Production of Hand Sanitizers in Breweries

The current SARS-CoV-2 pandemic – or colloquially referred to as ‘coronavirus’ – has caused a significant and ongoing crisis for a majority of economic sectors. An almost whole economic shut down has impacted large and small business operations alike – with the small independent business seeing the hardest impact. The brewing and distillation sectors are no exception. While much can be said about the current political climate, it is important to realize that we are all in this together. It is genuinely uplifting to see just how many communities are banding together to help mitigate the impact this pandemic has had on all of our lives.

Due to its very nature, the brewing and distillation community has an indispensable local and global role to play, with many operations stepping up for the cause.

We have seen a coordinated local and international effort being made to supply at-risk populations and hospitals with much needed ethanol-based hand sanitizers. This has been a vital prophylactic supply chain that was hit exceptionally hard by the sudden onset and declaration of emergencies worldwide. Equally as important, this has given rise to new methods for small breweries and distilleries to maintain a stream of revenue and keep people employed. Faced with the uncertainty of unpredictable and infrequent brewing schedules, the production and blending of ethanol-based hand sanitizers have become a viable option for many craft brewers and distillers. Therefore, vital information must be disseminated quickly, from trusted sources that cover the basics of blending, packaging, government regulations, and above all, the safety of converting a brewery or distillery into hand sanitizer production facilities. This topic is quickly evolving, and industry professionals are working hard to ensure that the most up-to-date information is made available.

For those of you that are looking into producing Hand Sanitizers within your brewing facilities, we found trusted sources with information and technical guidance that we to share to help guide you begin the transition.

We recommend the following sources:

– MBAA TQ manuscript ‘Production of Ethanol-Based Hand Sanitizer in Breweries during the COVID-19 Crisis’ ​​. This manuscript describes the measures taken by the brewing and distilling community in Alberta, Canada that you may refer to help you get high-quality hand sanitizers to market safely and efficiently. https://doi.org/10.1094/TQ-57-1-0417-01​

– Lallemand Biofuels & Distilled Spirits have introduced production infographic with fermentation practices to optimize yields. For more information, visit their website at www.lallemandcraftdistilling.com