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OT: CO2 shortage in NZ causing beer shortages

USN_Panther

USN_Panther

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The only plant producing food and medical grade CO2 in NZ has closed down due to a malfunction causing a safety issue. Medical facilities are getting priority for the remaining CO2 supplies, while Coca Cola gets next dibs. Breweries are stuck with thousands of litres of beer that they cannot bottle or can without CO2 to carbonate it. Importing CO2 is very expensive as apparently the tanks to contain it must be very thick and thus are heavy and very expensive to ship.
I told anyone who would listen to me that any number of crises--housing, inflation, health system, Covid, egg shortage were all survivable but a beer shortage would create civil war. And damn if the NZ Prime Minister didn't resign yesterday!
I have some homebrew in the fermenter and ingredients for another batch when I get the time. But going to be some grumpy bogans around here as the existing beer supply dwindles.
As we say down under, "Bloody Hell"!
 
Time to start visiting the vineyards until the bubbles are readily available.
Brown water is also an option.
I thought some of the bubbles came from natural fermentation?
Good luck!
 
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dear lord. someone send USN some beer NOW.

on a serious note, why does coke get dibs over breweries? It's not like coca cola isnt liquid sugar poison and is some health necessity.
 
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And I thought our modern society was harming the environment by producing too much CO2. Can't it be re-purposed? Or is not all CO2 is created equal and can't be used for this?
 
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Pitt1975 said:
Time to start visiting the vineyards until the bubbles are readily available.
Brown water is also an option.
I thought some of the bubbles came from natural fermentation?
Good luck!
Click to expand...
The carbonation only comes from fermentation if it is bottled with the yeast still present. Mist commercial beers are filtered or decanted off the yeast before packaging and then carbonated with pressurized CO2.
Most homebrew is carbonated in the bottle by the yeast, but this gives the sediment at the bottom and affects shelf life.
I am planning on setting up a kegging system for my home brew, but now is probably a bad time with no CO2.
 
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pittdan77 said:
Thoughts and prayers. This is what happens when you lean everything out and eliminate those annoying redundancies. Damn Toyota Way.
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The prior main producer was NZs only oil refinery, which was shut down last year I think.
 
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Zeldas Open Roof said:
dear lord. someone send USN some beer NOW.

on a serious note, why does coke get dibs over breweries? It's not like coca cola isnt liquid sugar poison and is some health necessity.
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Coca cola apparently has some exclusive agreement giving them priority.
I think the imports of Little Creatures beer from Australia are going to increase.
Please send beer. I have doomsday prepped for pretty much any scenario except this.
 
Upg bobcat said:
And I thought our modern society was harming the environment by producing too much CO2. Can't it be re-purposed? Or is not all CO2 is created equal and can't be used for this?
Click to expand...
Some technology does exist. But for food and medical use the gas has to be very pure. The one small brewery that may have to dump beer they can't carbonate previously applied for a govt grant for this technology for brewing. Apparently the CO2 from fermentation can be captured and reused to carbonate the beer. But their application was declined.
 
USN_Panther said:
Some technology does exist. But for food and medical use the gas has to be very pure. The one small brewery that may have to dump beer they can't carbonate previously applied for a govt grant for this technology for brewing. Apparently the CO2 from fermentation can be captured and reused to carbonate the beer. But their application was declined.
Click to expand...
You get a shit load of baking soda and then some vinegar and pour it into a big volcano and put a balloon over top. Let me know.
 
USN_Panther said:
The only plant producing food and medical grade CO2 in NZ has closed down due to a malfunction causing a safety issue. Medical facilities are getting priority for the remaining CO2 supplies, while Coca Cola gets next dibs. Breweries are stuck with thousands of litres of beer that they cannot bottle or can without CO2 to carbonate it. Importing CO2 is very expensive as apparently the tanks to contain it must be very thick and thus are heavy and very expensive to ship.
I told anyone who would listen to me that any number of crises--housing, inflation, health system, Covid, egg shortage were all survivable but a beer shortage would create civil war. And damn if the NZ Prime Minister didn't resign yesterday!
I have some homebrew in the fermenter and ingredients for another batch when I get the time. But going to be some grumpy bogans around here as the existing beer supply dwindles.
As we say down under, "Bloody Hell"!
Click to expand...
The biggest travesty would be if the Hockey Beer League team that you play on has to shut down because of this !!!!!!
 
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USN_Panther said:
The only plant producing food and medical grade CO2 in NZ has closed down due to a malfunction causing a safety issue. Medical facilities are getting priority for the remaining CO2 supplies, while Coca Cola gets next dibs. Breweries are stuck with thousands of litres of beer that they cannot bottle or can without CO2 to carbonate it. Importing CO2 is very expensive as apparently the tanks to contain it must be very thick and thus are heavy and very expensive to ship.
I told anyone who would listen to me that any number of crises--housing, inflation, health system, Covid, egg shortage were all survivable but a beer shortage would create civil war. And damn if the NZ Prime Minister didn't resign yesterday!
I have some homebrew in the fermenter and ingredients for another batch when I get the time. But going to be some grumpy bogans around here as the existing beer supply dwindles.
As we say down under, "Bloody Hell"!
Click to expand...
Do you expect to be among the mass exodus of refugees, soon to be seeking asylum in a beer rich country?
 
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Dan1911 said:
All this global warming and a shortage of CO2? Say it ain't so.
Click to expand...
How far is NZ from China? You’d think the country that emits all that CO2 and is doing nothing about it and no one cares about it, can share some.
 
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