Since the pandemic began in 2020, the number of everyday items that have been unexpectedly out of stock has increased dramatically. First it was things like toilet paper; then, supply chain issues caused everything from groceries to new cars to be more scarce than anyone would have liked. Now, it seems, it’s beer’s turn. A recent report from Axios has details on a carbon dioxide shortage in Mississippi — which is having adverse effects on brewers around the country. Earlier this summer, the carbon dioxide produced by the Jackson Dome started showing signs of contamination. And as it turns out, there are a lot of industries that make use of carbon dioxide — some for preserving food that would otherwise spoil, others for making beverages carbonated. The less carbon dioxide that’s on hand, the less beer is available to be carbonated. As Axios reports, this is the latest trend to pose an existential threat to craft breweries. Though it’s not every craft brewery that’s affected by this — some have systems in place that allow them to carbonate beer based on gases produced as a byproduct of the brewing process itself. It’ll be interesting to see if these shortages prompt other craft breweries to move to implement similar systems in the coming years. But for now, if you don’t see your beer of choice on the shelves you were expecting, there may well be a good reason for that.

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