Brace Yourselves, A Shortage Of Beer Is Coming

American supply chains are in a very vulnerable situation since the outbreak of the COVID pandemic. A key ingredient to make beer, carbon dioxide or CO2, is now in short supply thanks to contamination at the main source. The short supply of CO2 illustrates the fragility of American supply chains. 

According to the energy company Denbury, the main source of CO2 in the United States is named Jackson Dome, an underground deposit from an extinct volcano located in Mississippi. CO2, as previously said, is one of the key ingredients in the preparation of beer. Without CO2, beer loses its froth and CO2 also helps block the oxidation that turns beer stale.

According to the Dallas Morning News, Jackson Donne has received natural contamination that affects the efficiency of extraction of CO2. This problem is heavily affecting the American food industry. As reported by the Wall Street Journal, “without CO2, we’d lose significant shelf life on our products” and this shortage especially affects beermakers who are now looking for a new source to extract the CO2, the problem is that there aren’t many alternatives. 

The delicate situation of the American supply chains makes it really hard to find foreign alternatives and local sources simply can’t fulfill the demand. American companies are looking for other ways to obtain CO2. For example, another way CO2 is captured is as a byproduct of ethanol production but investors are searching for new alternatives. The Dallas Morning News reports that some companies are exploring nitrogen. Other brewers are innovating by using reclaimed CO2.