Beer is the third most consumed drink in the world. But did you know that its production requires large amounts of water?
Originally breweries used as much as 10 litres of water per one litre of beer, nowadays the modern technologies (supplied often by Veolia) enable to reduce this amount down to 3 litres.
If we however consider the production of barley and hops required for its manufacture, this total can rise up to 180 litres of water used per litre of beer! A significant amount of water when you bear in mind the risks of water shortage that many regions of Europe and the world are facing.
With that in mind, Veolia Czech Republic and Čížová Brewery created ERKO, a premium beer made from super-pure recycled water.
The entire concept behind the production of ERKO is environmentally rather than commercially oriented. The main objective is to popularise the principle of a circular economy and break down the barriers – which are often just mental – to using recycled products we encounter on a daily basis.
We know that water used for the production of drinking water is almost exclusively just raw wastewater released into the river’s lower reaches. Nevertheless, we find it difficult to accept the fact that we drink water, however efficiently treated, that has already been used.
This is why we chose our national beverage – beer, where breaking the barrier may be easier. At the same time, we strive to break down the psychological barrier to consuming products from recycled materials.
Objectives of the project ERKO
- Promote Veolia´s expertise and technology
- Draw attention on necessity of preserving water resources
- Raise public awareness about circular economy principles and water-related issues
The story of the beer Erko:
ERKO ZERO: a new non-alcoholic option!
Demand for non-alcoholic beer is skyrocketing worldwide. In December 2024, we began collaborating with the Vinohradský pivovar brewery in Káraný. The brewery gained direct access to high-quality artesian water, which is used to produce drinking water for Prague.
The next logical step was to start producing non-alcoholic beer to complement the existing ERKO range. Although artesian water is ideal for producing non-alcoholic beer, it took the Vinohradský pivovar brewer three months to perfect the production recipe using special yeast that produces minimal alcohol during fermentation.
This eliminates the need for energy-intensive technology to reduce the alcohol content and results in minimal waste. The top fermentation method and the MOSAIC and IDAHO hops used produce an excellent IPA-style beer with a long aroma and a surprisingly full body.
Technical information:
The recycled water treatment was ensured by Veolia’s proprietary mobile water treatment unit, which combines the most advanced membrane technology and activated carbon.
The treatment process comprises classical coagulation, followed by ultrafiltration and reverse osmosis, where ultra-fine synthetic membranes serve as a filter that lets water pass through and retains suspended solids and other substances such as micro-organisms and viruses.
The water is then filtered through granulated activated carbon and disinfected. The advantage of membrane technology is that the filtration does not need added chemicals and that the new types of membranes consume less energy.
Giving water a new lease of life:
Recycled water in the Czech Republic is no longer used only for beer production, but since 2023 the first golf course in Prague is completely irrigated thanks to recycled water from the nearby WWTP.