Pennsylvania’s Independent Breweries Are Monitoring A New ‘Ale-ment’

PENNSYLVANIA — Local breweries in Pennsylvania are concerned about a new, “ale-ment” — a shortage of carbon dioxide, a critical ingredient in beer making.

Some brewers across the nation are experiencing a shortage of CO2, which has been linked to the pandemic due to large quantities of dry ice, which is frozen CO2, required for the transportation of the COVID-19 vaccine in 2022.

The problem has not yet hit the Iron Hill Brewery, which has 20 locations, including a dozen in the Philadelphia metropolitan area, including, Phoenixville, Exton, Ardmore, Media, Philadelphia, Huntington Valley, North Wales, and Newtown. The brew pub also has locations in New Jersey, South Carolina and Georgia.

Matthew Gundrum, senior head brewer at the Phoenixville Iron Hill, said Iron Hill is aware of the issue, but thankfully has not yet been impacted by the shortage.

“We just had our CO2 containers filled up this morning,” said Gundrum, who has been brewing the beer since the restaurant opened in 2006.

Gundrum said Iron Hill has a supplier that will automatically know when the containers are low and then fill them up.

“We have 16 beers on tap tonight,” he said. “We have a pumpkin pie spice with coffee and vanilla bean brewed in a bourbon barrel. We also have Oktoberfest and pumpkin ale."
“We only sell Iron Hill Craft beer,” he said.

TJ’s Restaurant and Drinkery, in the Paoli section of Tredyffrin Township, is not experiencing problems getting craft beer from suppliers.

Bill Papatzikas, owner, said they have all the CO2 and Nitrogen required for the beer.

Bartender Joe Marsich said the restaurant has not heard about the CO2 issue from the suppliers.
“We don’t have a supply issue,” he said.

CO2 shortage

In other areas of the country, the CO2 shortage problem is brewing.

“Not a pretty picture,” Bart Watson, the chief economist for the Brewers Association, said of the CO2 shortage in a mid-September tweet. His tweet included a graph plotting the rising costs faced by the 5,600 small and independent U.S. breweries the trade group represents.

Small brewers have been whipsawed throughout the COVID-19 pandemic by rising costs of paper goods, aluminum, malt (the grains needed to make beer) and freight.

None of the costs has risen as sharply as that of CO2, a colorless, odorless and tasteless gas that gives brews their frothy bubbles and blocks oxidization that can make beer taste stale.

Pennsylvania has 486 craft breweries, up slightly in 2021 from 444 in 2020, according to the Brewers Association. With five breweries per capita among adults 21 and older, the state ranks 16th in the nation.

Pennsylvania ranks second in the nation for the economic impact and barrels of craft beers produced per year.

Together, Pennsylvania breweries have an annual economic impact of about $5.3 million — or $547.67per adult in the state — and produce 3.2 million barrels of craft beer annually.

That’s enough for 10.3 gallons of beer for every drinking-age adult in Pennsylvania.

Industry experts expect the shortage to become more severe this fall.

CO2 shortages are typical at this time of year as ammonia plants undergo scheduled maintenance that halts production of the gas, according to Gasworld.

Overall, the beverage industry uses just 14% of U.S. carbon dioxide, but demand for beer soars with the temperatures during hot summers.