Waste Not, Want Not: Water Conservation for the Homebrewer

Homebrewers spend a lot of time and effort to improve their brewing efficiency, seeking to make best use of quality ingredients and even replicating the water profile for a favorite beer. But one area that is often overlooked is efficiency in using water. A typical homebrewer can use 30 gallons or more of water to produce a five-gallon batch, including water passed through a wort chiller and for clean-up. This presentation will examine how water is used throughout the brewing process, explore how the brewing and distilling industries are seeking to recycle and reduce waterwaste, and suggest ways to reduce water use at home without impacting the quality of the final product.