finished beer is made and packaged. Water includes the drink itself, cleaning and utilities. It is water taken in, not wastewater or an agricultural water footprint.

Before and after

Malt and hop ingredients have their own production footprint. Making an extract elsewhere can move heating and water use upstream. Supplier production, packaging materials, transport and refrigeration after dispatch belong in the wider product assessment.

The reference

The working example combines an energy setting within published brewery ranges with 3.25 litres of water per litre, the midpoint of Steinecker’s modern brewery reference. The historical and efficient options use different settings; none represents a single measured plant.

The calculation

For each 100 litres, fuel and electricity are added to give site energy. Water use per litre is multiplied by the finished volume. Energy-related CO₂ is fuel × its factor, plus electricity × its factor.

Fuel inputs use net calorific value (NCV), before boiler and distribution losses. The percentage is the difference divided by the brewed reference. Increases remain visible too.

Next at the brewery

Meter fuel, electricity and water. Record cleaning cycles, finished output and losses. Add ingredient supplier data, then compare at the same scale and with the same packaging.