In episode six of our Focus On series, we chat with Oscar McMahon, co-founder of the iconic Young Henrys brewery, who, along with Richard Adamson and Dan Hampton, is changing the Australian brewing game one schooner at a time.
Tucked away in the back streets of Newtown, the humble brewery kickstarted an urban brewing revolution. Paving the way for the plethora of independent breweries that have popped up throughout the Inner West since they’re still leading the way. A product of Newtown made for Newtowners; it only makes sense that one of their signature brews shares the same name.
“Your purpose is not the product you make; it’s usually higher than that,” says Oscar, a philosophy that informs their maxim ‘serve the people’. With deep roots in the local community, they’re firm believers that success comes from genuinely listening to what people want—what’s guided their commitment to sustainability from the very start. With people ever more discerning about the products they buy and the companies they support, investing in sustainability isn’t just a box to tick but a value that should guide all business decisions.
This belief led them to collaborate with the University of Technology Sydney’s Climate Change Cluster in what is likely the most exciting initiative the brewing industry has seen. Headed by Professor Peter Ralph, the team had been studying potential applications of microalgae for some time when Young Henry came on board with the idea to explore how it could offset the carbon emissions of the brewing operation.
Fermenting beer is an unavoidably CO2-intensive process—producing just one six-pack releases around 70g of CO2 into the atmosphere, which would take a tree two days to absorb and convert into oxygen. Algae is up to five times more effective at that process. With two 400L bioreactors housing upwards of 20 trillion microalgae organisms on the factory floor, they’re offsetting the carbon emitted from brewers’ yeast with the ultimate goal of achieving a carbon-neutral closed-circuit process.
The glowing green tanks present a ground-breaking opportunity beyond their local factory. With incredible efficiency in pulling carbon from the atmosphere and converting it into oxygen, Oscar believes that “-there should be microalgae tanks on every single building in every single city of the world,” an idea that’s just the beginning of potential algae applications.
In a time when greenwashing is rife, Young Henrys is truly committed to the cause. Even before working with microalgae, they’ve been operating as sustainably as possible right from the get-go. 100% of their energy comes from renewable sources, the majority of which is produced by their very own solar farm on the rooftop of the brewery, and their spent grain is given to farmers, which is particularly impactful during droughts. “It gives us all a sense of purpose; we’re doing something good and producing beer,” says Oscar.
As a company that truly walks the walk, Young Henrys continues to shape the future of the Australian brewing industry right here in Newtown. As Oscar says, “Drink beer, save the world.”
This feature is part of a year-long short film series highlighting local heroes of our vibrant Inner-city community. If you’re an artist, a maker, an entrepreneur, an artisan, or a small business operating in the creative space and would like a feature, get in touch.