This edition of The Session is sponsored by Chris O’Brien at Beer Activist.
Only beers verified by independent certifiers as meeting the legal organic standards are allowed to bear the USDA Certified Organic logo (the one up there to the left). Lots of brewers use Certified Organic malt and/or hops but have not had their facilities and processes certified. Legally and in practical fact these beers are not organic and are prohibited from being marketed as organic. But for this Session, it’s up to you to decide what to count as organic. Feel free to comment on beers that someone just tells you are organic, but be aware that just because someone has good intentions and seems trustworthy doesn’t mean that their beer is in fact organic.
Busy, busy, busy. Wife going to school at night. Lots of work. Children with obligations. Scurry, scurry, scurry. Quick! Get to beer store for something organic.
On the very first shelf I looked at were three six packs of Wolaver’s, one each of the Pale Ale, IPA, and Brown Ale. Well, it’s been a while since I had a brown ale. So I picked one up.
They say it is…
…mild and creamy, deep amber in color, with a smooth and luscious taste. A soft beer, slightly malty and well balanced with hints of cherry and black currant. Perfect with light foods.
Pours a nice, clear brown, nearly the same color as the bottle it was in. A modest, off-white head, which slowly descends into a thin layer of foam. Aroma is malty, nutty, and slightly spicy. It has a medium body, full malt character, and more of that spicy nuttiness. I am reminded of nothing so much as the roasted soy beans I had last night.
I’m all for being a little more “green” in my life, but this beer just didn’t do it for me. Oh, it’s okay, but probably not something I would choose on a regular basis. Maybe I just don’t like brown ales. (That would explain why I don’t have them very often.)
This edition of The Session is sponsored by Chris O’Brien’s, The Beer Activist. (I just love his tag line, “Drink Beer. Save the World.”) Session #13 is titled Organic Beer
Here’s a bit of context to help inspire your observations on organic imbibing. “Organic beer” refers to beers that use ingredients, supplies, and production processes that have been certified as adhering to the rules of the National Organic Program administered by the US Department of Agriculture (and similar programs in other countries).
I was going to cheap out on this session and just refer to my review of Orlio beers by Magic Hat, but I thought it might be interesting to point out some stuff about Anheuser-Busch and how they are genetically engineering rice to be used in their beers. Now, I’m just guessing here, but I doubt GE rice is considered organic.
Greenpeace made this disgusting YouTube video to let you know. Disgusting, but that’s the point, and it is kind of funny…
All of the articles I have found are about why isn’t Anheuser-Busch pointing this out. I think it is pretty obvious… they don’t have to and it would wreck their advertising of “all-natural”. The question is, can they still advertise as all-natural?
The Session is a monthly one-day event held by beer bloggers around the world, where they each post their thoughts on a unified theme.
That theme, for March, is “Organic Beer”, hosted by Chris O’Brien at Beer Activist blog.
Only beers verified by independent certifiers as meeting the legal organic standards are allowed to bear the USDA Certified Organic logo (the one up there to the left). Lots of brewers use Certified Organic malt and/or hops but have not had their facilities and processes certified. Legally and in practical fact these beers are not organic and are prohibited from being marketed as organic. But for this Session, it’s up to you to decide what to count as organic. Feel free to comment on beers that someone just tells you are organic, but be aware that just because someone has good intentions and seems trustworthy doesn’t mean that their beer is in fact organic.
One thing is for sure, we won’t be tasting Wild Hop Lager for this round.
In his announcement, Chris helpfully offers up some resources for learning more about organic beer, as well as a list of organic beers in his blog’s sidebar. (You’ll need to scroll most of the way down on his site to see it.)
Organic beer was in the headlines recently as the USDA attempted to make rules regarding organic beer including this mind-boggler (inserted at the behest of A-B): Hops used in the beer could be non-organic and the beer could still be labeled “organic”, because hops aren’t a primary ingredient. Huh? In a product made with only four ingredients, I’d think they’d all be primary. There was a huge response from craft brewers and beer enthusiasts and the government has back-tracked a bit, but the issue still isn’t resolved.
But, that’s a topic for another discussion. Right now, I’d just like to try one of their beers. They say their Pale Ale…
…is a classic pale ale. Perfectly balanced; creamy and full bodied, with a rich malty flavor and a distinctive, crisp hoppy finish. Delicious with all foods, a great beer for all tastes.
It pours a nice medium amber color, with a decent-sized ivory-colored head. Nice gentle aroma, with a little bit of spice. Plenty of body, and I definitely get that hoppy finish. Pale Ale is probably my favorite style right now, and this one’s pretty good. That it’s organic and thus better for the planet makes it all the better. Worth a try.
Why is it awful…? Because once again a megabrewery is trying to make a product that looks like a craft brew, yet they are pouring their money into marketing it and not into making it.
Anheuser-Busch is the behemoth behind this beer and I ran across it at my local beverage store the other day. The shelf price for the beer was about $8 (US) for a six pack. It caught my eye, but not enough to try it. Then, while checking out, I noticed another stack of cases of Wild Hop with a sign indicating it was only $2.99 a six pack “special”. Well, that is the right price to give a new beer a try. I asked why so cheap and they told me a local grocery store decided not to carry it so it was overstock.
Don’t just take my word for it that this beer is no good… ask my wife. I’ve been looking for another beer she might like and her comments were, “weak, alcoholy, and tasted like the garage floor”. While she may not be a certified beer taster, that would be good enough to keep me away.
Ideal Bite bills themselves as a “Sassier Shade of Green”. They offer daily tips on ways to live a more “green” life. No, this isn’t living in a commune, making your own clothes out of hemp, and eating nothing but granola (although you could if you want). Rather, they’re trying to reach the rest of us and help us take a smaller “bite out of the apple”. (They’re based in New York City, hence the apple.)
Beer, fortunately, is fairly gentle to the environment. Granted, brewing beer uses a lot of water, and time, energy and land is devoted to barley that could be used for growing food, but the actual brewing process produces no pathogens and many of the byproducts of beer can be used for other things. Further, several brewers are now using wind power and other renewable sources for their power needs.
Although Brooklyn Brewery and New Belgium brewery can’t claim to be organic, they are both powered 100% by wind.
I expect that brewing your own would be even better for the environment. I also know that there are more brewers than those listed using wind power now.
What are your tips for “greener” beer consumption?
Pours a nice, clear brown, nearly the same color as the bottle it was in. A modest, off-white head, which slowly descends into a thin layer of foam. Aroma is malty, nutty, and slightly spicy. It has a medium body, full malt character, and more of that spicy nuttiness. I am reminded of nothing so much as the roasted soy beans I had last night.
