Organic Beer: The Natural Choice
The Beer Connoisseur®|Winter 2017

Is organic beer a trend, or a vision for the future?

Jim Dykstra
Organic Beer: The Natural Choice

Organic goods can be polarizing. Are they actually healthier? Does the quality merit the price increase? Why are they so expensive in the first place? Add in the commodity level of organic goods to what is already a full-to-bursting commodity market – that of craft beer, and you have what some see as a recipe for disaster.

Many people see it differently. For some, it’s about health. For others, it’s about honesty and integrity. While health may not be the main reason beer connoisseurs choose craft, honesty and integrity are key. In this piece, we’ll see what it means to be an organic brewer, and where organic brewing fits into the craft community at large.

The Good Old Days

If you think about it, all beer used to be organic. There were no chemical pesticides and fertilizers, and no certifications to distinguish oneself from “regular” products. Of course, those days are gone and to be organic is a distinction. So what does it mean?

USDA standards for organic beer are no different than they are for organic food: Beer ingredients must be grown without toxic pesticides and synthetic fertilizers in soil free from chemicals for at least three years, and genetically modified ingredients (GMO’s) are not allowed, according to Organicbeerfest.org. Within those rules, there are three levels of classification:

100% Organic: As the name suggests, the product uses 100% organically produced ingredients, excluding added water and salt. Any processing aids used must be organic.

Organic: Organic means the product uses at least 95% organic ingredients, excluding added water and salt.

Made with Organic Ingredients: The product uses at least 70% organic ingredients, excluding added water and salt. The product may contain organic and non-organic forms of the same ingredient, like hops and malts.

Bu hikaye The Beer Connoisseur® dergisinin Winter 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

Bu hikaye The Beer Connoisseur® dergisinin Winter 2017 sayısından alınmıştır.

Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.

THE BEER CONNOISSEUR® DERGISINDEN DAHA FAZLA HIKAYETümünü görüntüle
Madtree 2.0- How To Grow A Brewery
The Beer Connoisseur®

Madtree 2.0- How To Grow A Brewery

Cincinnati Brewery Doubles Down on Quality, Employees, and Charitable Giving

time-read
6 dak  |
Fall 2017
Incredible Pulp Blood Orange Extra Pale Ale – Boneyard Beer – 91 Rating  ​​​​​​​
The Beer Connoisseur®

Incredible Pulp Blood Orange Extra Pale Ale – Boneyard Beer – 91 Rating ​​​​​​​

Responses from Boneyard Beer’s founder and brewmaster Tony Lawrence. 

time-read
1 min  |
Fall 2017
Gueuze: The Champagne of Craft Beer
The Beer Connoisseur®

Gueuze: The Champagne of Craft Beer

With a new year swiftly approaching, it’s time to dust off that lambic basket and prepare to ring in 2017 with a beverage far superior to champagne.

time-read
3 dak  |
Holiday 2016, Issue 27
Winter Style Recommendations
The Beer Connoisseur®

Winter Style Recommendations

Think outside the Bocks with these “alt-wintry-night” beer styles.

time-read
4 dak  |
Winter 2017
The Beer Connoisseur®

The Mixed-Culture Master

Chad Yakobson of Crooked Stave discusses his brewing techniques and his pioneering work with Brettanomyces.

time-read
8 dak  |
Fall 2016
Chasing the Rabbit: Bobby Thomas of Red Hare Brewing
The Beer Connoisseur®

Chasing the Rabbit: Bobby Thomas of Red Hare Brewing

The head brewer talks background, beers and bunnies.

time-read
5 dak  |
Fall 2016
Why Beers Need “Packaged On” Dates
The Beer Connoisseur®

Why Beers Need “Packaged On” Dates

I recently completed a beer trade with a couple of friends and ended up with the equivalent of two mixed six-packs after the swap.

time-read
6 dak  |
Fall 2016
Foeders
The Beer Connoisseur®

Foeders

The Barrel's Big Brother

time-read
5 dak  |
Fall 2016
Drinking in the French Countryside
The Beer Connoisseur®

Drinking in the French Countryside

England, Belgium, Amsterdam, Germany and even the Czech Republic rank as noted European beer travel destinations, but what about France?

time-read
6 dak  |
Fall 2016
St Bernard's A Tail Of Licker Barrels And Heroism
The Beer Connoisseur®

St Bernard's A Tail Of Licker Barrels And Heroism

The Story Behind the Most Interesting Man’s Best Friend in the World.

time-read
5 dak  |
Winter 2017