The 2018 Great American Beer Festival was the first time I attended the GABF as part of the beer media. I wrote a series of articles for the fest on the “environment of beer.” Throughout it all I had good experiences, found a couple of things that didn’t work, and made an audio mistake that ruined my video. Here’s my breakdown of the GABF media experience: the good, the bad and the D’Oh!. Continue reading
Photo © Brewers Association
Every fall, hundreds of brewers, thousands of beers, and thousands of attendees visit the Colorado Convention Center in Denver for a 3-day competition and celebration of beer. It’s the Great American Beer Fest. What you might not know is the connection between brewing quality beer and taking care of the environment. For example, you can’t drink good beer without good water. As part of my Environment of Beer series, here’s a look at the environmental initiatives of the Festival and the host convention center. If you’re attending the Fest and see a guy asking and writing about the environment of beer, stop and say, Hi. It’s probably me. Cheers. Continue reading
What’s the best alcohol for the environment? Beer, wine, whisky, vodka, cider? Unfortunately, there isn’t one easy answer. But there is a path to drink a more environmentally friendly booze. I’ll show you that path by presenting the factors that make your favorite drink more or less earth-friendly. There’s a plethora of information here, including the debate between bottles and cans. This is your guide to drinking the best alcohol for the environment.
Here’s the path to drinking the best alcohol for the environment. Continue reading
Torg (Old Norse) – town square or plaza, a traditional space for community gatherings.
In a time when breweries are pushing the envelope, creating and redefining beer styles with flavors, high alcohol content, dryness, sweetness, etc., I was intrigued by Torg Brewery, who brews good approachable craft beer. You can see it in their mission statement. Most breweries have a story and/or a mission, but most of them don’t state it so eloquently.
With a focus on creating that perfect balance between malt and hops to craft a truly friendly, quaffable beer, it is Torg Brewery’s pleasure to serve our patrons the rich complexity and marvelous flavors that water, grain, hops, and yeast combine to create. Continue reading
“Without clean water there is no beer.” That’s a great slogan for a brewery that supports clean water. I was drinking a Winter Storm Imperial ESB from Heavy Seas Beer when I saw, “Can’t make great beer without clean water!” printed on the label. I don’t remember seeing a brewery that was this open, direct, and to the point with its commitment to an environmental cause. The Clean Water Fund logo and information was right there on the back label. I was curious to know more about Heavy Seas Beer’s support of the Clean Water Fund.
I enjoy the environment of beer and reached out to them to learn more. Fred Crudder, Director of Marketing & Hospitality, responded and was happy to tell the story of their support of the Clean Water Fund. Thanks also to Christine Shaffer, PR & Communications. They invited me to the brewery to meet. Unfortunately they are in Baltimore and I’m in Denver. If you’re in Baltimore or the mid-Atlantic and want a good beer that supports a good cause, stop in for a pint. Have one for me, too. Continue reading
The Coors Brewery Tour is known for 2 things: 1) seeing behind the scenes of the iconic brewery in Golden, CO, and 2) the free beer in the Tasting Room. But there are several environmental related topics presented throughout the tour. I’ve highlighted several of them here, along with some information from the MillerCoors Sustainability and Environmental Stewardship pages. I’ve toured several breweries. Each time I’m reminded of the industrial process involved in brewing and packaging. So I also have on my CHMM-hat looking the environmental, health, and safety of the brewery. Continue reading
This is the second brewery I’ve written about, so it’s officially the start of my Environment of Beer series.
Left Hand Brewing in Longmont, CO hosted the Rocky Mountain Chapter of CHMMs for our September meeting. Our visit to the brewery included a presentation by Plant Manager, Jake Kolakowski, and a tour. It was a unique opportunity to look at the environment of a craft brewery and of course, sample good beer. Continue reading
Bayern’s Dancing Trout keeping cool while fly fishing
Bayern Brewery in Missoula, MT has been brewing award-winning, traditional German beers since 1987. They’re not one of the new breweries on the growing-craft-beer-market block. There are a lot of great breweries, but very of few of them have the same strong commitment to a sustainability program.
I’ve been to their brewery and tasting room twice during my travels to Missoula. During my most recent visit with a co-worker, who lives in Missoula, he began telling me about their recycling program and other environmental efforts. As a beer drinking and environmental professional, I am interested in the “environment of beer” and wanted to know more. I didn’t want to miss this opportunity to drink some good beer and learn more about their environmental programs.
Their most interesting sustainable practice is that they recycle their own glass. Combined with buying back their 6-pack holders and/or giving recyclers trade-in value for beer, they recycle or reuse their entire packaging material. For a $3 deposit, you can get one of their Ecopacks to collect and return the bottles and 6-pack holders. They’ll even take back other qualifying beer bottles. How about that, beer drinkers? Bring back your bottles and 6-pack holders and they’ll give you credit for beer!