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While there have been organic beers on the market for several years, only recently have brewers, in force, begun to expand their portfolios to include organic ingredients. However, becoming an organic brewer is not as simple as placing an order for specialty malts.
There are three categories for organic products, regardless of industry. The first is "100% Organic," meaning that every ingredient in the finished product has been certified organic. A product is "Certified Organic" if at least 95 percent of its ingredients are organic. Both of these categories can use the USDA organic logo.
A product can overtly advertise organic ingredients if 70 percent of the product is made up of them. Otherwise, the product is not considered organic, although organic ingredients can be highlighted in the ingredient list. Some ingredients, such as water may not be subject to consideration and therefore won’t add or detract from the percentage qualification. In addition to the raw ingredients, other considerations must be taken into account. For instance, organic grains cannot be ground on the same equipment as non-organic malts. Yeast is currently not certifiable and therefore beer cannot be 100 percent organic.
With the difficulty in finding ingredients, the certification process, and the potential additional expenses, it is not surprising that craft breweries are slow to add organic brews to their portfolios. Still, more and more owners are following their conscience and taking the leap. The company mission of the Fish Brewing Co. has always been to leave the smallest footprint. They have always had several organic dishes on their menu and expanded their portfolio to include organic beers in the year 2000. The Olympia, WA brewpub now has three and plans to include as much organic materials in their other beers as the styles and available ingredients will allow. Lyle Morse would love to move completely to organic, but refuses to brew a "porter, if it’s not a porter" just for the sake of labeling.
The historical lack of ingredients may be why Craig Hartinger of Merchant du Vin feels that the "beer industry is behind other areas in terms of organic products." It is becoming increasingly easier to find different organic malts, but hop varieties have been difficult to obtain. Because of hop’s susceptibility to fungus, and the exclusion of synthetic pesticides, the number of organic hop growers is limited. New Zealand has become a dominant supplier of organic hops due to the low fungal exposure of the area.
While the availability of ingredients is improving as brewers’ demand increases, the initial barriers did not deter early entrants into the segment. For the Wolaver family, the foray into organic brewing was based on a lifestyle choice and personal mission. They had been looking for a business in organic agriculture and settled on brewing. They were certified in 1997. Today, the Wolaver’s line of beers account for 35 percent of their combined business Otter Creek, but 75 percent of the growth.
As with Fish Brewing and the Wolaver Brewing Co., organic brewing is often an extension of a larger environmental consciousness. It enables breweries to fulfill both their passion for good beer and environmentally sound practices. Brewing organic beers is no more environmentally sound than other brewing in itself, but it does promote and support the organic movement. By supporting small organic farmers and retailers, the sustainable use of the environment is promoted and, in most cases, local businesses as well.
This is true for the Blackfoot River Brewing Co. in Helena, MT, where two of their 10 beers are certified organic. Although most people associate organic with health food, Brian Smith is more interested in the health of the environment and his local community. His passion is also evident in the multiple conservation organizations, the brewery contributes to. Blackfoot River is Montana’s only organic brewery.
While being a good steward of our planet is usually not far from the brewer’s mind, there is no denying the niche market appeal of organic brewing. For the Butte Creek Brewing Co. in Chico, CA, which produces both lines of beers, expansion is tied to organics. Their non-organic brews are distributed locally, yet the four organic beers in the portfolio are now in 26 states. In addition, the number of seasonal organics will double to four next year.
For Peak Organic Brewing, a new company, organic beers provided them with a way of entering the fiercely competitive craft beer segment. Having homebrewed with organic materials for several years, they felt the quality and consistency surpassed other commercial products. Leveraging this perceived advantage and the growing demand for organic products, the partners ventured into an industry they never really considered previously. Their three certified organic beers are brewed at the Shipyard Brewing Co. and available throughout New England.
Even Anheuser-Busch has identified the potential of the market. After a year of consumer research and product development, they have just released release two organic beers: a lager and a pale ale. Originally, A-B developed both styles with the expectation that only one would find mass distribution. However, the response has been so favorable that both went on the market in September. Like the other organic brewers before them, Anheuser-Busch didn’t set out to make an organic beer, but rather a great beer with organic ingredients.
As the market for organic products and the agricultural commitment to sustainable farming continues to grow, time will tell if organic brewing is the most recent beverage fad. If the brewers playing within this space are any indication, organic brewing will be a fad, just like craft brewing was 25 years ago.
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