In today's world, taking steps towards eco-friendliness is more than just a trend... It's the need of the hour! Sustainable brewing has made significant headway in recent years, allowing craft beer enthusiasts to enjoy their favorite brews without causing further damage to the planet.
If you're one of the billions of people who're 'awoken' to climate change, but you can't resist a flavorful beer to quench your thirst after work- read on.
Discover some of the climate-conscious and sustainable beers around, alongside how modern innovation plays a hand in bringing them to fruition!
1. Refreshingly Sustainable Lagers
Lagers are one of the most popular beer styles, and sustainable brewers take great lengths to ensure that they consume fewer resources during the brewing process. For example, some use more efficient cooling systems to reduce energy consumption.
Others may switch to organic grain as a necessary ingredient for certain recipes, to minimize contamination from herbicides and pesticides in runoff water. In such approaches, you can be sure to get satisfying yet climate-conscious beers with low carbon footprints.
2. Earth-Friendly Ales
Ales are a fascinating niche of craft beers, and brewing them sustainably has its own challenges as compared to more traditional styles like lagers or stouts. If we consider transport, for example, some ales may take longer to mature in the fermentation process and thus require bulk shipment from place to place.
Responsible brewers can make necessary adjustments such as using lighter packaging materials that cause fewer emissions when shipped over long distances without compromising on taste or texture. This way, you can sip your eco-friendly ale proudly knowing you made an effort towards preserving the planet!
3. Harmlessly Hoppy IPAs
IPA stands for India Pale Ale, a strong malty beer style originally brewed using robust local ingredients like hops, yeast, and malt to preserve the entire batch during its long voyage from England to India centuries ago. These days, from the likes of Brewgooder in the UK to Hopworks in the US, mindful brewers focus on ethically sourcing their ingredients for making hoppy IPAs to reduce environmental impact.
If you're looking for an eco-friendly version of this classic brew that still doesn't skimp on flavor or aroma, go ahead and try the sustainably crafted ones available out there!
4. Responsibly Sourced Pilsners and Stouts
Other classic brews, like Pilsner and Stout, often require high-quality inputs in crafting a good batch. Careful selectivity is applied by sustainable brewers to ensure that grains, hops, and all other ingredients come from ethically responsible sources with minimal adverse impacts on the environment.
For example, during their journey from source-to-table, conservational forms of cooling methods are utilized for greater efficiency when transporting them across borders for added convenience. This way, you can enjoy responsibly sourced stouts or pilsners knowing your purchase went towards protecting our planet!
5. Environmentally Friendly Ciders and Meads
Often fermented from fresh or frozen apples (and sometimes honey), the popularity of ciders is undeniable even in eco-conscious circles. Sustainable brewers take extra steps to ensure other materials used for production processes like filters and barrels are not sourced from damaging forests.
Knowing that every sip contains carbon-friendly ingredients, you can enjoy your cider without any worries at all! Similarly, naturally-sweet meads are brewed using sustainable methods too.
Summing It Up: Key Ways Modern-Day Brewers Ensure Sustainability
The process of making eco-conscious beer is easier said than done. This is why most of today's climate-conscious brewers prioritize careful planning and take diligent steps during each phase of production across various styles.
For example, many utilize solar energy for heating, cooling, or running entire facilities. Others employ green chemistry principles when dealing with spent grains from the mashing processes, and some opt for wax-infused or cardboard shrink wraps for packaging their bottles after a final rinse using recycled water!
This is not to forget that we live in an age of advanced technology. To streamline operations, many brewers also opt for Ollie and similar brewery management software that can help simplify numerous processes, from sourcing ingredients to managing inventory, tracking production, and order management.
By leveraging modern tech solutions such as automation, data analytics, AI, and machine learning, brewers can gain insight into ways to reduce their carbon footprint and waste production, while conserving water. They can essentially find better ways to implement the 4Rs (Reduce, Recycle, Reuse, and Refuse)!
Putting sustainability first is the way to go when it comes to enjoying quality craft beers. Whether you're a fan of hoppy IPAs, pilsners, or meads, there are sustainable brewing alternatives that use resourceful methods without compromising on rich flavors and aromas. Start applying eco-consciousness in your favorite beer selection today!