by John Mizer
November 23, 2006

When the term "green beer" gets tossed around the first thing we think of is some nasty draft with added food coloring to celebrate St. Patricks Day. Another connotation of the term refers to beer that hasn't completely aged yet. Perhaps a third definition is in order when we ponder all of the eco-friendly happenings in the brewing process not to mention the brewing industry as a whole.

The brewing process and ingredients utilized lends itself to recovering, recycling and reusing which benefits both the consumer and the brewer not to mention a lot of cows. "Why cows, you may ask? The spent grains and hops are often used as cattle feed and brewers yeast may be used several times before being relegated to use as a food additive. Beer is comprised of over 90% water and it's to the brewer's advantage to recover as much of this water as possible. Some brewers will use wastewater in different stages of brewing and packaging and also has the option of refiltration. Waste steam recovery is also possible to conserve heat needed for brewing.

Natural carbonation created during fermentation may be captured and redistributed as well. Brewer's equipment is ridiculously expensive and locating and buying a mash tun, brew kettle, fermenter, and lagering tank may be best served to find used equipment as an option. Fortunately or unfortunately(depending on your vantage point) the success rate for breweries and brewpubs isn't exactly high and used equipment can be found.

This brings us to you, the consumer. There are several ways to do your share with the obvious being recycling your cans and bottles. Something else to consider is to drink draft beer -therefore eliminating the need to recycle in the first place. Draft beer consumption accounts for a little more than 11% of the beer consumed in the United States with bottles & cans providing the rest of the equation. I'm not suggesting you run out and purchase a brewmeister for your rec room, but consider the next time your out at a restaurant or bar that the kegged beer is generally kept in better conditions with a quicker turnover. Providing the tap lines are cleaned with regularity, your beer will flat out taste better and who can argue with that?