What’s Organic About Organic Beer?

OrganicNation.tv is back with yet another awesome video from their travels across America exploring the sustainable food landscape. This time, the Organic Nation team caught up with Chad Kennedy, Head Brewer at Portland’s Laurelwood Public House and Brewery.

From OrganicNation.tv:

Portland is of course known for its beer and microbreweries, and the Portland beer scene has been swept up in the organic movement in recent years (which is why the North American Organic Brewers Festival was held in Portland over the weekend).

Laurelwood wasn’t the first certified-organic brewery in Oregon, but it has been the longest lasting. Chad and his brewers have two organic brews, the the Free Range Red and Tree Hugger Porter, and if Dorothee and Chad seem a bit happier than usual, it’s because we had the pleasure of tasting both of them during the shoot.

Chad walked us through the whole process of brewing organic beer, and to our surprise he told us that hops aren’t actually organic in some organic beers. The USDA only requires that 95 percent of the ingredients in certified-organic beer are themselves organic, and because organic hops are in very short supply right now, conventional hops are often used in certified-organic beer.

Check it out:

What’s Organic About Organic Beer? from OrganicNation on Vimeo.

Watch more Organic Nation videos over at OrganicNation.tv!

Link [OrganicNation.tv]

Crikey! Australians Battling Crocodiles Along with Major Floods

Australians living in the tropical state of Queensland were already dealing with an unhappy situation when they got even more bad news. More than 62% of Queensland has been declared a natural disaster due to flooding, with some towns entirely underwater – and now, sightings of crocodiles have residents even more unnerved.

The flooding started last December and has continued, fed by a series of rain depressions and cyclones. Huge crocodiles in the center of some Gulf towns have hampered rescue efforts, with large numbers seen swimming toward the mouth of the flooded Norman River.

Even worse, the stranded townspeople are about to run out of beer.

From Reuters:

“We can put up with a lot of drama, no fruit and veggies, but nobody wants a pub with no beer,” Smith told Brisbane’s Courier-Mail newspaper.

Smith said a four-meter (12 feet) crocodile had been seen stalking residents and dogs in the flooded main street.

Ingham resident David Harkin said he would evacuate after watching water run through the ground floor of his two-level home and sighting several snakes near his home.

“I keep the broom here (at the front door) to chase the snakes away,” Harkin told local media.

You know, sitting on the rooftop of your flooded house waiting to be rescued – and simultaneously watching crocodiles swim down your street – is bad enough when you’ve got a big cooler full of brewskies sitting next to you. But without beer – well, now, that’s just a travesty. Nobody should be expected to deal with that.

Link [Reuters]
Photo credit: AboutAustralia.com

Can You Recycle a Beer Bottle with Limes?

For all those green party animals out there, Grist.org’s quirky advice columnist Umbra answers the age-old question, “Can I recycle a beer bottle with a lime wedge in it?” So along with nursing that hangover, make recycling part of your post-party plan!