Big Al Brewing puts the sun in its suds

Seattle microbrewery using solar power systemImbibers of Seattle-based Big Al Brewing’s ales will soon thank the sun, not only for the golden wheat that graces its beers, but also for its part in brewing the beer itself. Owners Big Al, aka Alejandro Brown and Noelle Brown are now heating the water used for brewing their microbrew beers with a solar hot water system.

The most energy intensive part of actually brewing beer is the process of boiling water. Thankfully, Big Al Brewing and a handful of other breweries, like Lucky Lad, are showing that the sun can play an integral and direct role in the brewing process. Still other breweries, like the North Fork Brewery in Washington State, are using photovoltaics to power some of their operations.

The system will heat the water up to about 150 to 160 degrees Fahrenheit (near boiling), according to Alejandro “Big Al” Brown.

“Then we need a boiler to take it up to the rest of the way. We need about 204 degrees to brew,” he said.

Previously the brewery, which they purchased from Pacific Rim Brewery Co. in 2008, used an inefficient natural-gas fired kettle to heat water for brewing beer.

“We used to have to leave the kettle on all night for heating water for brewing the next day,” Brown said. Ultimately the brewery wants to heat water even more efficiently. As such, it’s looking into using a steam-kettle to heat water, Brown said.

With the solar hot water heater system, two hot water tanks and a high-efficiency boiler the amount of time and gas used is decreased significantly.

“With the high-efficiency boiler, we will have hot water within an hour,” Brown said.

They’ll get what we can from the solar system and use the boiler the heat the water the rest of the way.

The brewery and Net Zero Impact, the company that installed the system, haven’t finished adjusting the system, according to Brown.

“We’re still dialing it in. We’re hoping we get our first brew day in this week. We’re still working on the boiler,” he said.

Brown anticipates significant savings from the new system.

“We’re working with Net Zero and they will monitor all the energy savings,” he said.

The company will also calculate how long it will take the system to pay for itself in terms of energy cost savings.

Image courtesy of Net Zero Impact.