Get Drunk Guilt-Free
by Bonnie Alter, London on 08.24.07
It's summer and beer-drinking time so why not make it organic? They taste just as good and benefit the environment. Since there are no artificial fertilisers or pesticides used in the grain production, that means it is healthier and better for the farmland. And if the beer is local there are less food miles too. Duchy Originals, Prince Charles' brand, makes an organic ale with a rare breed of organic barley that is grown on the Prince's own estate.
Freedom Organic beer is brewed in Germany and Organic Life Magazine recently gave it 4 stars out of 5 in a 'taste test' of organic lagers, describing it as "Malty and drinkable, distinctive bite, free your taste buds! This one is hoppy and light." Fullers Honey Dew organic ale is brewed with a dash of organic honey to give a dry refreshing taste. They have won the Beer of the Year award five times. And good old Marks & Spencer Organic Beer has a malty taste and comes from a brewery on the Scottish borders. Cheers. :: Time Out
Umn, well, I guess, if you live in Germany. Otherwise, you telling me I should imbibe with something which has been shipped/flown across the Atlantic, especially when similar beers can be obtained stateside, if not locally?
I drink Sierra Nevada beer almost exclusively. It helps that the brewery is only three miles from my house. They aren't completely organic yet, but they are a very green business. As of right now they are installing a huge solar array over their parking lot. You can read more here:
http://www.sierranevada.com/environment.html
And you should be able to find their Pale Ale just about anywhere in the US. And Ireland according to my brother who was just there.
Drink NBC, it's organic and fantastic...
www.nelsonbrewing.com
Available in western Canada.
Why does the barley need to be shipped from cornwall to germany? Doesn't this add just a wee bit of carbon to the whole endeavour? Maybe prince charles' brewers aren't up to the job
For those in the States New Belgium produces Mothership Wit, an organic white wheat beer. It cost me $6.99 a 6 pack which is the same cost as their non-organic. Heck, they even advertise on this site.
How much of organic beer is organic?
In the US, water can be of any potable quality, and does not count towards being labeled organic. Considering water makes up 90% of beer, and that hops are on the (US) National List of non-organic ingredients allowed in organic food products, that leaves the malted barley. And because the USDA 'organic' label requires only 95% organic ingedients (not counting the water), the term "organic beer" is a weak one (in the US). But good ones are out there. Beer lovers need to be diligent when shopping for organic beer, as this industry has been primed for green washing by the big brewers.
All this talk makes me want a beer.
What a coincidence. As I sit here and read on TreeHugger about oragnic beer, I'm drinking an organic beer...Stone Mill Pale Ale brewed in New Hampshire. There's no indication on the label, but reading their website it's apparently it's a part of the Anheuser-Busch family. Eh, it's good anyway.
Since you mentioned Duchy Original ...
Duchy Original is actually brewed in Oxfordshire (in Witney) by Refresh UK (the owners of Brakspear & Wychwood Breweries). They also brew several other organic and fairtrade beers:
~ Brakspear Organic Beer (available in cask - known as Organic Blonde Beer or Oxford Gold - or bottle-conditioned)
~ Circle Master Organic Ale (known as Scarecrow in USA)
~ BeeWyched Honey'd Ale (which is FairTrade)
I've spent many hours thinking about guilt-free beer, and I think that the most important factor is TAP BEER - packaging is so problematic both with the energy producing it and then getting rid of it. The next most important factor is LOCAL BEER - supporting local, distributed businesses and reducing the miles the beer travels to get to me. Then, if I can, ORGANIC is nice. (Somewhere in there you have to get beer that tastes good, too.)
Are these beers vegetarian? Many beers, microbrews, etc.. use fish guts to filter the beer.
http://www.gonchong.co.uk/vegbeer.html
Being vegetarian is one of the greenest things you can do!
I just had my first organic beer. Pinker's USDA certified Unfiltered Pilsner from Germany. It has a great floral aroma and nice smooth taste. A little heavy for the hot summer heat but tasty nonetheless.
I just had my first organic beer. Pinker's USDA certified Unfiltered Pilsner from Germany. It has a great floral aroma and nice smooth taste. A little heavy for the hot summer heat but tasty nonetheless.