Consider organic beer for Super Bowl Sunday

Sustainable breweries serving up a wide variety of organic beers are becoming more popular. You can have your suds with less negative impact on the environment.

Thu, Feb 02 2012 at 11:50 AM

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Beer, Eco-friendly Products

Photo: Tim Dobson/Flickr

The real question is not why drink organic beer, but why not? If you care about the environment and the devastating effects of pesticides and other results of conventional farming, then why shouldn't your beer be made in as eco-friendly manner as possible? Since beer isn't exactly in the "health food" category, we don't always think about buying it organic, but there are a lot of good reasons to consider the practice.

Every year 5.1 billion pounds of pesticides are used in the U.S. alone. Pesticides have been linked to disrupting entire eco-systems and have been proven to be cancer-causing. U.S. breweries use around 6 billion pounds of grain every year to make beer. That is a lot of grain, most of it receiving high doses of pesticides and chemicals. This high amount isn't surprising when you consider that America drinks 50 billion pints of beer every year. An unfortunate amount of that beer is poorly made with conventional ingredients.

Thankfully, you don't have to go out and buy low-quality beer for the game. There are many companies that not only use organic ingredients, but also use ecologically sound practices in their manufacturing process. Beer is one of the world's oldest beverages. It deserves a little respect.

Respect your beer and the environment with the following brands:

Eel River Brewing Company: Not only does the company strive to make the best tasting beer, but it owns the first certified organic brewery and uses renewable energy.
Butte Creek Organic Beer: This small company has produced several awarding-winning beers. For example, the company's organic pilsner won the 2006 Gold Medal German Style Pilsner award. This brand is still mostly found in Oregon, California and Arizona, but if you are lucky to live in those states, keep a look out for it.
Bison Brewing: This brand's descriptions make my mouth water. They have a hoppy IPA, a Honey Basil Ale, an Organic Chocolate Stout and more! This company also uses sustainable practices and was listed as one of the top sustainable breweries.
Peak Organic Brewing Company: A Portland company with a wide variety of beers. This company buys local ingredients when possible, uses sustainable practices, and produces good beer. What more can you ask?
Lakefront Beer: With a wide selection of organic ales, lagers, and a gluten-free beer too, this company has something for everyone.

This is only a small sampling of many options. I encourage you look around to see what you can find locally, too. Some small breweries allow you to fill kegs, jars, or jugs to bring home. This earth-friendly practice is often budget friendly as well.

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