Happy Earth Day

Since it's Earth Day, I thought I would give a quick list of some links to some of the more sustainable and environmetnally friendly breweries. I read a great article in the Great Lakes Brewing News about Sierra Nevada and their innovations in sustainable energy. Pretty amazing. I'm trying to get a link or a copy of the article to post, but you can check out their wesbsite.
http://www.sierranevada.com/environment.html

Of course New Belgium is another brewery who has done amazing things to be enviromentally friendly, including being a wind powered brewery. Here's their philosophy:
We believe, to be environmental stewards, we need to:
1. Lovingly care for the planet that sustains us.
2. Steward natural resources by closing the loops between waste and input.
3. Minimize the environmental impact of shipping our beer.
4. Reduce our dependence on coal-fired electricity.
5. Protect our precious Rocky Mountain water resources.
6. Focus our efforts on conservation and efficiency.
7. Support innovative technology.
8. Model joyful environmentalism through our commitment to relationships, continuous improvement, and the camaraderie and cheer of beerYou can check out more at:
http://www.newbelgium.com/sustainability2.php

A small brewery in Canada is really doing some amazing things, and is almost completely sustainable. They are called Cranog Ales in British Columbia and they brew on their own farm:
Crannóg Ales is located on our own ten-acre farm in Sorrento, BC. The farm and brewery are fully integrated, with the brewery providing food for the livestock, and the farm providing hops for the brewery. The water for the brewery comes from a well in the middle of our farm, fed by springs on the farm as well as streams from the mountains which surround us.

More information about them can be found at: http://www.crannogales.com/

I'll plug an interview from my site, but a big champion of the organic/sustainable brewing movement is Chris O'Brien, founder of the Beer Activist blog and the writer of Fermenting Revolution. I interviewed him about some of these topics and more.

Scott at East End Brewing Company in Pittsburgh only takes out a garbage bag a month! Pretty incredible, check out his site for more information on their efforts, or the interview he did here. And for those in the Pittsburgh area, he's offering $1 off growlers for anyone who walks, bikes, or takes mass transit to the brewery on Earth Day!

Finally, Great Lakes Brewing Company is brewery in Cleveland that does amazing things as well. Their company goals include:

• Reducing, reusing and recycling
• Changing natural resource use from "Take, Make, Waste" to "Take,
  Make, Remake"
• Implementing efficient energy practices
• Investing in the community through non-profit organizations
• Supporting sustainable urban renewal projects.

You can find out more about their efforts here.

Those are just a few quick links. My efforts this weekend included kegging (reducing glass) and today in honor of Earth Day I'm going to ride my beer bike (more on that to come) to the liquor store and pick up some Sierra Nevada Pale Ale to support their great efforts.

Salud!
The Bearded Brewer

Interview- Scott from East End Brewing Company

In January on a trip to Pittsburgh to visit my in-laws, I went on visit to the East End Brewery. I had read about it awhile back and was really impressed with Scott's approach to brewing and sustainability. When I started interviewing brewers, Scott was one of the first ones I sent. I had debated sending him another email since I didn't want to seem pesky, but I'm really glad I did. Scott, quickly responded with some great answers. I'm glad I have the chance to make it back at least once a year and support a brewery with a great approach and great beer.

1. How did you get started? Were you a homebrewer first?
I was a homebrewer for about 8 or 9 years before quitting my day job
and turning my sights to brewing full time. Like any homebrewer,
starting with that first batch, there's that nagging voice in the
back of your head saying "maybe I can do this full time?".
I suppose I just listen to those voices in my head more than
the average person.

2. What were some of the challenges of getting started?
Ugh... where to begin?  I've repressed most of those memories.
  Building any business from scratch is challenging, and a beer-making
business even more so I think - the regulatory side can be
exhausting.  I did nearly all the installation personally
(plumbing, some electrical, evena bit of welding), nearly all the
graphics for the beers, the licensing with the state and the feds,
and of course all the recipes for the beers.  The big challenge was
figuring out how all this stuff works since I've never brewed
commercially before, but the DIY approach I took
left me quite educated... delayed by 8 months, but educated.

 3. You have a lot of great information on your website about 
 sustainability. Could you briefly explain what you do to be
sustainable in your brewery?
Everything we do here has an eye toward what I believe to be our
responsibility to conserve resources.  The brewery was constructed
in a re-purposed building, and almost entirely out of used equipment.
We're also set up to reclaim our cooling water used in each brew day,
and that hot water becomes the makeup water for the following day's
brew.  Our regular operation generates almost ZERO SOLID WASTE -
spent grain goes to a local dairy farmer, kettle trub and spent hops
go to a community garden for composting, and 100% of our
packaging - kegs and growlers, is reusable.  About once a month,
I take a kitchen sized bag of trash to the curb, and that's mostly
made up of trash people bring in to the brewery with them.

 4. What are the most important reasons for being sustainable in
your opinion? It's just the right thing to do.  I'm looking forward to
thenext step in this brewery's life where we can take some BIG leaps
forward on the energy conservation front - possibly a waste oil
burner for heating brewing water, roof top solar water preheaters...
I could go on.

 5. In a traditonal "lager" town of Pittsburgh, have you found it
hard to establish a fan base for the types of beers you brew, or
has there been a good reception?
While I agree that PA in general has a wonderful history of lager
brewing, Pittsburgh is definitely a "Pittsburgh" town - and by that,
I mean that people here really give first priority to the local guy, and
that has opened some doors for me with bar owners and getting them
to put the beers on tap.  Of course, that door comes slamming shut
if the beer isn't up to snuff, or if it just isn't moving well.  People
will support the local guy, but if they don't do what's right for their
business, they won't be in business for very long.  So, it's up to me
to make the beers interesting to their customers, to help them be
successful with it.
6. How is the hop shortage going to affect your brewery or
your beers? 
It's going to be ugly... and it's not just a matter of price increases
either.  It's a matter of not being able to get certain varieties of
hops AT ALL.  This, from a brewer whose flagship beer is
Big Hop IPA, which happens to make up about 60-70% of
total brewing production.  I'll be out of hops for it before the
summer is over, and I really don't know what I'm going to do.

7. What should people know about East End Brewing?
Well, most people assume we're a brewpub, as that's the norm in
this area.  While we have open tastings 4 days a week, I can't sell
you a pint of beer here.  And the only food in the place is what I
packed for lunch today, and I don't recommend that. That said,
if you'd like to try the beers and take some home with you, we're
open during Growler Hours Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays from
5-7pm, Saturdays from noon to 5pm.  We've always got an ever
changing lineup of 6 or 7 on tap plus a couple bottle conditioned
offerings.  The place isn't very well marked, so check out the map
on www.EastEndBrewing.com before coming out.
Or call me at 412-537-2337 and I'll "talk you in".

8. What advice do you have for homebrewers?
Enjoy yourself - and brew frequently.  Try not to do to so many
extra steps that you come to dread your brew day, that way
you'll stay with it.  Oh, and be careful: You might just find
yourself in a chilly unmarked warehouse someplace, trying
to figure out how to put a whole bunch equipment together
to make beer!

Thanks for your time. I appreciate your participation.
And I really enjoyed my visit to the East End.
I live in Minnesota, but my in-laws are from Pittsburgh,
so I plan on stopping by the next time in town.

My pleasure Eric, and I hope to see you soon!
Cheers,
Scott

www.EastEndBrewing.com
BUY A GOOD FRIEND A GOOD BEER (TM)

East End Brewing Company

After Christmas, my family went to Pittsburgh. I had read about and had wanted to visit the East End Brewery. We drove to look for East End and after leaving the Squirrel Hill area (a nice, cool area of Pittsburgh) we go down a hill, under an over-pass and find ourselves in a run down area of town. There is a red building to our right with a number of cars parked outside. The building looks like an old shitty warehouse and sits across from an empty lot. I wasn't expecting glamorous, but something more accessible than this! Peter, my brother-in-law, insisted it was the place. Sure enough, there was a gray door propped open with a keg, and twinkle lights led down to the main room, which housed the brewery and a small bar with taps. It was kind of crazy to be in this sketchy area, and yet be served amazing beer! Anyway, the trip was well worth it, this beer was excellent. I tried their Grissette and Cherry Grissette, which were both outstanding. This is a French farmhouse ale, similar to a saison. The cherry grissette was great because you could detect a sweetness, but not necessarily pick out the cherry flavor. I bought a growler of the grissette since its not a beer I'd had before. I also tried their East End Witte and their winter ale, Snowmelt. I thought all the beers were great. I really liked the Snowmelt, a deep ruby red ale, and the Witte was a really light witte with a citrusy presence. There were several more beers we could have sampled, but we wanted to get all the tasting in and get a growler before my daughter woke up. It was a very cool experience and I like their approach to beer. They also do a lot of great sustainable things, you can find more info on the brewery and their sustainablility or their beer at: www. eastendbrewing.com


Check out this link to a similar experience written by Adam from the Brew Lounge:
http://www.brewlounge.com/2007/03/ready-to-go-east-end-brewing-pittsburgh.html

Definatley check out their website and visit if you get a chance. They are on tap around Pittsburgh and have growler hours on Saturdays and I think a couple days during the week.
-The Bearded Brewer