Germany | Steinecker GmbH, a subsidiary of Krones, has been honoured with the 2025 German Sustainability Award (GSA) in the “Products” category, which is being presented for the first time this year to recognise standout projects offering sustainable solutions. Steinecker submitted its biomass conversion concept Phoenix BMC for the transformation field Climate and won first place.
Water consumption | Water is the most important raw material for the beverage industry. In many places, however, water resources are under pressure from global warming and pollution. And so, beverage makers are seeking ways to use this “blue gold” more efficiently. This article explains how they can reduce their water needs and why thermal energy plays a significant role.
Resource consumption | For breweries, making first-class beer is not the only focus; as companies, operating cost optimisation and ecofriendly production are also prime concerns. One option here are micro gas turbines with jet-stabilised combustion chamber systems. But how can gas turbines rise to the challenges of the brewing industry while simultaneously making it more energy efficient?
Increasing efficiency | Through exergetic optimization of the heat supply, the newly developed Exergon Brew concepts enable breweries to achieve specific energy figures that were previously not considered possible. The Exergon Brew systems have a modular design and can be expanded in stages until the brewing process is completely decarbonized. Proven system technology is used.
Boosting energy efficiency | Along with quickly rising energy prices, the costs for typical consumables in breweries (such as bottles and crown corks) have also considerably increased. This inflation can only be partly passed on to consumers, however. Consumables such as crown corks are essential to keep production up and running. In many companies, however, the amount of energy used can be cut.
Sud Sixty Six | The novel brewhouse concept from banke GmbH combines many advantages in terms of technology, engineering and economy. With only two brew vessels and thus the smallest feasible footprint, a revolutionary 6 brews per day are achieved in 60 minutes of lautering time. Combined with the Exergon Brew energy management system, the lowest possible energy consumption can be achieved.
Technological innovation | Five years ago, CO2 recovery in small breweries was both economically unviable and technically impossible, but Dalum Beverage Equipment Aps, Søndersø, Denmark eliminated both obstacles and have been installing their CO2 recovery units to craft breweries left, right and centre. This article covers in detail the technological innovation the company has successfully implemented in a very short time.
Energy monitoring 4.0 | As a state-owned brewery, the Staatliches Hofbräuhaus in Munich, Germany, feels it owes it to the environment and its customers especially to assume responsibility for better protection of our climate and act as a role model for other companies by adopting a clear position in this respect. In order to identify and realise potential savings in its consumption of steam, water and compressed air according to its environmental targets, an energy monitoring system has now been installed with the help of Endress+Hauser that makes consistent use of digitalisation.
Brewer’s yeast | The challenges brewers are facing require innovative business concepts. Re-use of secondary streams offers promising sales potentials. The startup ProteinDistillery uses a novel approach in order to produce vegan proteins from brewer’s yeast for the food industry.
From marketing to action | Many entities want to be climate-neutral: companies, communities, cities, entire countries. And it goes without saying that products should also be climate-neutral. But what’s behind it all, and can this goal actually be reached? In this part of the series, we examine the snags and pitfalls of climate neutrality and show what an honest approach towards the protection of our climate can actually look like.
Biogas from brewer’s spent grain | Spent grain from the brewery provides a unique opportunity as it can be transformed into valuable products such as biogas, biomethane, protein extract and organic fertiliser in the move towards a circular economy. As Göss Brewery in Austria demonstrates, biogas provides various flexible options regarding the brewery’s energy supply, plus it can be fed into the natural gas grid or used to fuel the company’s vehicle fleet.