Have you ever thought about how beer is made and what kind of impact it has on the environment? Do you know if there are organic beers and what is the difference between a normal beer and an organic beer? Most importantly, are organic beers tasty?

Traditional Beer Brewing

Beer is traditionally made from cereal grains. This is the main ingredient for beer, both traditional and organic. Other main ingredients are water, hops and barley. Fermentation is the most important part of making beer and yeast is generally used for this. However yeast needs sugars and as grain has almost no sugar, the fermentation kick is gained from barley that’s transformed into a “beerwort”, which is the sweet liquid that comes from mashing grains – it is basically unfermented beer and is full of sugar.

Every step in the beer brewing affects the taste of the beer. It’s one of the reasons that there are so many different kinds of beer and so many breweries, which all have their own special beers. It is also the reason many people have taken up home beer brewing, so they get their own beer and the flavour they really like.

Raw Ingredients

As mentioned, cereal grains, hops and barley are important ingredients of all beers. In conventional beer making, the fields these crops are grown in are sprayed with pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. Additionally, fertilizers derived from fossil fuels are used to promote growth. Many now question whether these practices are good for our health and wonder what that is doing to our environment. Concerns about contribution these practices have to the pollution of air, water and in the soil also go unanswered. Concentrations of agricultural toxins have been found in the water supplies of many beer brewers. This can’t be good for us.

Organic Beer Production

In organic beer production, the ingredients are grown without the use of pesticides, herbicides, insecticides and fungicides. There is also no use of chemical fining agents or filtration – to clear the clouding particles from the beer.

In fact, most of the makers in organic beers are small farmers that really have a love for their business. They usually use a farm system that enhances soil fertility, increases species diversity, conserves water and produces less greenhouse gases.

Which Beer Should You Choose?

When you look for a six-pack or a carton with bottles of organic beer, you will find there two different kinds of organic beer. There’s certified organic beer, this beer is made from organic ingredients and this is includes the standards for the chemicals that are used to clean the breweries. The other kind of organic beer will say ‘made from organic ingredients’. These beers are made from organic ingredients but aren’t made in organic breweries.

Another option, which is also good for the environment, is to choose beer from local businesses. Local beer uses less fossil fuel, because it doesn’t have to be transport very far. Naturally the best choice to make is organic beer from local organic breweries. This will have the smallest impact on the environment.

The Taste

Opinions about the taste of organic beer differ widely. There are those who think organic beers taste far better than the regular beers. They say that because there is no use of chemicals, the beer is cleaner and you will taste more beer. They also say the beer tastes fresher and bolder. Others say they don’t taste a significance difference. And there also people who don’t like the taste of organic beer. This is probably because they are used to the artificial flavours that are used in regular beer and are unsure how beer is supposed to taste.

The first beer was made probably around 4000 BC, and you can bet it was organic! So, if you want to choose for a healthier beer and have an impact on the environment, choose an organic beer!

Check out the beer section of the Green Times Directory

Written by Birgitta Knol

Edited by Suze Chalmers

• The Story of Bottled Water
• Why We Should Buy Australian Owned and Made
• Food for Thought
• Why (and how) You Can Afford to Eat Organically
• Living Better for Your Health