Scottish brewer creates beer from cloud water

03 Nov 2016

Independent craft brewer Innis & Gunn of Scotland has created its latest beer, Sky PA – made from water taken directly from the Scottish clouds. The innovative India Pale Ale (IPA) marked the launch of  Innis & Gunn's first-ever equity crowd-funding campaign.

Innis & Gunn made an airborne device incorporating a turbine and a condenser that sucked moisture directly from a cloud and cooled it into water.

The device was flown by a four-member team which collected enough cloud water to brew 500 pints.

The resultant brew was IPA made with water drawn from Scottish clouds. The water, which originated from the Atlantic had high mineral content, which added flavour through the brewing process, along with the selectedmalts and hops.

The brewer, known for several innovative products and processes is launching its first equity crowdfunding round - AdventureCapital - aimed at bringing together like-minded individuals, passionate about great beer.

AdventureCapital aimed to raise £1 million, via Crowdcube with investments starting at £10, with the money raised, funding the brewer's continued experimentation with beers. It would also help capacity expansion at the company's newly acquired brewery and support the roll-out of The Beer Kitchen, Innis & Gunn's award winning bar and restaurant concept specialising in food and beer pairings. 

Dougal Sharp, the company's CEO and master brewer expressed happines with the product.

''It tasted like good cleaning brewing water,'' Sharp told NBC News on Tuesday. ''We're very pleased with the [beer] flavour; we're very pleased with the way it turned out.''

Some, though are not convinced about cloud water becoming a niche beer ingredient.

According to Matthew Curtis, co-author of the ''Beer: The 100 Best Breweries in the World,'' the project seemed to be a Innis & Gunn's crowd-funding promotion effort and steal a march over competitors.