CO2 Shortage?

6-Pack · Apr 20, 2020

I read (from multiple news sources) that there is now a CO2 shortage. From what I read, CO2 is a byproduct of making ethanol and less demand for gas is less demand for the ethanol that goes into the gas.

One of my hobbies is brewing beer at home. I have a spare CO2 tank for my kegerator, but I’m wondering how long it will take to get suppliers back to normal. I can carbonate my beer naturally if I use bottles instead of using CO2 to force carbonate the beer, and I have enough supplies to make beer for a long time.

I’m not in the industry and don’t know anything other than what I’ve read.

If this is true, then there could be a beer shortage in the near future. If so, you may want to look into homebrewing equipment before that is tough to get.

Also, this shows the importance of learning valuable skills. I don’t watch sports at all, I’d rather learn skills (car repair, gardening, beer brewing, ammo reloading, 80% finishing, etc....).

Just one more thing to think about while prepping.

Squaregrouper · Apr 20, 2020

I used sanke kegs for home brews and would sugar carbonate just like bottles. This is not as easy when using corny kegs.
The CO2 tank was solely to push beer. I could get a solid 15 sixtels out of a single small tank.

teratos · Apr 20, 2020

There are some members here who make plenty....

fauxknee · Apr 20, 2020

This is unneeded proliferation of FAKE NEWS. Are you a shill for home brewing suppliers lol? It is rare for average people to maintain kegs at home. I’d guess there’s an excess of CO2 right now (compressed, not expelled by worried prepers) and there won’t be any lack of beer bottles or cans for the average Joe/Jolene :beer:

Just saying, not trying to be a d**k

Bullfrog · Apr 20, 2020

6-Pack said:
I read (from multiple news sources) that there is now a CO2 shortage. From what I read, CO2 is a byproduct of making ethanol and less demand for gas is less demand for the ethanol that goes into the gas.

One of my hobbies is brewing beer at home. I have a spare CO2 tank for my kegerator, but I’m wondering how long it will take to get suppliers back to normal. I can carbonate my beer naturally if I use bottles instead of using CO2 to force carbonate the beer, and I have enough supplies to make beer for a long time.

I’m not in the industry and don’t know anything other than what I’ve read.

If this is true, then there could be a beer shortage in the near future. If so, you may want to look into homebrewing equipment before that is tough to get.

Also, this shows the importance of learning valuable skills. I don’t watch sports at all, I’d rather learn skills (car repair, gardening, beer brewing, ammo reloading, 80% finishing, etc....).

Just one more thing to think about while prepping.

Maybe the processes and suppliers have shifted over the years, but on the face of it this doesn't make alot of sense.

They've been using CO2 for various things like this for decades, long before they started producing mass amounts of ethanol to put in our gas. So, where did the CO2 supply come from before that became widespread?

Squaregrouper · Apr 20, 2020

fauxknee said:
This is unneeded proliferation of FAKE NEWS. Are you a shill for home brewing suppliers lol? It is rare for average people to maintain kegs at home. I’d guess there’s an excess of CO2 right now (compressed, not expelled by worried prepers) and there won’t be any lack of beer bottles or cans for the average Joe/Jolene

Just saying, not trying to be a d**k

I'm guessing you don't brew. Kegging homebrews is MUCH easier than bottling. I feel safe in saying there are 100+ people on MDS who have kegged beer in their homes.

K31 · Apr 20, 2020

QUOTE=6-Pack;5868238]I read (from multiple news sources) that there is now a CO2 shortage. From what I read, CO2 is a byproduct of making ethanol and less demand for gas is less demand for the ethanol that goes into the gas.

[/QUOTE]

I call ******** because any excess ethanol could be sold as hand sanitizer now for way more than it would bring as fuel.

lazarus · Apr 20, 2020

squaregrouper said:
I'm guessing you don't brew. Kegging homebrews is MUCH easier than bottling. I feel safe in saying there are 100+ people on MDS who have kegged beer in their homes.

I am not one of them.

Still bottling after a decade of home brewing.

Blaster229 · Apr 20, 2020

I love my soda stream.

6-Pack · Apr 20, 2020

fauxknee said:
This is unneeded proliferation of FAKE NEWS. Are you a shill for home brewing suppliers lol? It is rare for average people to maintain kegs at home. I’d guess there’s an excess of CO2 right now (compressed, not expelled by worried prepers) and there won’t be any lack of beer bottles or cans for the average Joe/Jolene

Just saying, not trying to be a d**k

Um, ok. Rare to keg beer based on.........?

On a serious note though, like I said earlier, I don’t know the processes involved with CO2 production, just what I read. If anyone knows better, please enlighten me (I’m not a shill for anything).

Art3 · Apr 20, 2020

K31 said:
I call ******** because any excess ethanol could be sold as hand sanitizer now for way more than it would bring as fuel.

I agree with your logic, but I have a hunch that there is some sort of red tape that won't allow "fuel" ethanol to be used as "medical" ethanol...because: government :sad20:

(and, probably $$$)

smkranz · Apr 20, 2020

fauxknee said:
This is unneeded proliferation of FAKE NEWS. Are you a shill for home brewing suppliers lol? It is rare for average people to maintain kegs at home. I’d guess there’s an excess of CO2 right now (compressed, not expelled by worried prepers) and there won’t be any lack of beer bottles or cans for the average Joe/Jolene

Just saying, not trying to be a d**k

Why respond if you don’t know d**k about the subject?

It is real, at least on a commercial brewery scale. Those guys use a lot of CO2. Bottled and canned beers require CO2 for packaging. Google is your friend.

I keep 4-6 kegged beers on line most of the time, including a mix of homebrews and local micros. I have 3 CO2 tanks including two online in two kegerators and one as a backup which I recently had filled without issue. But if the supply dries up, it will indeed be a bad day.

NRA Life ∙ MSI ∙ MD Designated Collector ∙ Certified Beer & Mead Judge

Blacksmith101 · Apr 20, 2020

6-Pack said:
I read (from multiple news sources) that there is now a CO2 shortage. From what I read, CO2 is a byproduct of making ethanol and less demand for gas is less demand for the ethanol that goes into the gas.

BS.
CO2 was in use long before ethanol was added to gas.

Bullfrog · Apr 20, 2020

Art3 said:
I agree with your logic, but I have a hunch that there is some sort of red tape that won't allow "fuel" ethanol to be used as "medical" ethanol...because: government (and, probably $$$)

That would make sense if it were intended for consumption, but it isn't.

Of course, we know how nonsensical regulations can be...

Alan3413 · Apr 20, 2020

I got some excess H2S from too many tacos. Anyone in the market for some?

K31 · Apr 21, 2020

Art3 said:
I agree with your logic, but I have a hunch that there is some sort of red tape that won't allow "fuel" ethanol to be used as "medical" ethanol...because: government (and, probably $$$)

Normally that would be a good hunch but President Honey Badger has allowed a great deal of bending of the rules just for the price of asking and in a few days time.

Archeryrob · Apr 21, 2020

The company airgas bottles all this stuff and sells it on the market. They literally take atmospheric air seperate it and bottle it. They are the ones selling Oxygen and argon and other element gases to industry. They don't sell to the public, but I am sure other industry could re bottle their gases.

GUNSnROTORS · Apr 21, 2020

Don't know if it's "beer-grade", but try a welding supply shop that carries cylinder gas. Mine carries 100% CO2.

Pinecone · Apr 21, 2020

6-Pack said:
On a serious note though, like I said earlier, I don’t know the processes involved with CO2 production, just what I read. If anyone knows better, please enlighten me (I’m not a shill for anything).

It is produced by burning natural gas to separate the carbon and hydrogen atoms. Hydrogen is then combined with nitrogen to create ammonia. The carbon atoms can then combine with oxygen to create CO2 as a byproduct. This CO2 can then be sold to the industries that need it.J

It can come from alcohol production, but that is not the main source.

WatTyler · Apr 21, 2020

Archeryrob said:
The company airgas bottles all this stuff and sells it on the market. They literally take atmospheric air seperate it and bottle it. They are the ones selling Oxygen and argon and other element gases to industry. They don't sell to the public, but I am sure other industry could re bottle their gases.

Air separation units are for oxygen, nitrogen and argon (and in some cases for rare gases, like neon, etc.). Carbon Dioxide is .04% of the atmosphere, as opposed to, say, argon at .93%. It boils off long before the nitrogen begins to boil, and it's the boiling nitrogen that gets the Linde process rolling. CO2 has always been derived from waste gas. Back in he 80s, before ethanol became such a thing, my company had a 50% share of the waste stream out of Allied Chemical in Hopewell, VA. I think it was from fertilizer manufacturing. You can get CO2 from a lot of process plants, but it's just easier and cheaper to pull it from ethanol because right now the infrastructure is in place for its capture. That, and all the dirty chemical plants from the 80s are either closed or cleaned up.

CO2 Shortage?

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