BREWERIES SPECIAL SECTION Brewers for the En Viro Nment Craft Brewers Work to Incorporate Sustainable Practices Into Their Business Models
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BREWERIES SPECIAL SECTION Brewers for the En viro nment Craft brewers work to incorporate sustainable practices into their business models. By Alva Mather > 150 Dark Horse Brewing Co. > 153 Port Brewing and Lost Abbey > 156 Kannah Creek Brewing Co. > 158 The Vine – Martini & Wine Bar 150 156 148 food and drink • summer 2014 • www.fooddrink-magazine.com BREWERIES SPECIAL SECTION Held annually on April 22nd, Earth Day focuses attention on to local landfills, craft brewing compa - the need to protect our natural environment and resources. In nies across the country have entered into arrangements with local farms to the brewing industry, craft breweries are leading the charge supply them with spent grains as feed by assuring that sustainability becomes part of their business for the farmers’ animals. ethos and not just a marketing ploy. This practice has become such an H integral part of the craft industry over - all that when the Food and Drug Craft brewers’ environmental patron - treat the brewery’s wastewater before Administration proposed a new rule age comes in many forms. Companies sending it to the municipal water supply that would interfere with this practice, are running the gamut in sustainablity or local waterway. the Brewers Association (the largest from green practices to environmental trade organization supporting the craft advocacy, both locally and nationally. Renewable Energy beer industry) actively challenged the Because of the efforts employed by Craft brewers strive to reduce their proposed change. craft brewers large and small, it is clear energy consumption by harnessing Bell’s Brewery has instituted pro - that environmental stewardship has and energy either from renewable energy grams to dramatically reduce the will continue to represent one of the sources or from the brewing process amount of waste it sends to landfills. In core values of this expanding industry. itself. For example, craft brewers Bell’s case, it was able to reduce its across the country frequently install trash pick-up from three times weekly Conservation and Protection and use solar panels as an alternative to only once per week due to its waste Water is the largest single component energy source for their facilities. reduction and recycling efforts. of any beer, comprising approximately 90 percent of the finished product. Craft breweries are leading the charge by Brewing operations also require a tremendous amount of water to keep assuring that sustainability becomes part the facilities and equipment clean. Because of this, many craft brewers of their business ethos.’ go to great lengths to conserve and protect the water that comes in and goes out of their facilities. Indeed, Sierra Nevada boasts one of Recycling and Reuse On the front end, many craft brewers the largest privately owned solar arrays Given the craft beer industry’s commit - are pledging to reduce the ratio of in the country with more than 10,573 ment to fostering a culture of sustain - water used for each barrel of beer. panels located throughout its campus. ability, craft brewers are also actively While the industry standard is at New Belgium uses it own wastewater pursuing ways to recycle and reuse the approximately 6-to-1, New Belgium to generate methane, which is then cap - material they use. Brewing is well on its way to meeting its tured and converted to electricity to When Boulevard Brewing Co. goal of 3.5-to-1 by 2015. support its brewing. learned that the majority of local busi - Craft brewers also frequently support Other craft brewers, such as Long nesses were outsourcing recycled local and national advocacy efforts to Trail, have even looked to cutting-edge glass, it collaborated to develop a pro - protect U.S. waterways. For example, technologies, such as the use of cow cessing plant dedicated to glass recy - Victory Brewing Co. donates a portion manure to support their commitment to cling. Today, Yards Brewery uses all of every beer sale of its Headwaters Pale renewable energy sources. reclaimed fixtures, furniture and equip - Ale to environmental advocacy groups. ment, as well as flooring to build its Allagash Brewing Co., Lagunitas Waste Reduction brewing facilities. Brewing, Founders and Brewery Craft brewers are working to reduce Ommegang have partnered with the waste. One of the largest components Alva Mather is a business National Resources Defense Council on of a craft brewer’s total by-products litigator and environmen - the Brewers for Clean Water campaign are spent grains, which are the left - tal attorney with Hangley to raise awareness and support for the over malt and adjuncts that remain Aronchick Segal Pudlin & protection of the Clean Water Act. after the mash has extracted most of Schiller in Philadelphia. She dedicates a On the back end, craft brewers such the sugars, proteins and nutrients dur - substantial portion of her practice to as Sierra Nevada have built on-site ing the brewing process. representing beer industry members. wastewater treatment plants to pre- In order to avoid sending this waste Follow her on Twitter @AlcoholLawyer. food and drink • summer 2014 • www.fooddrink-magazine.com 149 BREWERIES SPECIAL SECTION Going the Distance Aaron and Kristine Morse have named their operation Dark Horse Brewing Co., but this filly is a sure thing to win the microbrewery horse race. By Russ Gager >> Many of Dark Horse Brewing’s workers began by volunteering to help for free because they had such as passion for the business. on’t count the Dark Horse out. The little brewery that Marshall, Mich., in the state’s southern could in historic Marshall, Mich., is coming up from behind midsection between Battle Creek – some of the biggest craft brewers in the business with its home of Kellogg’s Cereal and Tony the idiosyncratic beers, such as blueberry stout, raspberry ale Tiger – and Detroit. and coffee doppelbock. “The people that come here basical - D Founded by Aaron and Kristine Morse in ly named themselves, and we picked up company profile 2000, Dark Horse Brewing Co. has been expand - on it,” Director of Taproom Operations Dark Horse Brewing Co. ing rapidly but in a controlled fashion, like the Travis Glenn says. “They call them - www.darkhorsebrewery.com head on a finely poured stout. The brewery val - selves the ‘Dark Horse Nation.’” In his Headquarters: Marshall, Mich. Employees: 55 ues distinctive personalities in its employees and 25 years in the restaurant industry, “I’ve Specialty: Beer the beers it brews, as a look at the company’s never seen anything that rivals it.” Travis Glenn, director of taproom operations: “The idea is to make innovative new website indicates. That loyalty has extended to people this a destination compound.” Dark Horse Brewing Co. relies on the dedica - who were so interested in learning tion of its customers to keep it prospering in about the brewing business that they 150 food and drink • summer 2014 • www.fooddrink-magazine.com BREWERIES SPECIAL SECTION volunteered to help out for free at the Bryan Wiggs declares. “It’s a pretty Lakes, along with South Dakota, North brewery. “A lot of them had full-time unique situation. Everybody knows Carolina, Pennsylvania, Long Island jobs,” Co-owner Kristine Morse points what everybody else knows, and we’re and Manhattan, N.Y., and the greater out. “So they would come here after all dangerous weapons. Boston area. How were those locations work to work four to five hours bottling “Dark Horse is much more practi - chosen for distribution? “They called and cleaning kegs. When you see cal application,” Wiggs continues. and asked for our beer,” Wiggs someone spending all their free time “It’s one thing to be able to have a explains. “If we make enough quantity, they have at a company and are really degree on the wall and say, ‘I went to we ship it, and people drink it. The passionate about what we’re doing, a six-month course or this two-year great thing about craft beer is some - they’re going to be a good asset to us course,’ but when it comes down to it, body gets a Dark Horse beer, and they and get hired on. That’s how we we need guys who – when they’re in tell their friends. The beer tastes good, acquired a lot of these good workers.” the fire – know how to put it out. so people talk about it.” There’s books on brewing in our Train From Within library that are available for all the CUMMINS LABEL and Dark Horse Brewing began People’s interest in working for Dark guys on the staff. We always encour - a partnership in 1999, and it has been an honor to Horse Brewing has enabled it to train age learning more, but that doesn’t work with this dynamic company. Throughout the years of our association, Cummins Label has its brewers in its processes from finish necessarily for us mean we need to strived to meet the unique demands of the bever - to start. “We have 10 guys on the have guys who went to Siebel age industry, such as researching and obtaining adhesives that withstand the cold and wet applica - brewing staff, and every single one of Institute of Technology or UC tion environment. With the acquisition of a 10- them – barring our chemist that we just Berkeley. The school of hard knocks color flexographic press, Cummins Label remains committed to giving our valuable customers, such hired a little bit ago – was trained is where I came from.” as Dark Horse, the ability to quickly move their backwards, from packaging to brew - Dark Horse beers are distributed in product from production to retail shelves with high quality, brand identifying labels. For more informa - house,” Head of Brewery Operations every state that touches the Great tion, call 800-280-7589 or see our advertisement.