What is good beer? – Revisited. Organic beer and addressing the environment.

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July 15, 9:17 AM

by Charlie Papazian, Beer Examiner

 

 

Image courtesy of Brewers Association

This is part 5 revisiting comments regarding my June 26 post, What is Good Beer?

Stan Dyer says: I appreciate beer made with organic ingredients in an environmentally safe atmosphere, but, when it comes to drinking it, taste is the most important aspect.

            Inevitably all successful brewers find themselves having to embrace environmentally friendly procedures.   Most beer drinkers are not aware of this. In order to survive, prosper and continue to make great beer, brewers willingly take every reasonable measure to increase their efficiency. Conserving energy is a driving force of the beer business.  

            The brewing process is water intensive, energy intensive and cleaning intensive.   For centuries brewers have found ways to conserve water – because it saves money. Lots of energy goes into heating and cooling during the process of brewing, fermentation, packaging and cleaning.   Recycling all that heat for reuse makes lots of sense – because it saves a heap of money.   There’s a lot of cleaning compounds and waste that usually heads down the drain. Left untreated, brewers pay a heap of money to help with the strain on municipal waste treatment plants. Their easily chosen option is to minimize, compromise or reduce the waste making it have less impact on the waste treatment process, i.e., less environmental impact.  

Health and safety is a theme that’s a no brainer for brewers.   There are many potential hazards during the brewing process. They are impossible to ignore.   Successful brewers must be on top of their game when it comes to providing a safe workplace. A safe workplace equals an environmentally safe atmosphere.

            Those brewers who do not attend to these matters will not find it possible to compete and brew a quality beer for the long term. In other words, they go out of business.

            Organic ingredients are an option which many brewers consider.   Many say that the best ingredients make the best beer.   I often challenge brewers by asking what defines “quality ingredients.” After all the quality of organic malted barley is sometimes not of the same “quality” as non organic ingredients.   This discussion can get quite complex.  

“Quality” for some brewers means ingredients that impose minimal stress on the brewing and fermentation process.   There can be natural compounds (enzymes level, protein content, amount of barley husk, etc., etc.) that may influence the ease of mashing, boiling, filtering, flavor stability, etc.   One brewer may desire “quality” that defines the ease and efficiency of achieving certain results. Some may even be constrained by the architecture of their brewing equipment, having to make “quality” choices based on vessels, tanks, filtration, etc.

            Other brewers recognize that simply the character of the beer is all that matters, as long as there are beer drinkers that will appreciate those characters. So a brewer may buy ingredients that are one brewers “poor” and another brewers “quality.”

            With regard to “organic” I would guess that more often than not a brewer who works with organic ingredients needs to adapt to whatever they can find that is organic.   Thankfully, the nuances that organic ingredients may lend to beer are truly appreciated by the beer drinker who appreciates new flavors.  

Small batch brewers and their beer drinking fans are are an easier match for organics. Light lagers that are produced in great quantities, will likely never achieve “organic” status (unless the definition is diluted). Why? There simply isn’t enough organic barley and hops available. Adding to the challenge,  light lagers must be brewed to a strict flavor standard whereby their fans will not tolerate deviation.   It is very difficult to brew mass quantities of beer in a consistent fashion with organic ingredients.

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