Alameda brewery pulls CO2 out of the air to carbonate its beer

By Molly McCrea

At the Almanac Adventureland taproom and brewery in Alameda, a group of friends who call themselves the Beer Stooges gathered on a sunny Saturday for a couple of cold ones. Their passion and drive are clear.

“Just to explore and visit great breweries all across the Bay Area,” John Lopez said.

“We love beer,” Charles Dennis added.

Now, there’s yet another reason to love the suds.

“It’s pretty spectacular. I’m thrilled at what we’re doing,” Almanac CEO & co-founder Damian Fagan said.

What they’re doing at Almanac is saving money and helping Mother Earth.

A few weeks ago, the brewery launched Flow on tap and in cans. It’s the first commercial beer on the planet carbonated with carbon dioxide pulled directly from the surrounding or ambient air.

At first, when Fagan heard about the idea, he thought someone was pulling his leg. When he saw the device, he was even more surprised.

“It looks like a lunar lander. It looks like science fiction,” Fagan remarked.

The unit is a Direct Air Capture, or DAC for short. It’s set up right outside Almanac in the backyard.

“It’s the purest form of CO2 we’ve ever used, and it comes from our parking lot, of all places,” Fagan said.

The device was designed and made by a pioneering climate technology startup in Berkeley. The company is called Aircapture.

“When we see atmospheric CO2, we see an opportunity, and not a threat,” explained Aircapture CEO and founder Matt Atwood.  He explained how carbon runs the economy.

The device pulls in a lot of air to capture the very diluted CO2. Ceramic, brick-like structures inside play a leading role.

“One of these bricks collects one ton of CO2 from the air per year, which is equivalent to one acre of hardwood forest,” Atwood said.

Inside the bricks, Atwood and his team explained, are tiny, advanced structures with an enormous amount of surface area.

Think of it like a sponge that can selectively grab CO2 of the air and hold onto it.

Once the structures are saturated with CO2, the machine then applies heat from steam to release the captured gas so it can be collected and used.

The structures are then reset, and they can begin capturing CO2 from the air all over again.

“We’re able to release it and capture it in very high purity,” said Atwood.

 Most commercial CO2 supplies begin with fossil fuels. It’s a byproduct from industrial processes and captured from oil and gas production, ammonia production, or ethanol production from all over the world. The CO2 has to be transported over long distances

With California refineries shutting down and the ongoing conflict with Iran, the supply is getting tight and pricey.

For Fagan, Aircapture now provides 20% of his needs, and it’s a cheaper source.

“It’s great for our bottom line, it’s also great for operations. And it just so happens to be something we can feel really good about in terms of the environment,” he said.

As for the Beer Stooges, they love the idea and love the beer. 

“I think it’s amazing. I think it’s freaking amazing,” said Dennis.

“I think it’s a great initiative. I think this tastes great because of what they’re doing,” added Lopez.