“Fermentation may have been a greater discovery than fire” runs a quote by noted author David Rains Wallace. We here at SunWater Solar certainly agree, as would anyone who has ever successfully brewed a batch of ale, lager, stout or other type of beer.

California is well-known for producing fine beers. Brewing companies like Sierra Nevada, Anchor and Gordon Biersch turn out millions of bottles of brew every year from their facilities in California, while countless smaller breweries across the U.S. also add to the diversity of beers that drinkers can choose from.

A large percentage of beer is water, which is also a central part of the brewing process. Breweries need large quantities of water – hot water – to not only make beer, but also to rinse and clean the kegs, tanks and other equipment used to manufacture and ship the final product.

There is a simple elegance in the combination of water, heat and basic ingredients (yeast, sugar, grains, etc.) necessary to craft beer. Bringing the sun’s natural heat into the process by way of a solar hot water system adds to this elegance.

And for brewing companies, which are businesses after all, a solar thermal system can be a sound investment since these systems significantly reduce water-heating costs.  Breweries in Wisconsin, Oregon, and Montana have all turned to solar water heating for their brewery operations.

Water. Natural ingredients. Solar energy. Now that’s a discovery that’s easy to get excited about!