After taking the self-guided tour, here are some things I learned that the brewery does:
- Composting Malt Husk, Hops and Yeast: Long Trail contributes 1,000 pounds a day of malt husks and 500 pounds a day of yeast to the Vermont Compost Project in Woodstock where it gets transferred to compost.
- Spent Mash as a Food Supplement: The brewery currently produces over eight tons of spent mash every day which they offer to local cattle farmers as an alternative to the high costs of other feed. It is high in protein, fiber and contains almost as much energy as corn silage.
- Brewery Heat Recovery: Long Trail’s in-house Heat Recovery System condenses steam back into water and in doing so recovers 3.7 million BTU’s per day in the form of hot water that is promptly used for the next brew, thereby reducing propane use by over $1,000 per month. Another benefit for this process is the elimination of the billows of steam that emanate from the industrial processes, especially breweries.
- Odor/VOC Removal: Although the brewing process produces a pleasing smell, many Vermont residents complained because these emissions contained Volatile Organic Compounds, or VOC’s. In 2001 Long Trail implemented a plan, engineered by their employees, using proprietary technology to successful eliminate the emission of these VOC’s.
- Long Trail’s Hydrologic Cycle & Brewery Wastewater Treatment Plant: Long Trail’s location in Bridgewater Corners lacks many of municipal hook-ups (including a water feed, sewer line and gas line) that we sometimes take advantage of. This brewery operates completely without. They’ve developed a Hydrologic Cycle that allows them to take water drawn from their bedrock artesian wells, process most of it into beer, and fully treat any wastewater that may result before returning it to the ground. The water that leaves their treatment facility is drinkable!

Long Trail can currently be found in New England and more recently New York and New Jersey. Make sure you make a stop in Bridgewater Corners when traveling through Vermont to see and taste for yourself what they offer. Tip: the Blackberry Wheat brewed in March is our fave! ::EcoBrew by Long Trail Brewing ::Long Trail