Australian Brewery Taps Bitcoin Mining Heat for Beer Production

A small Australian brewery has found an innovative way to utilize Bitcoin mining waste heat for beer production. Hawkesbury Brewing Co, based in Lisarow on New South Wales' Central Coast, has integrated 16 Bitcoin miners into its brewing operations. The miners are submerged in non-conducting liquid that reaches around 90°C, and the captured waste heat fulfills all of the brewery's hot water needs.

The system supports output of 100,000 litres of beer each month. Developed in partnership with Synergy Infrastructure, this project is reportedly the first of its kind anywhere in the global brewing industry.

The Bitcoin mining operation generates approximately $2,000 in monthly rewards, nearly offsetting the brewery's electricity costs. Hawkesbury was generating more energy than it could use during peak sunlight hours and found that exporting excess energy to the grid offered poor returns. Battery storage was another option but raised safety concerns.