Earth Day: Drink Local Beer

My artist mother taught me from a young age that it’s imperative that each of us support the arts. The simple act of choosing the slightly more expensive piece of art by an unknown local artist over a mass produced print by an old master is a way to take stand. It says, I support creativity. I want dreamers to make a living making beautiful things.

Mom knows what she’s talking about. And, I believe those of us who love good beer should follow that lead, especially on this Earth Day. We should drink local, and support our local brewers’ art form. So, here are 10 reasons I think you should drink local:

1.   Local brewers are the innovators. I had a chili stout from a local brewery about a week ago that blew my mind. I don’t think I’d ever drink a full glass of it, because I’m sure the indigestion would be horrible, but I admired the creativity of it all. Your local brewers are the people trying new things – finding the perfect mixture of ingredients and brewing techniques. Some of them are pretty over the top, but the next creation may be the most delicious beer you’ve ever tasted.

2.   You can ask how the beer is made. When you have access to the brewer, you can ask questions about how the beer is made. Do they source their ingredients locally? Are they produced organically? What’s the water they use like? You don’t have that luxury with the giant mass producing breweries. Those giant companies need giant crops, loaded down with pesticides and other toxins that you may not want to be imbibe. Companies aren’t required to put chemicals like that on labels, you know.

3.   Local beer has a lower carbon footprint . The average six-pack results in 7 pounds of carbon. So, while you love your Belgians, maybe try the local brew version. Transportation isn’t the largest contributor to carbon footprint, but the farther away the beer comes from, the larger that number is. If you can’t resist your fix of the Duchesse de Bourgogne, consider buying a carbon offset each year for a portion of the emissions caused by your beer habit. .

4.   Growlers and kegs. When you drink local, you don’t even have to worry about recycling. Just head down to the brewpub and get your growler or keg filled. It means less packaging and less waste. Until we create a system where breweries can easily reuse their bottles multiple times before the end of their useable life, this is really our best option. Reusing bottles is a common practice in Canada that would be amazing to see implemented in the United States.

5.   Support your local economy. This is simple. When you support your local brewery, you’re supporting a local business, local jobs, and ensuring that tax revenue generated from that business goes back to your neighborhood. In short, you win as much as they do.

6.   Build support for the art of brewing. I don’t know what your vision of utopia is, but mine is a brewpub on every corner with a local sour beer on tap at all times. The more of us that support local brewing, the more favorable environment we create for other aspiring beer artists. You may not think you need them, but I certainly do.

7.   Your local brewer has an interesting way of capturing the essence of where you live. When my husband and I were driving cross country from Cincinnati to our new home in Seattle, we stopped at a brewery in virtually every town along the way come meal time. Our stop in Rock Springs, Wyoming took us to brewery called Bitter Springs Brewing Company. The labels on the beer told us pieces of the story about this town we’d never imagined we’d stop in and knew absolutely nothing about.

8.   Access to cask conditioned beer. At your local breweries, you can get beer in its freshest form. As my husband says, it’s straight from the yeast to your lips. It comes to you directly from the vessel it’s fermented in. And, if we’re talking about cutting out packaging, this has none. Ever.

9.   It’s fresh, unpasteurized, unadulterated awesomeness. Beer tastes different when it’s fresh. It’s not affected by oxygen and sunlight, creating a completely different experience from when you pick up that six pack off a shelf that’s been sitting there for who knows how long. If you’ve ever taken a tour of your favorite brewery after years of drinking their beer in a bottle, you know what I mean. A pint of Guinness at the Storehouse in Dublin is different than anything you’ve tasted here. A pint of beer at your local brewery is going to be fresher than anything you’re getting at the grocery down the street.

10. Local brewers support you too. It’s your local brewers putting floats in your local St. Patrick’s Day Parade. They’re sponsoring your local little league team. They’re at your neighborhood festivals, and they’re throwing great beer events for you on a regular basis.

With all the reason to drink local, consider forgoing your favorite brew this week and picking up a growler or six-pack from a brewery within 100 miles of your home. The earth, your local brewer, and most importantly, your taste buds, will thank you.