Big Storm Brewing to adopt carbon capture system to reduce emissions

Big Storm Brewing Co. is becoming the first Florida distiller and brewer to implement new technology to reuse its carbon emissions.

What's happening: The Clearwater-based company announced its partnership with Earthly Labs of Austin, Texas to install two of the company's CiCi systems, which will allow Big Storm to capture carbon dioxide from the brewing and distilling process and reuse it to reduce CO2 emissions.

• Big Storm will install one system for brewing and a second for its distillery.
• The company will be part of Earthly Labs Climate Leader program, advancing research and development for the distilling industry and sharing those insights with peers.

How it works: The system will capture carbon dioxide during fermentation, process and cool it, then allow the brewery to use it in the packaging process.

• Big Storm says it will be able to capture the equivalent of more than 1,500 trees worth of CO2 every year.

Bonus: Big Storm co-owner L.J. Govoni expects recovered CO2 to make better beer. "Reusing the purified carbon will give the beer a nicer taste and mouthfeel," he said in a release.