Is the European beer and c02 shortage caused by a food shortage?

a reply to: toysforadults

it would help if people stopped complaining - and instead asked :

do we REALLY need CO2 for beer ?

a reply to: hopenotfeariswhatweneed

That still doesn't explain the referencing of the food-to-fork supply chain in the first article.

Also do you understand how the food grade C02 is processed?

With modern farm to warehouse just-in-time delivery to supermarkets, all vegetables are sealed in plastic bags filled with CO2. That way the food doesn't go off and the bugs don't start laying eggs. Food is stored in warehouses for weeks and months until it is needed. That's what they mean by "processed foods". To maximize profits, every last bit of meat is mechanically separated from the bones of the animals and the little scraps are glued together using natural adhesives. Preservatives are added, along with injected water and gelling agents to make the meat "juicy" - this has the side effect of having the meat shrink to half size when cooked. A six inch steak shrinks to around three inches when cooked - not good when a dietician prescribes you 400g/meat to help heal a wound.

All of this falls apart if the chemical plants making the CO2 or preservatives go offline.

originally posted by: toysforadults
Interestingly enough I came across this article where apparently they are now rationing beer in Europe due to a C02 shortage so I began wondering...

Well beyond the panicking media headlines, I can assure you that beer in my local is not being rationed (over here in the UK)! If a few companies suffer because they have not managed their supply chain properly, then that's their problem. The balance will be restored and all will be well again.

a reply to: stormcell


Its pretty bad isn't it, personally I buy meat from the butcher (no hormones or antibiotics), veggies from the farmers market, eat very few foods with preservatives colors etc, I control sugar intake and chemicals in soaps etc..


I learned many years ago that one of the fresh juice companies here did in fact sell us freshly squeezed orange juice, what they didn't tell us was the oranges had been picked early, chemically stored for months even years, sprayed with some more toxic crap when they were ready to be squeezed, but hey freshly squeezed right !

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
...what they didn't tell us was ...

You have the right mindset. Always know what you eat.

originally posted by: paraphi

originally posted by: hopenotfeariswhatweneed
...what they didn't tell us was ...

You have the right mindset. Always know what you eat.

Absolutely, it was hell but I put myself through school at night a bunch of years ago to learn horticulture, ive always had a green thumb and wanted to better understand the relationship between plants and soils, tell you what it was good thing to learn.....

No rationing here.

Please stop saying "Europe" when you mean "UK".

a reply to: ManFromEurope

Please stop saying "Europe" when I said European and if I remember correctly the UK is European

originally posted by: toysforadults
a reply to: ManFromEurope

Please stop saying "Europe" when I said European and if I remember correctly the UK is European

.. Really?

..) where apparently they are now rationing beer in Europe (..

And no, the UK is only a part of Europe. And a country can not be a person, so either you say "UK is part of Europe" or "UK is an European country".

+if+ we have to nit-pick

a reply to: toysforadults

Yep, headlines all over here in the UK about beer shortages (for the last couple of weeks now). I have to say though, if there is a shortage, no one has told our local pubs.

It's hot, the world cup is on - the pubs are heaving and beer is the drink of choice. Even the supermarkets are well stocked (and being replenished) so im really not sure where the actual shortage is occuring?

Starting to make me think the pub where the journalist drank has messed up supplies!

a reply to: toysforadults

I would like to personally apologise for the beer shortage in the UK, I'm working on cutting down but it's a long process.

a reply to: toysforadults

Yes there is just about 40 million tons of grain shortage world wide due to either floods, Hail, or a late planting season.

All of which has been forecast if we are entering into another global cold spell. youtu.be...
The articles he quotes are always linked below his videos.

a reply to: 727Sky

We don't have a food shortage problem we have a food supply problem.....

a reply to: ATruGod

CO2 is a byproduct of the fermentation process but it's not enough to carb a beer. If you're lucky you might get 1.3 volumes of CO2 from fermentation. Most beers need at least 2.2 volumes of CO2.

Strange, last years bulk crop yields, such as wheat, rice, sweet corn, etc., were the highest on record, strange times.

originally posted by: Xcalibur254
a reply to: ATruGod

CO2 is a byproduct of the fermentation process but it's not enough to carb a beer. If you're lucky you might get 1.3 volumes of CO2 from fermentation. Most beers need at least 2.2 volumes of CO2.

What?

I home brew, and can tell you that it is more than enough to carb beer.

In fact, if you do it wrong, you'll have bottles explode on you.

Injecting CO2 into beer is the short cut for having beer ready quicker.

Old way is to add either more malt after secondary fermentation, or corn sugar to the batch, then bottle it. One week to ten days later, you'll hear that very satisfying "Ssssst!" sound when you open your bottle.

a reply to: Xcalibur254

Never heard of Keg/Bottle Conditioning? Plenty of Co2 produced to carbonate, its the natural way!

Like the poster above Me I'm a Home brewer.

originally posted by: ATruGod
LOL Doesn't beer produce its own co2?

I know silly question, simple solution.

If you make home brewed beer, it is enough. I do think they use CO2 in the taverns to get the beer to come out of the barrels to the taps though. The bartender never has to pump up the barrel to get the beer to flow.

a reply to: eriktheawful

I brew professionally. At that quantity the yeast does not produce enough CO2 to carbonate the beer.