Green beer

Green wine; no not the Portuguese Vinho Verde, but the environmental cost of producing and transporting wine to consumers, has a natural corollary in other spirits. Take the case of beer....there are several brands already in the market that proudly sport a green badge.




Beer is of course very different from wine, because instead of transporting entire beer kegs to different markets around the world, it makes sense to transport the main ingredients and brew the beer locally. This is because the principal component of beer is water, and unlike grapes, which are perishable; malts, hops, and yeast are not. As long as the local brewer sticks to the global brand's formula, beer trade happily enough does not leave a large carbon footprint.

This was not always the case.

Before pasteurization and during the days of British colonialism, beer was exported whole, beginning with the brand India Pale Ale. To suit the tropical climate the beer was of low strength and was preserved in the long ship journey because of the hops. This drink is still sold as a brand but is no longer transported to India, which has its own beer industry.

While the leading Beer producers are in the west, the total production of beer by country is now lead by China. Brazil, Vietnam, India, and other developing countries follow close behind....although they don't lead in per capita consumption, where Europe and the US have a comfortable lead.

The green case on beer is based on the diversion of its main constituent the agricultural crop barley, from being an article of human and animal consumption, to producing beer. Back in the early 20th century, when the British government planned on cutting beer production to divert barley for chicken feed; it was found that the result would be the production of only one extra egg per month for each individual in the ration system!

Beer has a few anti-oxidants, vitamins and polyphenols to make it somewhat healthy for human consumption, though this is debatable. According to some studies, to take advantage of the polyphenols in beer one would have to consume entire kegs of that liquid....the increase in alcohol content would then negate any benefits and actually create other health risks.

Otherwise alcohol content is very low in most beers when compared to other spirits, with the exception of Samuel Adam's Utopias. Made by the Boston Beer Company this brand has an alcohol content of 25%, making it the strongest beer in the world!


The real green impact of beer is that it is saturated with Carbon-Dioxide, artificially produced and injected in the drink to create foam. Other impacts are the energy utilized and waste created in the brewing process. So most breweries are establishing their green credentials by making their production process more eco-friendly.
Boston

While organic beer sales are still minuscule in the overall beer industry, they are rising fast. North American sales of organic beers grew from $9 million in 2003 to $19 million in 2005, according to the Organic Trade Association.

Organic beer has even drawn the attention of the nation's largest beer company, Anheuser-Busch, which is now producing two organic beers of its own. Those beers, Wild Hop lager and Stone Mill pale ale, are being sold in several test markets nationwide.

When Jon Cadoux launched his line of ales under the Peak Organic label this spring, he figured making them organic would distinguish them from the multitude of other beers on the market. At the same time, he wanted to put out a product he says is healthier for people and the planet.

Jamble Magazine

Suffolk based brewer Adnams, who produce beers such as Explorer and Tally-Ho, have recently installed a new energy efficient brewhouse, which instead of releasing steam created during the brewing process into the atmosphere redirects it back into the brewery to heat the following brew.

Earlier in the year Adnams also introduced a new light-weight bottle for their beer. The new design uses 34% less glass than their previous design and manufacture of the bottles moved from Scotland to Harlow – all off which results in lower fuel usage and Co2 emissions due to lighter transportation and fewer ‘beer miles’.

New Belgium

By reducing the energy, water and waste involved in making its award-winning Fat Tire Amber Ale and other beers, the Fort Collins, Colo.-based brewery is proving that great taste and a clear conscience are both good for business. From hops in to beer out, practically every stage of New Belgium’s brewing process has been designed for greater efficiency.

In the brew house, heat typically released as steam preheats incoming water. Temperature sensors automatically open windows to cool the building. Methane gas from an on-site wastewater treatment facility is piped to a generator, which produces enough electricity to cover 10 percent of the brewery’s needs. New Belgium purchases the remainder of its electricity from wind farms, and offsets some of its CO2 emissions by purchasing renewable energy credits on the Chicago Climate Exchange.

And finally a 5-liter draught keg from Heineken——a CO2 compressor pushes beer out from a tap on the covering lid. Since no air gets in the rest of the beer stays fresh....this reduces the need for the usual six-pack beers consumed globally: