Organic Beer Reviews

I've been meaning to get to some reviews of some organic beers I've had recently. A couple of them I had awhile ago, and a few have been recent.

Fish Tale India Pale Ale- This is a beer I had at a friend's house and was really impressed. I'd seen this beer in the stores before, but had never picked it up. Fish Brewing Company is a brewery in Olympia, Washington and from their website it looks like they have three organic beers in their line. Here's a quote from their site: Fish Brewing provides three bottled organic ales made with choice ingredients grown without the use of the harmful fertilizers and pesticides that damage our precious streams and ground water.
This beer poured a nice golden-bronze color with a two finger white head. Right away a nice aroma of citrusy hops. I thought it might be cascade or centennial, but after reading their website it looks like they use a New Zealand organic hop called Pacific Gem. I've seen these hops for sale on the Seven Bridges Co-op website, and I might have to pick some up, because at least in this beer they were very similar to the two hop types I mentioned. There's a nice caramel presence and some maltiness in the body. A great drinking IPA, similar in my mind to Bell's Two Hearted, which is a good thing! I would for sure buy a sixer of this beer. Their website is: www.fishbrewing.com

New Belgium Mothership Wit- When New Belgium beer finally came to the cities this year we were not only blessed with Fat Tire, but two other great beers, the unique 1554 Black Ale, and this beer, their organic wit. I'm a fan of Belgian white beers, especially Hoegaarden and some American varieties. Hopefully, everyone knows about the pioneering that New Belgium does when it comes to sustainability in the brewing industry. If not, either read Fermenting Revolution by Chris O'Brien or google it because it deserves a post all its own. Anyway, onto the beer.
It pours a very pale yellow color, close to Hoegaarden, with a thin white head. It has a very lemony aroma to it, and some lemony presence in the aftertaste. It has some coriander evident as well, but not as much as some other wits on the market. Overall I think this is a good beer and very refreshing. It's not the best wit I've had or the best beer from New Belgium, but a good drinking wit and nice to see them adding an organic beer to their already wonderful approach to brewing.

Peak Organic Nut Brown Ale- This is the second offering from Peak Organic that I've tried. I like their amber a lot, if you're interested, here's my review http://www.beardedbrewing.org/2008/01/organic-beers.html

The brown ale pours a chocolate brown with a finger of off-white head. It has a nice malty sweetness with hints of chocolate and a nice nutty finish. It has very little hop presence, with a crisp, smoothness to it. Another good beer from Peak and a brown ale that I would put up with any other good browns out there.

I'm happy to see the amount of organic beers growing and I'm sure there are plenty out there I haven't tried. If anyone has any suggestions, I'd love to hear them.

Salud!
The Bearded Brewer

Interview with Jon Cadoux of Peak Organic Brewing Co.

I recently contacted Peak Organic Brewing Company, an organic brewery in Portland, Maine. I asked if I could send some questions about organic brewing to post in this blog and I was excited that the founder, Jon Cadoux quickly replied that he would love to participate. So below are his responses to my questions. I'm hoping to be able to make this a common thing, provided that I get the same kind of response from other breweries. Thanks to Jon for taking the time to participate in this interview.

First off, how long have you been a brewery?
We have been brewing for 10 years, in various different capacities. The last 8 of which have been strictly organic. Just started our wider distribution push a year and a half ago.

How did you get started or founded? One thing really led to another. When we started incorporating organic ingredients into our homebrews, we thought the taste and quality was taken to another level. We were just brewing a lot of beer and giving it away. Folks kept encouraging us to actually start bottling so we went for it! I believe that all of our success has been based on taste. Purer ingredients make better beer, and our organic ingredients are the purest around.

You mentioned that you were an organic homebrewer, did you know you wanted to start a brewery with that goal or niche in mind?
Probably answered that above.

As a homebrewer, its only been the past year or so that organic materials have become easily accessible. On a larger scale, has it been difficult for you to be able to find organic grains and hops?
Not really. We’ve been working with the same farms and coops for years now, so the relationships are solid. The organic farmers we work with consistently grow superior barley and hops, so it makes the relationship fun and rewarding.

What are some things you do at your brewery to be sustainable or minimize your environmental impact?
We start at the source. We are one of the few brewing companies in the world who brews exclusively organic beer. This isn’t a line extension for us. Our commitment to sustainable agriculture is simply the backboard of our company. Also, we partner with great like-minded organizations like the Organic Trade Association, the Chefs Collaborative, Farm Aid, the Surfrider Foundation, etc.

Where do you see organic brewing going, especially with the recent surge in popularity with a lot more organic beers on the market?
As environmentalists, the only end goal is that all beer is organic. To reverse the serious effects of agricultural run-off and soil degradation, its not enough for a small % of barley and hops to be grown organically. It needs to be the majority to reverse the damage. Some of the new organic beers are simply delicious, and more and more consumers are getting behind them. We hope that continues to push larger brewing companies to see the light!

Recently your beers started appearing in liquor stores in the Twin Cities. How far does your distribution stretch? Are you in most states or major markets
We distribute on both coasts and some great markets in the Midwest. There is no formula really, we just get our fine ales to places where people are asking for it. We have been fortunate that a lot of beer and fine food writers have been getting behind our products lately. That seems to have a ripple effect. Also, we have had great luck with some of the top chefs in the country. They seem to be influencers as well. Its really all grass roots at this point.

What tips do you have for organic homebrewers or just homebrewers in general?
Tips are to always innovate. Take a recipe and stretch it in some way. We always like to look at all our recipes and think “what is this adding to the craft beer scene”. If the recipe is just a mimic, then its not adding that much. Be creative.

You can check out Peak Organic Brewing Company at www.peakbrewing.com. Soon, I'll be posting about my recent trip to the East End Brewery in Pittsburgh and maybe some thoughts on the book, Ambitious Beer: The Story of American Brewing that I'm currently reading.
Cheers!
-The Bearded Brewer

Organic beers

I haven't had many chances to try organic beers because there are very few I can get my hands on in Minnesota. I almost purchased Stone Mill when it first hit the markets, but in searching for the brewery location, I found the Anheuser-Busch logo sneakily placed on the bottom of the six pack. Not that I don't applaud A-B's effort, I just believe there's too much good beer out there to spend my money on the big guys. I do need to try Samuel Smith's organic beers at some point, however.

But anyway, recently Peak Organic Brewing Company has come to the Twin Cities and I bought a six pack of their Amber the other day at my local liquor store. I believe they have two others, a pale and a nut brown ale in their line.

I was impressed with the amber. It pours a nice copper color with a small white head. It has a nice maltiness to the body, with a sweet/caramel aftertaste. A nice hop balance, but not overwhelming by any means. Its a very nice drinking beer. Its nice to have an option for purchasing some organic beers locally. I've heard good things about their nut brown, and will review that if I get a chance.

I found this article about the rise of organic beers, including an interview with Jon Cadaux, founder of Peak Organic Brewing Company.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/13803199/

Also, stay tuned, because I contacted Peak and asked if I could submit some questions about organic brewing and got a quick response from Jon Cadaux saying he'd love to answer some questions. I'll post the "interview" once I get the responses back. I sent a similar email to Bison Brewing Company in Berekley, another organic brewery. This could be cool if I could get some interviews as a part of this blog.

Cheers!

-the Bearded Brewer