It’s a question many consumers have asked themselves at one point or another during the grocery run or the weekly shopping trip: Why Go Green? We’ve all seen the products: everything from fresh, eco-friendly whole produce and foodstuffs to t-shirts and apparel made from organically grown textiles. If it can be grown, it can be grown organically, and with less of a negative impact upon the earth and soil. Yet what would compel a grower—let alone a consumer—to go out of his or her way, often at extraordinary cost, to produce, manufacture, advertise, and sell these goods? And what does all of it mean to you, the savvy beer drinker?

Simply enough, the cause behind the hype and alternative product placement is a healthy concern for our planet. Captains of industry are rarely known for their ‘green thumbs’ as much as they are for their cost-efficiencies, economies of scale, and market insight. The so-called ‘efficiencies’ they claim, especially as it concerns agriculture and growing plants (the kind of plants that end up in your beer) often come at a price to the planet. For starters, there are the concerns of soil erosion and decreasing biodiversity, but the real baddie is the ugly practice of pollution. The pesticides and herbicides sprayed onto growing barley and wheat is most likely washed away before that malt is used to brew beer. But where is it washed into? The ground; in the very same spot where the next crop of malt is grown. So smoke stacks and SUVs aside, there may be just cause for such healthy concern.

It is true that organic growing practices are time-consuming, expensive, and often yield lower harvests than conventional practices. The costs of the specialty malts and UK-variety hops in that porter you’re drinking make it harder to produce and are quite expensive. Still, there are a number of organizations that have disregard these considerations and have dedicated themselves to bringing to market not just fresh organic products for your enjoyment, but fresh organic beer. Groups like the California Certified Organic Farmers (COOF) and the Seven Bridges Cooperative in Santa Cruz, CA are not tied to any brewery or corporate structure. They are not pitching any product either, unless you consider ‘a safe, green earth’ to be one. These groups advocate buying and growing local products and supporting organic farming methods in an effort to make them more popular and ultimately, less costly. Best of all, the breweries that do adopt their practices and ideas, also make one heck of an outstanding beer. Beer brewed from organic grains and hops will still retain all of the flavour characteristics per style as its conventional counterparts; many even report increased flavours and complexities in their organic brews.

So the next time you’re at the market or hopefully at your local friendly beer store, maybe stop and think about what you really value before you buy. It won’t be that hard—you’ll notice all organic commodities wear a neat little green ‘USDA-Certified Organic’ sticker for your convenience. For many, the choice between a healthy earth and a better tomorrow is as simple as the choice between a full-flavoured, handcrafted ale and a watery, bland, mass-produced ‘lite’ lager. Cheers!

Check out Matt Sander’s top organic beer

Written by Matt Sanders