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Green Beers: Getting Techie
The carbon footprint of beer
So how much does beer really stand to be greened? According to the Wall Street Journal the carbon footprint of a six pack of beer is about seven pounds—probably around 5 pounds heavier than the actual six pack. And you might be surprised where the most of that comes from: the number one contributor to the pack's carbon output is the refrigeration it takes to keep the beer cool at stores. The next largest contributor is the manufacturing process of the glass bottles, then barley and malt production, and finally, the transportation and shipment. All reasons why it's important to drink local, imbibe organic, and down draught beer over bottled.
How is beer organic?
As briefly touched on before, there is a very real, very distinct difference between organic and non-organic beer. It's not some new age-y term environmentalists thought up to give themselves a false sense of superiority at the grocery store, either. No, organic beer is the result of the meticulous farming and treatment of the barley and hops that go into a given beer. Specifically, 95 percent of the ingredients used in the creation of beer must be grown in soil that has been free of pesticides and artificial fertilizers for 3 years in order to be certified by the US Department of Agriculture. If 70-95 percent of the hops and barley used are organic, the beer gets a sort of runner-up "Made With Organic Ingredients" labeling. Oh, and absolutely no genetically modified seeds can be used for planting under the organic banner. It can take years and an extensive series of inspections for a farm to obtain an organic certification from the USDA. Hops, a member of the hemp family, are grown in areas called hop yards—and these must be tended to under these organic-certified ordinances (though watch as the Big Beer companies try to whittle away at the USDA standards by excluding hops from the equation), as must the barley. Organic farming also uses 37 percent less fossil fuels than standard farming.
Taming the growler
A growler is a glass jug, sometimes with a top that clamps down to seal, that lets you easily (and classily) transport beer from a local brewery or brewpub on home. Most brewpubs have growlers in stock for sale. Using the growler cuts beer can/bottle waste, and boasts the added bonus of cementing your status as a true beer aficionado. Just make sure to drink that beer (hardly a difficult charge) before it expires—if refrigerated, the beer will stay good for 7-10 days, then 2-3 more once opened.
What're fish bladders doing in my beer?
The simple answer is they're speeding up the clarification process. The collagen from fish bladders, usually from cod, is used to create isinglass. And isinglass is a fining substance put into beers near the ending stages of production in order to remove unseemly organic compounds like sulfides, copper ions, and proteins (gelatin is often used for the same purpose). The isinglass finings flocculate (turn solid) the live yeast in the beer into a sort of jelly, which settles at the bottom and can be removed with ease. If left alone this would happen naturally—isinglass just speeds up the process. And mind you, this is done mostly to cask beers—beer heading into bottles and cans is most often pasteurized or filtered, though some major breweries still use isinglass. And don't think you can escape isinglass by switching beverages altogether—there's something fishy about wine too.
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