How do Vermont's breweries manage their wastewater? Brave Little State plunges into the issue

By Connor Cyrus,

Published December 8, 2022 at 11:43 AM EST

a man wearing a baseball hat adjusts an industrial fermentation tank, with pallets of brewing materials and beer cans in the background — Brewing is water intensive. "If we want 10 gallons of beer, it probably takes 15 or 16 gallons to make it," says Stone Corral's Ryan McKeon. "Add another two or three gallons in there for cleaning." This hour, Vermont Edition airs a recent Brave Little State looking at how breweries manage their waste water.

How do Vermont's breweries manage their wastewater? This hour, Vermont Edition airs a recent episode of Brave Little State that looks into that question.

In this episode, Caleb Henderson of Winooski asks: "Breweries and cideries were in the news a few years ago for the wastewater. How are they mitigating their waste now? Has it improved?"

Reporter Howard Weiss-Tisman speaks to beermakers to learn about the byproducts of the brewing process that you definitely don't want to drink. And we hear from state and local water quality regulators and brewers about how they’re addressing wastewater issues.

Also this hour, we'll hear about the Japanese knotweed and how some Vermonters are making a tasty beverage from this invasive plant.

Broadcast on Friday, Dec. 9, 2022 at noon.

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