Some beer drinkers apparently feel bad after downing a six-pack, and not just from the hangover.
According to a duo of American commercial heavyweights, some of us also feel bad about the climate implications of our choice of brew, and they’ve come up with a solution: a climate-fixing beer.
“Most of the world’s agriculture is dominated by industrial practices, and generates about a quarter of the world’s planet-warming greenhouse gases. We figure that guzzling beer made from industrial ingredients just adds to the problem. We’d rather drink good beer that helps solve it,” said Patagonia Provisions, a division of the uber-green outfitter Patagonia.
Working with climate-friendly brewer Dogfish Head, the famous Delaware craft brewer, the two have come up with an answer.
Their new German-style “Kernza Pils” uses Kernza grains that the developer claims sucks carbon into 12-foot-long roots into Mother Earth.
“Perennial crops like Kernza are beneficial to the environment; they protect soil from erosion and improve soil structure. They increase ecosystem nutrient retention, carbon sequestration, and can contribute to climate change adaptation and mitigation,” Dogfish Head said.
And it claims the beer tastes good. “The melodic interplay of the Kernza and Contessa hops provide the beer with its distinct flavor profile; the Kernza adds a subtle, spicy warmth to the beer, while the organic Contessa hops, with notes of pear and green tea, give it a bright, floral character and uniquely crisp, clean drinkability,” the statement said.
Other brewers have used the grain, created by the Land Institute of Salina, Kansas, but Patagonia and Dogfish Head said their beer will be the biggest use and distribution of a product with Kernza in it.
Not that beer isn’t already a wonderful product, but the Land Institute feels beer made with its grain can also save the Earth.
“Diverse perennial grain agriculture holds great promise to reverse and regenerate the degradation of the soils, resources, and species upon which human life depends,” said Rachel Stroer, president of the Land Institute, in the release from Dogfish Head. “But the true power of perennial grains will only be realized when grown on the landscape at scale. Partners like Patagonia Provisions and Dogfish Head are leading the movement to get perennial crops, like Kernza, on more acres across the country. When it comes to perennials, more is better.”
To which Patagonia said, “More beer means more acres of Kernza, more carbon drawn down and healthier soil. Ultimately, Kernza’s success will give more farmers solid reasons to switch from industrial to regenerative agriculture. We’ll drink to that.”
