Sustainable Craft Beverages

The New Hampshire Sustainable Craft Beverage Program helps companies reduce or eliminate waste at the source.

Pollution Prevention (P2) is any practice that reduces or eliminates waste at the source. Sustainability means meeting the resource needs of today without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their needs. Together, this means reducing a business’s overall environmental impact, or “footprint.”

In New Hampshire, most craft beverage producers already have a strong culture of sustainability. They want to do more than produce the finest craft beverage; they want to protect natural resources and the environment for future generations to come. The New Hampshire Pollution Prevention Program is here to help them get to where they want to be.

Through our partnerships with the New Hampshire Brewers Association, NHSAVES, Eversource, NH Electric Co-op, Unitil, Liberty and the BrewLab at the University of New Hampshire, the program has been assisting breweries in New Hampshire for two years, and now we are expanding to all craft beverage producers including wineries, distilleries, meaderies, cideries and hard seltzer producers.

Sustainable craft beverage producers start the journey with benchmarking 

The first step to being sustainable is to track energy and water usage, which will guide the development of strategic pollution prevention planning. We call it benchmarking. 

NHPPP staff can tour your facility and provide a report detailing ways to save money and reduce your environmental impact. Whether it is utility tracking through our benchmarking program, or finding incentives on equipment and lighting, we can help to make your brewery more sustainable.

Contact P2 for assistance

Best Management Practices for Craft Beverage Producers

There are many best practices for energy and water conservation that can easily be incorporated into daily operations, as well as solutions that can reach even further and lead to operating cost reductions and new community initiatives.  

photo of sewage system

Wastewater treatment is critical part of the craft beverage production business 

Craft beverage producers are not just in the beverage making business, they are also in the wastewater treatment business. It is expensive to replace septic systems or pay additional fees for high strength waste.

For wastewater treatment options and things to consider when designing a new brewery, check out this recording of the New York Brewery Summit hosted by the New York Pollution Prevention Program Institute.

More wastewater Best Management Practices for Breweries

Brewery Wastewater Pretreatment Successes

Check out the EPA’s "Pollution Prevention and Wastewater Pretreatment Successes in VT and NH Breweries" video about ways to manage brewery wastewater, which includes Woodstock Inn Brewery owner Scott Rice, who talks about side-streaming and wastewater treatment.

Watch the Video

Reducing Water Use at Breweries

Something's brewing! The NH Pollution Prevention Program, with the help of To Share Brewing, Schilling Beer, Stoneface Brewing, Throwback Brewery & Woodstock Inn Brewery, just released a brewery water use video highlighting simple ways breweries can conserve water and save money!

New brewery water use video

Sustainable Solutions Webinar Series

NHDES’ Pollution Prevention Program collaborated with EPA Region 1 and ENERGY STAR for a free three-part webinar series: "Sustainable Solutions for Craft Beverage Producers."

Learn more about the webinar series

Energy Efficiency
Solar and Fermenter Control Solutions
CO2 and Nitrogen

Energy Efficiency is the First Fuel for a Clean Energy Future

The cleanest and cheapest kilowatt-hour is the one never used. Craft beverage producers can learn about ways to be more energy efficient by contacting the New Hampshire Pollution Prevention (P2) Program. The P2 Program has partnered with NH utility providers (Eversource, Unitil, Liberty Utilities and the New Hampshire Electric Cooperative) and NH Saves to assist craft beverage producers with reducing energy use and saving money. Contact us at nhppp@des.nh.gov to set up an energy audit or to find out about the latest energy incentives. If you are interested in reading more about energy efficiency and how it might apply to your business please refer to the energy resources listed below:

Solar and Fermenter Control Solutions

Brewing beer is an energy intensive operation. In addition to energy efficiency efforts, solar photovoltaics (PV) and solar hot water heating systems can harness energy from the sun to provide power to the brewery and preheat water for the brewing process. Fermenter control systems save energy by making sure pumps run only when they need to and reduce beer waste by keeping the beer at the correct temperature throughout the brewing process.

Throwback Brewery, in North Hampton NH, has invested in solar PV to reduce the use of fossil fuels. Barrington Brewery, in Great Barrington MA, invested in a solar hot water system, and Island Dog Brewing in Maine installed a fermenter control board, which is saving them energy and money.

Gas Solutions - CO2 and Nitrogen

Carbon dioxide use at breweries is often an overlooked area where breweries can save money and resources. With COVID-19 causing supply issues some brewers looked for different ways to manage CO2 use. Checking your system for leaks on a regular basis is a great way to start. Some breweries use Nitrogen to clear lines and purge tanks instead of using CO2. Another option is to use CO2 efficiently by installing a carbon capture system, such as the one installed at Grey Sail Brewing in Westerly, RI. Please watch the Sustainable Solutions for Craft Beverage Producers webinar Innovative Solutions: CO2 Capture Technology.