Purchased as a defunct business and reborn in 2007, Moor Beer has become one of the world’s top-rated breweries. They have now celebrated over 15 years of trade, serving live, vegan-friendly and sustainable beers to people from all walks of life.
Named from the Levels and Moors area of Somerset where the brewery originated, Moor Beer’s philosophy comes from the natural fermentation and carbonation with live yeast, enhancing flavour and texture to alternative brewing methods.
With a high process heat and cooling demand as well as the growing of crops, use of water and purchase of carbon dioxide, beer brewing poses many decarbonisation challenges. But Moor Beer’s longstanding commitment to sustainability has seen them make many positive changes, from their premises to the very core of their manufacturing.
Their trademark is producing ‘live beer’, meaning carbonation happens naturally without adding carbon dioxide. They use grain from reusable sources to provide colour, flavours and sugars for their beers, which is then passed on as feed for animals. They also offer spent hops to local residents for garden composting and fertilising and use corn-starch labels on their cans. In their brewhouse they’ve installed lower energy fluorescent lights and timers to minimise electricity usage.
25% reduction in energy use 
£5,500 annual energy bill reduction, expected to double when their current energy contract finishes 
18tCO2e annual reduction is greenhouse gas emissions 
With the solar panels in place, Maryann is hopeful that they can continue their sustainability journey. “We have already replaced some fluorescent lights with LED as the fluorescent lamps fail… Going forward we will look into our finances for changing [them all] to LED lighting as the payback time would be 3 years, sooner at the current rate of electricity costs.”
They are also investigating the possibility of installing a small biogas plant to generate energy from spent waste, as well as carbon dioxide recovery. “The fermentation process of making beer produces carbon dioxide as a by-product. This goes straight into the atmosphere currently, but we buy in nearly £12,000 of CO¬2 annually.”
“The solar panels add a considerable boost to our commitment for a greener future. Support local and Drink Moor Beer!”
CO2e savings calculated using BEIS Conversion Factors 2017. Energy costs calculated from BEIS Energy and Emissions Projections 2018, using 2020 retail prices. West of England Green Business Grants 2019-2023 is funded by the European Union’s European Regional Development Fund and the West of England Combined Authority’s Recovery Fund.
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