{"id":804676,"date":"2020-02-27T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-02-27T17:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.summitdaily.com\/?p=379591"},"modified":"2020-02-27T10:00:00","modified_gmt":"2020-02-27T17:00:00","slug":"ask-eartha-brews-for-a-cause","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/local-news\/ask-eartha-brews-for-a-cause\/","title":{"rendered":"Ask Eartha: Brews for a cause"},"content":{"rendered":"
<\/div>\n

Dear Eartha,<\/em>
Does my fondness for IPAs have an environmental impact? Please don\u2019t tell me I\u2019ll have to forego an apr\u00e8s-ski pint (or two) to help save the planet.<\/em><\/p>\n

Last summer, Chicago-based research firm C+R Research did an analysis to determine which U.S. cities have the most craft breweries per capita. With five Colorado cities represented in the top 20, we live in a state full of folks who love their brews \u2014 but you knew that, right? Obviously, Summit County wasn\u2019t on the list since it\u2019s not a city. But if it were, our seven local breweries serving a population of 30,000 people would have put us in the No. 5 spot, right behind Boulder.<\/p>\n

Safe to say, our community\u2019s got a thing for craft brews. But can you raise a glass without feeling guilty? Beer drinkers rejoice: You sure can imbibe (and please remember to always drink responsibly). What should concern us is not the impact beer has on the environment, but the impact that climate change could have on beer.<\/p>\n

The impact of that six-pack<\/strong><\/p>\n

Back in 2008, New Belgium commissioned a study to figure out the carbon footprint of a six-pack of beer. Turns out that brewing itself has minimal impact. However, refrigerating all that beer once it reaches its retail destination accounts for nearly 30% of a six-pack\u2019s emissions. Even still, New Belgium learned that from production to distribution, a six-pack of Fat Tire releases about seven pounds of greenhouse gases or about the same as driving eight miles.<\/p>\n

Considering that producing (and therefore eating) an 8-ounce steak results in 30 pounds of greenhouse gas emissions, you\u2019re better off eating less beef than cutting back on your beer consumption. Nevertheless, eco-conscious beer drinkers could reduce overall brewski emissions by purchasing beer in aluminum cans and drinking locally. The less distance your beer travels, the better!<\/p>\n

Trouble brewin\u2019<\/strong><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, the big elephant in the tap room is climate change. Beer has four primary ingredients: grain (mostly barley), hops, yeast and water. And according to research published in the journal Nature Plants, a future of hotter temperatures and more frequent drought brings bad news for the world\u2019s barley crop. During especially hot and dry years, global barley production is predicted to drop as much as 17%, leading to dwindling beer supply. This decrease in availability would in turn cause average beer prices across the world to double, ultimately resulting in decreased consumption.<\/p>\n

Obviously, a lack of endlessly flowing taps is the least of our worries in a world reeling from the more catastrophic impacts of climate change. But for the beer aficionado, contemplating a future without an abundance of cold brews might be enough to inspire greater concern and action.<\/p>\n

Party for the Planet<\/strong><\/p>\n

Want to help save the planet bydrinking beer? If that question seems like a complete no-brainer to you, check out High Country Conservation Center\u2019s Party for the Planet<\/a> on March 6 at the DoubleTree in Breckenridge. This festive shindig features beer tasting from five local breweries, live music and one of the best silent auctions in Summit County. Tickets are on sale now, and admission includes unlimited beer or wine sampling, a collectible glass and light dinner.<\/p>\n

This year, the five brewers serving at the event are collaborating on a limited-release Party for the Planet recipe: Green Machine, a pineapple mango IPA. You\u2019ll be able to taste this special concoction at the event, and VIP ticketholders will have the opportunity to go home with their own bombers. After the event, you\u2019ll find Green Machine on tap across the county, and $1 will be donated to the Conservation Center for each pint poured.<\/p>\n

So savor those apr\u00e8s-ski beers! Toast Mother Earth and support the Conservation Center\u2019s community sustainability programs one delicious sip at a time.<\/p>\n

Ask Eartha Steward is written by the staff at the High Country Conservation Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to waste reduction and resource conservation. Submit questions to Eartha at info@highcountryconservation.org<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n

via:: Summit Daily<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Dear Eartha,Does my fondness for IPAs have an environmental impact? Please don\u2019t tell me I\u2019ll have to forego an apr\u00e8s-ski pint (or two) to help save the planet. Last summer, Chicago-based research firm C+R Research did an analysis to determine which U.S. cities have the most craft breweries per capita. With five Colorado cities represented […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-804676","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-local-news"},"acf":[],"publishpress_future_action":{"enabled":false,"date":"2026-07-21 13:27:52","action":"change-status","newStatus":"draft","terms":[],"taxonomy":"category","extraData":[]},"publishpress_future_workflow_manual_trigger":{"enabledWorkflows":[]},"distributor_meta":false,"distributor_terms":false,"distributor_media":false,"distributor_original_site_name":"KSMT The Mountain","distributor_original_site_url":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt","push-errors":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804676","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=804676"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/804676\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=804676"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=804676"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/alwaysmountaintime.com\/ksmt\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=804676"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}