Organic Beer

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Have your tried any?

I went to a grocery store that has the best beer selection for where I live and I noticed a decent amount of organic beer selections.
Are there any types that you guys have tried and really like, or any that you would stay away from. Sorry I can't remember any of the types I am in Northern Arizona.

:mug:
 
I tried Stone Mill Pale Ale recently, just to try it. I was not impressed, seems like the gimmick is that is it organic and that's about it. To each his own I guess.
 
I think New Belgium's Mothership Wit is supposed to be organic. It is a decent beer, but I don't know that the "organic" has much to do with it.
 
There are several locals that are 100% organic, Eel River, Roots, Hop Works, as well as breweries that make one or more organics. None that I know of shipping outside the area. As Matt says, organic has nothing to do with the flavor or quality of the beer. One of the larger problems for organic brewing is the small number of organic hop growers.
 
Hopleaf said:
I tried Stone Mill Pale Ale recently, just to try it. I was not impressed, seems like the gimmick is that is it organic and that's about it. To each his own I guess.

Made by Anheiser Busch read the bottle, thats why its a gimmick.

My fav if Butte Creek Brewing they are out of Northern Cal I think they make some pretty good beers that are USDA organic. They won a gold at the Great American Beer Festival a couple years back. They also have very cool labels.
 
I've switched to using 100% organic ingredients... it's exactly like the conventional stuff, but I like supporting organic growers. It's better for the earth, and I don't have to drink pesticide. Win-win.
:mug:
 
I believe its called Wolverine or wolf something makes a Oatmeal stout that is actually the best oatmeal stout that I have ever had...very hard to find..my local grocery store has it once in a blue moon
 
St. peters organic (was a gift).......... makes me want to puke.......... oh and gave me a migraine for some odd ass reason.....
 
I've come close to an organic Hefeweisen. My hang-ups are the hops and possibly the yeast starter if that would be considered non-organic. Tastes fantastic, just like my standard non-organic hefe.
 
I've tried a couple OK but nothing to write home about.

I buy organic where it makes sense. Apples, Grapes, Stawberries, Celery, Bell Peppers, Tomatoes, Cherries, Peaches. All high in pesticides.

Or anything where organic tastes better than commerical potatoes are a good example.

I don't buy it when it's doesn't make sense Bananas, Oranges, Watermelon. Things where you throw away the peels or rinds or stuff low in pesticides such as broccoli.

Fife Lee on this forum who's father owns a large farm and grows barley discussed how their operation works with me. After that I never considered buying organic grain products again.
 
clemson55 said:
My fav if Butte Creek Brewing they are out of Northern Cal I think they make some pretty good beers that are USDA organic. They won a gold at the Great American Beer Festival a couple years back. They also have very cool labels.

I second that...Butte Creek makes some great organic, although I don't think the flavor owes anything specific to the organic process. In general, their brew is pretty hop-tastic which is great for me. I especially like the Organic Pilsner and IPA, very good stuff.
 
though going organic for personal health reasons is a valid argument, i think the main reason its worth while is environmental benefits. keep in mind, even if you don't directly consume the part of the plant that has pesticides on it, those chemicals eventually leach into ground water (being brewers this should be something we do everything possible to protect).

that being said, its still pretty damn hard to get organic hops in canada. i've been able to use mostly organic malts but its tough to make a 100% organic beer unless you are willing to pay an arm and a leg to get something shipped from the states.

and on the flavor note, i don't find a lot of difference in flavor. the main reason conventional produce tastes like crap is because its not fresh due to being harvested early by the industrialized system. organic produce tends to be properly ripened and sold to customers at optimal freshness. of course that doesn't apply for industrialized organics. it seems like with the amount of processing that goes into malting grain, the freshness that might be provided is already lost in the process, leaving very little flavor differences but still great ecological benefits.
 
mr x said:
What about crannogales out in BC?


there beer is delicious, but i don't believe it is any better due to it being organic. the fact that they grow some of their own hops could definitely affect the quality, seeing as they are fresher.

edit: or were you referring to buying their hops? as far as i know they only sell rhizomes, since they only produce enough hops to offset a portion of their brewing.
 
Over here we have Brakspear Organic which is a fantastic beer, but I think that's just because it's a good recipe made by a great brewery. I really don't think the organic aspect makes any noticeable difference to the taste. There just seem to be so many other factors that go into the enjoyment and perception of a beer that the process by which the ingredients were produced would get lost amid all the other variance.
 
You should ask yourself why you are buying organics. If it is because you want to avoid ingesting potential toxins or endocrine disruptors, you should probably stick with organics.
If you are worried about sustainability/ being environmentally friendly, you don't have enough information to make an educated decision: you'd need to do a life cycle analysis to compare impacts of traditional vs. organic agriculture for the ingredients, which takes a team of experts quite some time and $$$. You should know, however, that breweries like Sierra Nevada and Brooklyn make heavy use of renewable energy and/or capture some of their CO2 emissions for use with pressure dispensers. These are quality microbrews that use these types of advanced technologies while being comparable in price to others that use traditional brewing techniques. Being a climate change ecologist, I know very well that environmental sustainability does not necessarily require lowering standards of living, and I salute these breweries for illustrating that being responsible does not necessarily impinge on the bottom line! Prost!
 
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