BOULDER, CO — Upslope Brewing Company and two local startups, Boom Algae and Living Ink Technologies, begin a collaborative project to turn brewery waste into a 100% biodegradable, non-petroleum-based, algae-ink. The system is a unique bioreactor designed to function as a zero-waste system.
“Living Ink is thrilled to collaborate with Upslope and Boom Algae to grow algae ink by using waste water and carbon dioxide generated from brewing Upslope beer,” says Scott Fullbright of Living Ink. “This cutting edge project will allow us to create printed material for Upslope using the world’s most sustainable ink.”
Boom Algae will utilize Upslope’s waste carbon dioxide (CO2), spent grain, and canning rinse water to grow and harvest Living Ink Technologies’ algae strain at the brewery. Living Ink Technologies will then transform it into the world’s most sustainable ink. The closed loop system will provide an eco-friendly algae ink to print Upslope’s menus and other promotional materials.
“At first, we designed a greenhouse for the rooftop of Upslope Brewing, but when we discovered we needed to change restrictions and codes set by the city, the process became more complicated, time consuming and costly than we had anticipated. It became clear that we needed an alternate plan to take advantage of our opportunity to demonstrate that we can turn brewery waste into valuable algae-based products,” says Boom Algae founder, Philip Calabrese. “Despite all the hurdles and setbacks, I have never been more excited about this project. We are finally doing what we set out to do.”
“Since we first spoke, Boom Algae has continued to push through technical and logistical challenges and has emerged with the reality of a fully functioning reactor, developed and iterated entirely from conceptual models,” says Upslope’s founder, Matt Cutter. “For years to come, we look forward to diverting byproducts of our fermentation process to help the Boom Algae folks produce a sustainable raw material for Living Ink!”
About Living Ink Technologies
Living Ink Technologies transforms algae into safe, eco-friendly and cheap ink to make the world more sustainable. The company develops algae ink technologies for a variety of printed products including packaging, marketing material and stationery. Find more out at www.livinginktechnologies.com.
About Boom Algae
Boom Algae develops customized solutions to help algae companies grow more algae per square foot and use less resources during their production processes. The company hopes to develop future projects with other breweries to manufacture sustainable algae-derived products from brewery waste. Find out more at www.boomalgae.com.
About Upslope Brewing Company
Boulder-based Upslope Brewing Company is the creator of premium ales and lagers that are artfully crafted using natural ingredients. Packaged in aluminum cans for exceptional portability and because it’s best for the environment, Upslope complements the outdoor lifestyle and caters to the on-the-go beer enthusiast. The five flagship beers include: Pale Ale, India Pale Ale, Brown Ale, Craft Lager and Imperial India Pale Ale. Additional installments are offered in a Limited Release Series, the Lee Hill Series and the Tap Room Series. In an ongoing effort to protect watersheds nationwide, and the key ingredient in Upslope ales and lagers, one percent of Upslope Craft Lager can sales benefits local Trout Unlimited chapters in the state in which the beer is purchased. Learn more about Upslope at www.upslopebrewing.com.