Karbon Brewery Review

Over the last few years I’ve spoken a lot about greenwashing. Nothing grinds my gears more than a company preying on people’s good intentions with false claims about being “good” for the planet, all to increase profits. 

So, when I first heard of Karbon Brewing - Canada's first carbon negative brewery - I was a tad skeptical. ONLY because the alcohol industry (aka beer, spirits, and wine) is riddled with resource waste and aggressive carbon emissions. 

But as any nerdy-pants would do, I wanted to do my research before jumping to conclusions - and I’m super glad I did. 

Full disclosure, the co-founder Stephen Tyson and I go way back (#laurierforlife). I was privileged to have someone I could reach out to to get more info as most people trying to learn more about brands/products aren’t as lucky. 

When I first contacted Stephen, he was quick to agree to a meeting and graciously suggested that we also include Bernardo, their Brewmaster/Co-founder. 

From the get-go, it was SUPER clear that Stephen and Bernardo were being transparent. From walking me through each step of their circular-economy brewing model, to talking about how they source their grains/hops, to sharing how they plan on tracking their footprint, I always got detailed answers for all of my questions. This is really rare - so gold star for them! 🌟

So now the question - is Karbon true to its “Carbon Negative Brewery” claim? The answer is yes, and no. Karbon’s plan is to become Carbon Negative by 2024 and they have their work cut out for them. As I mentioned, the alcohol industry is pretty horrible for the planet. The whole supply chain is f*cked and major touch-points have huge resource waste engrained in the process. 

Because Karbon is very much in its infancy, its ability to break decades-old practices and be 100% sustainable isn’t even an option right now. Even if they had infinite amounts of money, that kind of reform takes time and a whole lot of regulatory effort (similar to what we’re seeing in the fashion industry). 

BUT, every industry needs its sustainable champions - the Patagonias and AllBirds of the world. The ones who are trying to create change that will challenge the industry and hold other brands accountable. When it comes to Karbon, their research is there and slowly but surely they are making the right decisions that are so desperately needed. 

So in conclusion, while they aren’t in the true sense of the word “carbon negative” right now, I have so much confidence that this brand will get there - AND set new standards across the whole industry as brands continue to rethink their own sustainable practices. 

Oh, and if you made it this far, I should probably mention that their beers also taste great! 😉 (And if you’re a vodka soda kind of person, they may have one of those launching soon too).

Keep your eye out for Karbon and all of the exciting things they are working on - I know I will be! 😎

Cheers friends. 🍻