Green Beer - It's not just for St. Patrick's Day anymore.
Can drinking locally brewed beer, rather than massed produced beer save the planet? Probably not, but there are some benefits beyond drinking better beer. We make our beer choices based on what our tastes prefer…and rightfully so. However, if you're interested in the green movement, being eco-friendly, sustainability, and the like, locally brewed beer is a much better choice than a mass produced beer that was made far away.
The "greenest" option for beer is to drink the one that is brewed closest to your current location, and is served on tap. Draft beer is packaged and shipped in re-usable kegs, plus it's served in glasses that are re-used, rather than bottles that typically end up in a landfill. Locally brewed beer dramatically cuts down on the amount of fuel consumption and pollution created by shipping beer across the country. They say an average beer travels over 1,000 miles from the brewery to your mug. That's a lot of beer miles!
Another green option for local breweries is the use of "growlers". A growler is a re-usable half-gallon glass jug. Many brew pubs and microbreweries will sell you a growler of beer to take home that you can bring back for repeated refills, typically at a discounted price. Make sure you clean your growler well before getting it refilled. Hot water alone works best, because soap can leave behind residue that will ruin your beer. Beer doesn't keep well in a growler, so try to drink it within a few days of purchase.
If you don't have a local brewery that makes beer to your satisfaction, you could take drinking locally brewed beer a step further, and brew your own. Drinking local beer won't save the planet, but it will help. Since even the small steps we take to save the environment are important, think globally by drinking locally. Worst-case scenario is you'll find some really great local beer, and keep your money in the local economy.
Hops Aficionado