How Beer Could Save the BayErica Pernice

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A special thanks to Jerome Arul, without whom this project would not have been possible.

Thanks also to Paul Dobbins for supplying the kelp used in my experiments, Paul Chanswankul for your valuable advice,

Fernando Diaz Smith for teaching me how to brew, Andy Law for advising this project, and my classmates for your undying

willingness to drink whatever I put in front of you.

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Preface

I am passionate about mixing good design, sustainable practices,

and responsible business to influence social change. My goal is to

use design as a tool for making sustainability convenient, beautiful,

fun, and integral to daily life. This idea is the driving force behind

my thesis as I attempt to design an engaging product based on

ocean farming.

Introduction

This project is inspired by the work of Dr. Charles Yar-

ish, Paul Dobbins, and Brendan Smith, and their collective efforts

surrounding ocean farming in New England. After becoming

interested in their work and the benefits of aquaculture I began to

investigate the domestication of brown macro-algae, also known as

Kelp. Kelp is not only a healthy food source but is also a beneficial

agent in coastal ecosystems. It absorbs nitrogen, heavy metals, and

more carbon than land based plants. It also provides a temporary

habitat for fish and crustaceans and can act as a shock absorbent

storm barrier.

These discoveries illuminated numerous opportunities in-

cluding the ability to grow fresh food near coastal cities, the power

to improve water quality in a natural and cost effective manner, the

chance to set a precedent for responsible large scale ocean farming,

and the prospect of building a business around this system.

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This project focuses on attempting to convert the sugars

in kelp into alcohol using kelp biofuel as a precedent. It seeks to

develop a viable product in the form of Kelp Beer, demonstrating

an economical and sustainable system that thrives on the idea of

abundance rather than scarcity. The goal is to create a product that

does not rest on “being sustainable” as its main value. It aspires

to create products whose value is in exciting people and enriching

their lives through quality and originality.

Chapter 1: Milling

Extracting the Essential Ingredients

Kelp is not a word most Americans encounter in their daily

lives, especially when thinking about farming and agriculture. In

a society dominated by King Corn and Queen Soybean the basic

concept of food production is changing from farm to factory. So

why are these large subsidies the norm? We require instead systems

that support an ecologically responsible economy by providing

products whose fabrication enriches the ecosystems in which they

are made.

One of the most pressing environmental issues of our time

is the growing threat on global ocean health. Many factors are at

play in this matter including pollution, temperature change, and

overfishing. With growing demands for food production on land

and at sea, our oceans are at a greater risk than ever unless our

relationship becomes more reciprocal. This project proposes a busi-

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ness model that thrives off of the revitalization of bays and coastal

ecosystems. The move into large-scale ocean farming is in our near

future and it is important that we enter the market with the mind-

set that sustainability does not have to be somber and restrictive.

There is abundance all around us, if you know where to look.

Kelp is a distinctive plant in that it absorbs heavy metals,

nitrogen, and more carbon dioxide than land based plants. It also

grows remarkably fast reaching maturity in around four months

and has a winter growing season so it can be harvested year round.

In that time it provides a temporary habitat for fish and crusta-

ceans, a hunting ground for their predators, and an absorbent

storm barrier for surrounding areas. The kelp farms themselves are

fairly unobtrusive, floating around six feet under the water’s sur-

face. They are hard to see unless you know what to look for and ac-

commodate passage of small fishing vessels and sailboats overhead.

Great potential lies in kelp for its bioextractive qualities,

meaning its ability to absorb excess nutrients from other species.

It is currently being used in conjunction with organisms such as

fish and shellfish in feed aquaculture for more efficient and cyclical

food production called “Integrated Multi-Trophic Aquaculture”, or

IMTA. This “concept is an ecologically-based model that couples

an inorganic bioextractive organism (seaweed) with an organic

bioextractive organism (shellfish) to balance the intensive culture

of fed organisms (finfish or shrimp), in order to produce a more

sustainable, cleaner and diversified aquaculture system” (Redmond)

More simply put, these systems combine seaweed, shellfish, and fin-

fish in an arrangement where each species can feed off the other’s

waste making a more efficient, productive, and diversified farming

scheme. This same kind of bioextraction is also useful in open wa-

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ters where excess nutrients from other organisms and wastewater

runoff accumulate. Fish can excrete up to 49 kg of nitrogen and 7

kg of phosphorous per ton of finfish per year. High levels of these

nutrients in coastal waters can trigger harmful algae blooms and

growth of nuisance algae,which are detrimental to coastal ecosys-

tems and their surrounding economies. These nutrients have the

ability to instead support kelp farms, improving water quality and

creating potential for coastal economies. (Redmond)

Brown macroalgae is also unique in its ability to take up

heavy metals including gold, cadmium, cobalt, copper, iron, nickel,

lead, and zinc (Au, Cd, Co, Cu, Fe, Ni, Pb, Zn). The specific order

of brown macroalgae used in my experiment, Laminarials, is

especially successful at binding with Cu and Zn. It is thought to

be “the most important group of algae to the field of biosorption

because of the abundance of their cell wall matrix polysaccharides

and extracellular polymers. The alginate polysaccharide is mainly

responsible for the natural ion exchange capacity of the brown al-

gae” (Davis et all). This is exciting in relation to my product devel-

opment because it creates the need for a secondary product where

the metal containing waste is extracted. Distilling kelp rather than

fermenting it will produce ethanol on one end and metal contain-

ing waste on the other. Ideally the alcohol can be made into vary-

ing spirits and the precious metals can be extracted from the waste.

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Chapter 2 Mashing:

Pulling out the Sweet Stuff

Many unsuspected products use kelp as one of their ingre-

dients including pharmaceuticals, toothpaste, and even ice cream.

It is a diverse material, being used in many forms for human

consumption including sea vegetables and health supplements. It

is also used for protein in animal fodder, biochemicals, ingredients

in cosmetics, and soil amendment in agriculture (Redmond). One

of the most exciting new uses however is bio-fuel. Today bio-fuel

development is mostly controlled by corn, inspiring the recent

land use debates around food versus fuel. Fuel from kelp has many

advantages over fuel from corn including the opportunity to free up

land for more diverse food production, the absence of fertilizers,

irrigation, and pesticides in ocean farming, and the higher biomass

potential of kelp. These advantages would also apply if kelp were

to substitute for barley, which is the most common cereal used in

beer making and is farmed throughout the Midwestern and North-

western United states. Below is an excerpt from the letter, “Efficient

ethanol production from brown macroalgae sugars by a synthetic

yeast platform”, describing some of the upcoming challenges sur-

rounding food farming and arable land in the near future.

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Unfortunately making biofuel from kelp on a large scale

is not yet economically viable because current technology cannot

process kelp as cost efficiently as corn and other materials. This

fact was inspiring to me however as I thought about what people

are willing to pay for ethanol as fuel, and what they are willing to

pay for ethanol as a beverage. Between 2009 and 2012 gasoline

cost an average $3.64 a gallon while beer costs $10.08, making the

drink nearly three times more expensive. This is an opportunity to

explore making alcohol from kelp in an industry where the price

can compete with comparable products on the market. Expanding

kelp aquaculture for alcohol conversion on a small scale will create

more opportunity for research in the field and can begin to gener-

ate public acceptance and awareness around kelp farming in the

North East.

The United Nations predicts that the world population will grow to 9.6

billion people by 2050. According to the World Energy Outlook 2012, the

global demand for renewable energy production is anticipated to increase mark-

edly: ethanol production is projected to increase 3.4 times by 2035. In 2010,

approximately 40% of the US corn and 55% of the Brazilian sugarcane

collected were already used to produce a majority(86%) of the worlds total

ethanol. Meanwhile, the Food and Agriculture Organization projects that overall

food production must increase by 70% between 2005 and 2050. Because the

arable land space is projected to increase by less than 5% by 2050, over 90%

of the increase in crop production for both food and energy must be accomplished

through yield improvements and increased farming intensity, causing significant

stress on water resources and fertilizer use. Thus, more efficient and sustainable

sources of biomass will be critical.

”

“

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Statistics from bonappetit.com

Diagram from: Davis, T.A., Volesky, B. and A. Mucci. 2003. A review of the bio-chemistry of heavy metal biosorption by brown algae. Water

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Chapter 3 Boiling:

Defining a unique personality profile

I chose to pursue brewing beer from kelp to create an un-

derstanding that sustainable products can and should be fun and

engaging. I would like my product to stand on its own, allowing

consumers to appreciate its quality before they realize the system it

fits into. Making beer and spirits from kelp is an exciting first look

into the possibilities of what can be done with responsible ocean

farming.

Craft beer is a growing trend across the United States and

Rhode Island is no different with new microbreweries flourishing

in Newport, Providence, and Pawtucket. Beer drinkers are begin-

ning to not only appreciate, but demand bold and complex flavors,

becoming more interested in the brewing process and where their

beer comes from. I believe there is a market for kelp beer, as an

interesting take on traditional brewing, leading with bold new fla-

vors and a compelling back story. “Old Salt Ale” evokes the feel of

New England sea culture, appealing to adventurous beer lovers and

home brewers.

The brewing process is comprised of many steps. First all equip-

ment must be sterilized in an iodine bath to eliminate possible

contaminates. Next a measured amount of water is brought to

a boil. A typical small brew size is five gallons however for more

variety in our testing we made eight separate ten-cup batches. Malt

and hops are then added to the boiling water and are cooked for

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an hour creating what is called the wort. It was at this stage that we

added the kelp. The amount and variety of hops and malt in the

wort is one component of the beer’s distinct flavor, color, and clar-

ity. Once the wort is cooled the first hydrometer reading should be

taken to measure a starting specific gravity. A second measurement

should be taken when fermentation is complete and the alcohol

content can be calculated. The wort can then be transferred into

an air locked container where the yeast is added and the container

is sealed. As the beer ferments the yeast produces alcohol and

carbon dioxide. The air lock mechanism allows the gas to escape

without allowing outside air into the container. It is important to

have an air lock to prevent contaminants such as bacteria in your

beer. There are many varieties of yeast but the two main categories

are Ale yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) and Lager Yeast (Saccharomy-

ces pastorianus). Ales ferment more quickly in about two weeks at a

higher temperature while Lagers ferment slower in about six weeks

at a lower temperature. The yeast is the real secret to giving a beer

its character. Mixed together these three components transform

and develop great complexity. A master brewer has the ability to

engineer this combination to achieve very specific results. I wanted

to complement the kelp flavor in my recipe by achieving a salted

caramel flavor using amber malt extract syrup, UK northdown

hops, and a Scottish ale yeast.

Below is a list of the equipment and ingredients I used. The

ingredients describe my recipe on the second round of brewing, the

other variations are listed in the brew chart at the end of the docu-

ment.

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Equipment

8 food safe buckets 8 locking lids w/ .5 in. hole8, .5 in. rubber grommets8 plastic air locksIodine sanitizerBottle cleaning brush250 ml graduated cylinderTurkey basterHydrometerMeasuring spoonsMeasuring cupFour 10 cup potsStirring utensilsFine mesh strainerCheeseclothBottles with spring caps

Ingredients

10 cups water 10 oz. dried kelp158 ml malt extract syrup1 heaping tsp. hop pellets3 tsp. ale yeast1/5 cup sugar

16Process pictures of round one fermentation including materials and ingredients.

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18First hydrometer reading.

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Second hydrometer reading.

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Chapter 4 Fermenting:

Conversions and Reactions

The three successful beers I produced were rich and viscous

with varying levels of brininess from the different seaweed treat-

ments. The roasted seaweed had the boldest most interesting flavor

but was too salty to be palatable. The store bought seaweed gave a

rich savory flavor with a little brine but was far less complex than

the roasted variety. My ideal flavor would lie in between these two,

with the genuine and complex flavors of the sea in a smooth and

savory caramel ale.

A constant obstacle in this project was my ability to pro-

duce alcohol from the starches in kelp on a small scale. In a typi-

cal brewing process the barley is malted which means the grains

begin to germinate and are then roasted. This process produces

natural enzymes and sugars necessary for alcohol production by

yeast. Unable to identify an equivalent “malting” process for kelp

I decided to experiment with a traditional brew to test whether

any sugar could be drawn from the kelp. I experimented with

two kinds of kelp; sugar kelp that I harvested myself from Ocean

Approved’s farm in Falmouth ME, and a store bought dried kelp

harvested and processed in South Korea. I treated the sugar kelp

in three ways in an attempt to maximize the sugar content. One

batch was blanched and roasted, the second was roasted dark,

and the third was air-dried. In this process the large cooler of kelp

brought back from Maine was condensed into less than 40 ounces

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of dry material. I tested my four kelp varieties on their own with

hops and yeast, and also mixed them with malt to test comparative

alcohol yield. Unfortunately there was no evidence that the alcohol

in the resulting beer came from the kelp since the specific grav-

ity for the batches not containing malt were consistent before and

after attempted fermentation and no alcohol was produced. I still

deem the experiment a success however in that it allowed me to test

posible flavor profiles and perform valuable consumer testing.

The most abundant sugars in kelp are alginate, mannitol

and glucan. One study reports that “simple biorefinery processes

such as milling, leaching, and extraction, can separate the sugars

[in kelp] into biofuels and renewable chemicals” and that “conven-

tional industrial microbes can use mannitol and hydrolysed glucan”

for fermentation. This means that my inability to produce alcohol

from kelp was in my process and treatment of ingredients, not the

ingredients themselves. There is still potential to produce alcohol

from kelp on a small scale with a more refined process. This same

study reported the ability to synthetically engineer the conventional

industrial microbe Saccharomyces cerevisiae with an “alginate mono-

mer transporter from the alginolytic eukaryote Asteromyces crucia-

tus” (Newman). This synthetic yeast has the ability to metabolize all

major sugars in kelp, accomplishing an alcohol yield comparable to

the biorefinery of other plants.

This synthetic yeast would allow for easy distillation and

fermentation of kelp, unfortunately however the strain is not safe

for human consumption. Regardless, the discovery is still exciting

as it opens up future possibilities around processing kelp for diverse

use.

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Chapter 5: Consumption

Ready to Serve

For this product to be successful I will need an efficient low

cost way of converting kelp sugars into alcohol, a great tasting beer

recipe, reliable productive kelp farms, brewing and bottling facili-

ties, a waste management system, robust marketing, and strong

relationships with bars, liquor stores, and skilled brewers.

Since I have already addressed my work on the first two cri-

teria I will move into the issue of reliable kelp suppliers. The kelp

aquaculture industry is thriving around the world, predominantly

in Asia and also including parts of South America and Europe.

Kelp makes up “a significant portion of organisms cultured world-

wide (~19 million metric tons) with a value of ~US $5.65billion”

(Redmond). Successful IMTA systems are being utilized in New

Brunswick, Portugal, Israel, South Africa, and the Bronx river

estuary alike, to perform nutrient bioextraction and produce such

goods as mussels, salmon, sea bass, and abalone. In North America,

however, kelp production relies mostly on wild harvests from Can-

ada and the United States with a small sugar kelp industry begin-

ning to grow in New England. Using farmed kelp to produce beer

and spirits locally would help strengthen the Northeast aquaculture

industry, creating opportunity for research, new jobs, and improved

coastal water quality. The novelty of kelp aquaculture in New Eng-

land presents a business opportunity from the ability to collaborate

and innovate with the kelp farms as they begin to grow.

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To address brewing and bottling facilities I believe that

rather than attempting to start a brewery based on this one prod-

uct, it would be best to license the technology required to make

alcohol from kelp to an existing brewery. They can then create a

specialty beer under their label with the opportunity for further

collaboration and product development. I have plans to experiment

with a local brewery in Pawtucket and hopefully that relationship

can help grow this idea into a real product.

My plan for waste management has two parts. If I am

producing beer from healthy clean kelp then I can develop rela-

tionships with farmers who can use the waste mash as a fertilizer

or feed for animals. Kelp is “high in fiber, vitamins and minerals,

including vitamin C, vitamin K, iron, calcium, iodine, and mag-

nesium” and these two options are both great for upcycling those

nutrients extracted from the ocean. The other option as explained

before includes distilling pure ethanol from kelp containing heavy

metals. If cost allows, the metals can be extracted from the con-

taminated waste however this process may not be economically

feasible. I hope to look more into possibilities for processing this

kind of waste.

My branding and marketing strategy revolves around the

story of my beer which I have named “Old Salt Ale”. It speaks

to New England nautical and sailing culture, playing off of the

rich and briny quality of the beer. Old Salt is a term used to

describe a sea faring man typically from the English navy. They are

famous for their grit and their ability to uphold history and tradi-

tion through tales and stories of the sea. While this beer is the focal

point for now, user research has shown that people are more open

to trying liquor that they are told is made from kelp than beer. In

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future product expansion I would like to experiment with distilla-

tion and making spirits since consumers may be more willing to try

this form of kelp alcohol because of the products’ familiarity and

approachability. I am fairly certain that to make a successful kelp

beer I will always need to include malt in the recipe to achieve a

desired flavor. In the future however this project may stray from

beer into other kinds of alcoholic beverages.

Beer tap handle for Old Salt Alemodeled in Rhino

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Works Consulted

Davis, T.A., Volesky, B. and A. Mucci. 2003. A review of the biochemistry of

heavy metal biosorption by brown algae. Water Research 37:

4311–4330.

Enquist-Newman, M., Faust A.M., Bravo D.D., Santos, C., Raisner, R.M., Ha

nel1, A., Sarvabhowman,P., Le, C., Regitsky, D.D., Cooper, S., Peere

boom, L., Clark,A., Martinez,Y., Goldsmith, J., Cho, M., Donohoue,

P., Luo, L., Lamberson, B., Tamrakar, P., Kim,E., Villari, J., Gill, A.,

Tripathi, S., Karamchedu, P., Paredes, C., Rajgarhia, V., Kotlar,

H., Bailey, R., Miller, D., Ohler, N., Swimmer, C., & Yoshikuni Y.

2013. Efficient ethanol production from brown macroalgae sugars

by a synthetic yeast platform. http://algae.thu.edu.tw/lab/2014_

Meeting_FebJune/upload/2013_Efficient_ethanol_production_

from_brown_macroalgae_sugars_by_a_synthetic_yeast_platform.pdf.

8pp.

Redmond, S., L. Green, C. Yarish, , J. Kim, and C. Neefus.2014. New England

Seaweed Culture Handbook-Nursery Systems. Connecticut Sea

Grant CTSG-14-01. 92 pp. PDF file. URL: http://seagrant.uconn.

edu/publications/aquaculture/handbook.pdf. 92 pp.

for more of my process please visit ericapernice.tumblr.com

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