Aussie brewers save water as drought bites

Australia's decade-long drought has forced brewers to slash the amount of water they use in making beer, in some cases by almost half, as pressure grows on industry to cut wastage.

The northern state of Queensland this week introduced the strictest water restrictions yet in some drought-stricken areas, requiring businesses to use 25 per cent less water over the next 12 months.

"We believe we are the most water efficient major brewery in the world, by a considerable margin," said the general manager of Foster's Yatala plant Noel Jago.

While drinking water is used for beer and wherever water touches the beer, recycled water is now used for external keg washing, vacuum pumps, cooling towers and boilers, and other processes, he said.

At its other main plant in Abbotsford, in inner Melbourne, which also produces 430 million litres a year, Foster's uses about 3.5 litres of water for each litre of beer, and has introduced similar recycling measures.

Other drinks makers have joined the water-saving drive. Coca-Cola Amatil Ltd has put rainwater tanks in two new plants and says it uses less water to make Coke in Australia than any other maker of Coke in the world – about 1.5 litres compared with an average 2.6 litres.

- Reuters