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Ask Eartha Steward: Drink locally, think globally
By EARTHA STEWARD
Special to the Daily
March 26, 2008
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A couple of week’s ago I answered a question about wine and the many ways to support sustainable wineries. I must admit, it was a splendid article; however, there is another niche of eco-loving, vivacious people who might feel left out — the beer drinkers.
Aah, the beer drinkers. The many times rowdy, friendly group of folks you can find at the local pub, at concerts, at festivals, anywhere beer is allowed.
And, unless you’ve been living under a rock (or are under 21 years of age), you’ve probably tasted at least one beer. For those who haven’t, let me explain. Beer is like a magical liquid. It has the ability to make Mr. Steward and me very happy, and I’m not saying that because we consume large quantities and feel the giddiness of alcohol. I’m saying it because we love to crack open and share handcrafted ales that master brewers have taken the time to make for people like us.
For example, we love Midas Touch Golden Elixir that was created adding unique ingredients, such as white Muscat grapes, honey and saffron, to barley (www.dogfish.com). My taste buds salivate just thinking of the delicious brew that was introduced to our current culture by scraping the inside of drinking vessels contained in King Midas’ Tomb, and analyzing them for the specific ingredients. No joke, these people are serious about beer.
But I have to admit, as much as I love drinking the Midas Touch, it is from the East Coast, and I live in Colorado and I do talk about lowering greenhouse gas emissions. Fortunately for us, Summit County and the state of Colorado offer many great places to beer-quench one’s thirst, locally.
There are four breweries in Summit County: the Breckenridge Brewery, the Backcountry Brewery, the Dillon Dam Brewery and Pug Ryan’s. All of these local breweries offer great beverages, along with yummy food. And the beauty of these brewpubs is that you can ride you bike or take the Summit Stage to the locales.
Let’s say, though, that you really want a bottled beer. Colorado is home to microbreweries that exemplify environmental sustainability. One of my favorites is New Belgium Brewing (NBB). The list of environmental practices NBB encompasses are too many to list but check out www.newbelgium.com for more info.
One of their beers I would like to talk up though is their USDA certified organic beer called “Mothership Wit.” As NBB mix-master event guru Scott Hinkson and I realized, it is excellent served chilled — easily accomplished by burying it in a pile of snow (or in the summer, anchor it in a river to chill).
However, aside from all the great eco-actions breweries are doing, a problem with hops has come to my attention. Due to many different issues, the hops production is the lowest it has been since 1981. What does this mean? It means that we might have to pay a couple dollars more for a six-pack, or might even find that our favorite six-pack is not even on the shelves!
There are many reasons for hops being in shortage. For years, hops prices were very low, so many crops were replaced for higher money yielding crops, especially now in the wake of increased ethanol production. Additionally, weather is a factor.
In Europe, “unusual weather” perhaps due to climate change, adversely affected hops production to fall well below expected levels. In one article I found, there is a link to a hops farm in Slovenia that was devastated by a huge hailstorm, right before harvest.
As global warming and climate change can increase the strength of storms, it could be possible that the world’s hops supplies are affected by an increasingly temperamental climate.
And if that doesn’t get all beer-lovers to care about the environment, I just do not know what will!
However, seeing that I am a solutions-based thinker, I have great options for an eco-friendly lifestyle that just might save the ailing face of ales as we know it.
One action to take next time you have the urge for the delicious libation, instead of driving, get on your bike. Ride it like the beer-lover you are, down to the local brewpub, nosh on some happy hour food specials and drink good brew.
Basically, this article is best summed up by one of my favorite actors, Will Ferrell (yeah, I admit it), in the movie “Old School.” His character’s name is “Frank the Tank,” and as he drinks some beer he says, “Once it hits your lips, it’s so good. Once it hits your lips.” Well, Frank, I agree.
Especially if it’s craft, micro-brewed by any of the breweries mentioned in this article. Once it hits your lips.
Eartha Steward is written by Carly Wier, Jennifer Kirkpatrick and Beth Orstad, consultants on all things eco and chic at the High Country Conservation Center, a nonprofit 501(c)3 organization dedicated to waste reduction and resource conservation in our mountain community. Eartha believes that you can walk gently on our planet, even if you’re wearing stylie shoes.
Submit questions to Eartha at eartha@highcountryconservation.org or to High Country Conservation Center, PO Box 4506, Frisco, CO 80443.
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