You may have heard that a carbon dioxide shortage in the U.S. is impacting breweries across the nation. But has it affected any breweries in Montana? That is what yourbigsky aims to find out. We spoke with several local breweries in Billings to see if the carbon dioxide shortage has impacted them.
Diamond X Beer says they have not noticed any impacts or complaints yet, but it is on their radar of things to be aware of. Angry Hanks Microbrewery in Billings says they have also not felt the impacts of the shortage. However, Thirsty Street at the Taproom says they are starting to see the effects of the shortage. They are not short yet but say their suppliers are beginning to feel the impact. The shortage is happening in the southeast area of the country as well as the east coast. While it is not a big concern to Thirsty street yet, the effects in other areas of the country are starting to trickle down into other states. The shortage has also led to an increase in Thursty Street’s prices.
According to the Brewer’s Association, CO2 is used to finish the quality of a beer, helping to contribute to beer foam, shelf stability, and overall taste and quality. Supply shortages in the industry could produce new feed gas sources for carbon dioxide. The quality and contaminants of these gases vary on the places they are sourced.
Craft Beer and Brewing says carbon dioxide is a gas produced by yeast during the fermentation process, creating the fizz of the beer. The gas dissolves into the beer and is often used as volume for gas standard temperatures and pressure per volume of beer, in grams, in grains of CO2 per liter of beer.