My Organic Revelation

This post kind of feels like a "what organic brewing means to me" essay, but I was excited to learn that session 13 was all about organic brewing. So even though I try to post and interview brewers about organic brewing, I thought this would be a great opportunity for me to reflect on organic brewing, my evolution in it, and what I've learned about organic brewing.

First of all, I will be the first to admit that my family and I aren't perfect when it comes to organic products, we are getting better, but its not something that we exclusively buy. I think in some ways that has led me to be more interested in organic brewing because its something that I can easily do when I'm already spending "excess" money on my hobby.

My decision to try to brew organically was a gradual process. It started when I read Fermenting Revolution by Chris O'Brien and learned more about brewing history, the craft brewing movement and how sustainable a lot of small breweries are. This made me respect our 'beer culture' even more and the community that surrounds an industry that makes up 12% of the beer sales in the country. I thought "I need to support my local breweries, craft breweries, and in turn I can do some things responsibly in my own brewing."

I found Seven Bridges co-op and ordered some materials from them. But that proved to be really expensive for one batch, and something that I wasn't able to make the monetary commitment to. As a testament to the growth in interest, I was surprised that in the span of several months, my local shop, Northern Brewer, went from carrying a few organic grains to expanding to extract malts and hops. Needless to say, I was excited. I started brewing a few batches of purely organic beers. As hops became more scarce, and upon learning that USDA says that organic beers only need to be 95% organic to be certified (so hops don't have to be organic) I relaxed and just started substituting my recipes with organic grains and malts. Now, I first think "can I do this organically" when I start formulating a recipe, and I've begun to convert older ones.

Now for the "what have I learned " portion of this essay. First of all, I was born and raised in a small town in Iowa. I've seen first hand the effects of corporate farms on small towns and families who have been farming for generations. Secondly, I've lived in a liberal metropolitan area for the last 12 years and have seen the trendiness and increased interest in organic and local products. One way that small farmers are going to be able to survive in this current climate is to become organic farmers, and for people to make the commitment to support those local and organic farms. A couple of the things I've learned from my series of interviews is that breweries really appreciate the connection they have with organic farmers who are supplying them with their hops and grains. This is a mutually beneficial relationship, and something that helps support the community, and provides a better, safer product.

Another aspect that motivates me is that home brewing is an extension of the history of brewing; there was a time when many people were home brewers. Then it moved to a regional business. It's amazing to learn that 100 years ago, even the smallest towns had a brewery or two. Fresh, local beer used to be the norm. And as Daniel Del Grande from Bison said "60 years ago, all brewing was organic." I love going to a new state or country and finding their great local breweries or brewpubs. I feel like regionalism is what makes beer unique as styles and elements of the beer change in regions. That local tie is important to the beer culture, brewing history, and can be incorporated into supporting local and organic farmers.

Organic brewing is growing in popularity and it seems like a lot more breweries are starting to brew organic lines. It can't be denied that a large part of that is financial. It is trendy right now and so it makes sense for breweries to go that route. But, that really is a win/win for everyone. If it's making money, more breweries will start to tap into that, and that will increase the demand for organic materials, in turn helping out organic farmers, etc. Looking at it from the other angle, brewers I've interviewed like Bison Brewing, COAST, and Peak have all said "it just made sense for us to do this" because they live their lives trying to be organic and sustainable.

This blog has been an extension of my growing interest in brewing organically. I've been really humbled to see that people are interested in reading what I write, and that I've had the opportunity to interview organic and local breweries. That has helped me (and readers) learn more about organic brewing. From my personal perspective, I love home brewing because its something I can create, my friends can enjoy and gives me a sense that I'm doing something sustainable. Moving to organic just made sense, following that logic. The educator part of me looks at this blog as an opportunity for me to share my interest in organic brewing and "educate" people about organic brewing either through my trials and tribulations, or through interviews with people who really know what they are doing. If that increases awareness and people say "maybe I should try that," that's great. At the very least, home brewers, craft brewers and enthusiasts, and organic farmers and brewers are creating a culture, and an industry that is doing things in the right way in my opinion.

Salud!

The Bearded Brewer