Case study
Bear Republic Brewing Company
Transforming Wastewater into Energy and Opportunity
Cloverdale, California
The Challenge
Bear Republic Brewing Company, a family-owned craft brewery established in 1995, found itself at a crossroads. As production of their renowned Racer 5 IPA and other high-revving beers grew to 82,000 barrels annually, they faced mounting pressure on multiple fronts.
The City of Cloverdale’s wastewater treatment infrastructure was struggling under the load. Bear Republic’s brewery wastewater, with an exceptionally high biological oxygen demand of 13,000 to 15,000 mg/L, was consuming a disproportionate share of the municipal system’s capacity. At peak production, the brewery was discharging 50% of the city plant’s total treatment capability.
The brewery’s stopgap solution was trucking wastewater to a facility in Oakland, roughly 90 miles away. Three 6,000-gallon trucks made the 180-mile round trip daily, an arrangement that was financially unsustainable, environmentally problematic, and logistically complex for an active production facility.
Moreover, Bear Republic’s expansion plans to 150,000 barrels per year were being constrained by wastewater discharge limits and water supply concerns in drought-stressed California. The brewery needed a solution that would enable growth while demonstrating environmental stewardship.
As brewmaster and COO Richard Norgrove Jr. noted, finding the right path forward was essential not just for business expansion, but for maintaining their commitment to sustainability and good relations with their community.
The Solution
After extensive research and collaboration with the City of Cloverdale, Bear Republic implemented an advanced onsite wastewater treatment system in 2016. The solution combines bioelectrically-enhanced anaerobic treatment with membrane bioreactor technology to transform wastewater management from a costly problem into a valuable resource.
System Components
- Headworks unit with drum strainer for solids removal and pH adjustment
- 50,000-gallon equalization tank providing 2.5 days of wastewater storage
- Two anaerobic digesters operating in series, leveraging electromethanogenesis to treat high-strength wastewater and generate renewable biogas
- Membrane bioreactor with nanobubble oxygen technology for polishing effluent to non-detect BOD levels
- Combined heat and power turbine converting methane biogas into electricity and heat for brewery operations
The system processes wastewater through multiple treatment stages. After solids removal and flow equalization, the wastewater enters anaerobic digesters where electrically-active microbes reduce BOD by 45%, from 15,000 mg/L to approximately 8,000 mg/L, while simultaneously generating high-quality biogas. The effluent then passes through the membrane bioreactor, which further polishes the water to less than 3 mg/L BOD, achieving non-detect levels suitable for either municipal discharge or onsite reuse.
The modular design allows Bear Republic to easily expand capacity as production grows, while continuous remote monitoring ensures optimal system performance and regulatory compliance.
Results and Impact
Within just four months of operation, the system exceeded all performance expectations. Bear Republic now treats 100% of their wastewater onsite while generating significant operational and environmental benefits.
Water Stewardship
8.9M+ gallons
Annual potable water savings
2.2M gallons
Wastewater reused annually
Energy Generation
50%
Of electrical needs from biogas
25%
Of hot water from waste heat
Environmental Impact
500+ metric tons
Annual CO2 reduction
100%
Wastewater trucking eliminated
Key Benefits
Operational Excellence
The system provides Bear Republic with complete operational control over wastewater treatment. By eliminating daily trucking of 18,000 gallons to Oakland, the brewery reduced logistics complexity and vulnerability to external service disruptions. The brewery now operates independently of municipal wastewater capacity constraints, enabling planned expansion to 150,000 barrels annually without additional infrastructure negotiations.
Financial Performance
With an expected annual return on investment exceeding 25%, the system delivers strong financial returns. Savings accrue from multiple sources: eliminated trucking costs, reduced municipal sewer fees, on-site renewable energy generation replacing purchased electricity and natural gas, and avoided capital costs for off-site treatment alternatives. These recurring operational savings compound as production scales.
Water Efficiency
Bear Republic achieved a remarkable 3.5-to-1 water-to-beer ratio, representing a 50% improvement over the typical brewery ratio of 7-to-1. Combined with 25% water reuse for cleaning and wash-down operations, the brewery significantly reduced its demand on municipal water supplies in California’s drought-stressed environment. The system’s ability to treat and reuse water provides critical resilience during water scarcity.
Environmental Leadership
By generating renewable biogas and converting it to usable energy, Bear Republic offset substantial fossil fuel consumption. The combined heat and power system provides approximately 50% of the brewery’s electricity and 25% of its hot water heating needs, while eliminating over 500 metric tons of CO2 emissions annually. The biogas is of such high quality that it burns cleanly in standard CHP turbines without requiring extensive pre-treatment.
Community Partnership
The City of Cloverdale praised Bear Republic for their environmental leadership and corporate citizenship. By reducing the burden on the city’s overworked treatment infrastructure, the brewery helped preserve municipal capacity for community growth. The comprehensive two-year permitting and evaluation process established a model for public-private collaboration on innovative wastewater solutions.
Looking forward
Bear Republic’s system demonstrates that advanced wastewater treatment can be both environmentally responsible and financially advantageous. The modular design provides a clear path for expansion as the brewery grows toward its 150,000-barrel capacity goal.
The brewery’s commitment to pushing technological boundaries continues. Brewmaster Peter Kruger is exploring additional water reuse applications for landscaping and investigating the potential for potable reuse beer production, though regulatory frameworks for such innovations are still evolving.
As Casey Chartier, Sustainability and By-products Coordinator, reflected on the system’s performance: “Since its installation, it has exceeded our expectations. Thanks to our solution, we are able to treat all of our wastewater onsite. This eliminates the need for trucking, supports expansion, and allows us to further invest in the brewery.”
“It has been very exciting to see this system come online. We are excited about this technology and we look forward to seeing it take off in the craft brewing industry.”
— Richard Norgrove Jr., Brewmaster/COO, Bear Republic Brewing Company
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