Organic Beer
I went to my local supermarket just a couple of days ago and was somewhat startled to see a number of "organic" beers offered in the "green" section of the store.
This got me wondering about what the differences are between "organic" and normal beer might be.
It turns out that, in its simplest terms, beer qualifies for the organic definition when all the ingredients used in the beer brewing recipes have been grown in acceptable "green" fashion.
Generally, this means that the hops, barley, and everything else in the recipes have not been exposed to fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, or herbicides.
Proponents of this beer brewing method claim that organic beverages taste better than their larger non-organic competitors.
Not surprisingly, most organic growers are very small, with less than 100 acres under cultivation.
They also tend to sell their product within a geographically small area, to local microbreweries specializing in offering organic products.
This limited production and distribution prevent any meaningful economies of scale with, in turn, will mean that these offerings will be priced higher, in some cases substantially so, than the more familiar competitors.
On the plus side, these patronizing these local microbreweries have other positive effects for the environment.
These include consuming a locally produced product which reduce the negative effects of wide area distribution.
Further benefits include glass bottles and cardboard containers that are more readily recyclable than aluminum cans.
There is another way to go organic without paying the higher prices and that is to explore brewing your own beer.
There are a number of smaller home beer brewing suppliers who offer organic ingredients for the consumer market.
Jumping into home brewing gives you the ability to brew a beverage specifically for your own taste, allows the reuse of glass bottles which reduce waste, and is very inexpensive to get started.
If "going green' is important but you don't want to give up your favorite beverage, take heart; It is now possible to enjoy excellent beer without unduly harming the environment.
This got me wondering about what the differences are between "organic" and normal beer might be.
It turns out that, in its simplest terms, beer qualifies for the organic definition when all the ingredients used in the beer brewing recipes have been grown in acceptable "green" fashion.
Generally, this means that the hops, barley, and everything else in the recipes have not been exposed to fertilizers, insecticides, fungicides, or herbicides.
Proponents of this beer brewing method claim that organic beverages taste better than their larger non-organic competitors.
Not surprisingly, most organic growers are very small, with less than 100 acres under cultivation.
They also tend to sell their product within a geographically small area, to local microbreweries specializing in offering organic products.
This limited production and distribution prevent any meaningful economies of scale with, in turn, will mean that these offerings will be priced higher, in some cases substantially so, than the more familiar competitors.
On the plus side, these patronizing these local microbreweries have other positive effects for the environment.
These include consuming a locally produced product which reduce the negative effects of wide area distribution.
Further benefits include glass bottles and cardboard containers that are more readily recyclable than aluminum cans.
There is another way to go organic without paying the higher prices and that is to explore brewing your own beer.
There are a number of smaller home beer brewing suppliers who offer organic ingredients for the consumer market.
Jumping into home brewing gives you the ability to brew a beverage specifically for your own taste, allows the reuse of glass bottles which reduce waste, and is very inexpensive to get started.
If "going green' is important but you don't want to give up your favorite beverage, take heart; It is now possible to enjoy excellent beer without unduly harming the environment.