We might be surprised to realize it, but beer and waterless urinals have a lot in common. For one thing, and quite naturally so, when gentlemen are out on the town with their buddies and drinking beer, they often end up making a number of visits to the pub's restroom. Because more and more of these pubs are now installing waterless urinals – because they use no water and are less likely to be vandalized – that's one of our first connections between beer and waterless urinals.
But the second, and likely most important connection, involves the use of water. We already know that waterless urinals function entirely without the use of water. While the brewing industry certainly cannot say that, breweries around the world are working mightily to reduce their water footprint. Further, we should point out, this refers to both smaller "craft" breweries that are often locally owned, as well as the large, multinational firms.
It's some of these smaller breweries that are proving to have the most water-reducing successes. This is likely because they are more agile than the mega-breweries. This makes it easier for them to experiment with new brewing processes and technologies that can help reduce the amount of water needed to produce their products.
So how much water are we talking about?
According to a UK consultancy, in 2011, it took roughly 20 gallons of water to make about a pint of beer. That's a lot of water for not too much beer. Water is used in every step of the brewing process, and about 90 percent or more of what goes into beer is water.
But according to 2016 stats, in the average brewhouse, it now takes only about seven gallons of water to produce one gallon of beer. That's far less water to make far more beer.
So, how did they accomplish this?
Breweries started carefully watching where water is used in the brewing process. What they found was that most of the water was not used for producing beer. Instead, it was used for cleaning. Realizing this, breweries started using water for cleaning much more efficiently and sparingly, yet still ensuring the plant is safe and the beer produced is pure and healthy.
Next, they found a lot of the water used to make beer simply evaporates during the brewing process. To address this, steps were taken to prevent evaporation. Finally, they found that a lot of the water used in breweries just ends up going down the drain. Recycling and reusing water along with using water more efficiently has helped eliminate this.
It looks like the brewing industry is taking some very practical and significant steps in reducing the amount of water needed in the brewing process. Just as waterless urinals have saved millions of gallons of water over the years, the steps the brewing industry is now taking is doing the same. Once again, another connection.
For more information on Waterless Urinals and ways to reduce water consumption, contact a Waterless Co., Inc. representative at 800-244-6364.
