First, a scenario:
"Barman: What are you having?
Customer: Your most environmentally friendly beer, please."
It is not something that often crops up, because it is not often that drinking and drunkenness are synonymous with helping the environment. But there are several options out there, and there are a number of Breweries who are interested in 'green' beers.
The Cascade Brewery, founded in Hobart, Tasmania, is the oldest in Australia. Famous for its 'Premium Lager ' and 'Premium Light', it also launched its 'Craft' collection in 2005, each of which are named after founding members of the Brewery.
Perhaps more strikingly, though, it was also one of the winners at the 10th Tasmanian 'Awards for Environmental Excellence', for its development of a beer that is totally carbon neutral, using only locally based ingredients.
'Cascade Green' uses 100% recyclable packaging, right down to bio-degradable vegetable inks for printing. In the production of the beer, the Cascade Brewery has also reduced its reduction of water by 30% per unit of production, and green house gases - per unit of production - are down 16%.
As a result of their achievements, the brewery are now eligible for the 'People's Choice' Award.
What if Cascade isn't your tipple?
'Adnams East Green', developed by the Adnams PLC - based in Southwold, Suffolk - also boasts total carbon neutrality. It is the first of its kind in the UK, and is now available on draught, meaning that 'green' beer should soon be widely available.
The new beer is the pride and joy of the Adnams PLC's new brewery. The site recycles 100% of the steam it creates, 90% of which it uses to heat the brew during the production process.
Like 'Cascade Green', it utilises only local ingredients - eradicating carbon emission through material transport - and it uses Boadicea hops, which are naturally resistant to insects, meaning that the use of pesticides is greatly reduced.
The production of the beer was developed in tandum with the University of East Anglia's 'CRed' team; a team of experts who are dedicated to the reduction of carbon emission.
And if you live across the Atlantic?
Brooklyn Brewery - on Brewer's Row in New York - is 100% reliant on wind power during the production of their beer.
There are not actually any wind turbines on site. Instead the company pays a premium rate on the energy it takes from the grid, replacing it with powered energy at a farm in Madison County.
It is estimated that the Brewery is curtailing 335,000 pounds of carbon dioxide and 1,500 pounds of sulphur dioxide, every year.
At New Belgium Brewery in Fort Collins, Colorado, 70% of the production of their beers is also produced by wind power. the remaining 30% is renewed through the use of anaerobic bacteria; the water the brewery wastes is placed in pools, where the bacteria converts it to methane gas that can be pumped back into the factory.
The Alaskan Brewing Company, founded in Juneau, Alaska, are also making steps. Since 1998, their installation of a 'carbon dioxide recovery system' has meant that 100% of their carbon emission is recycled during the fermentation process.
These are just five cases in point, and - whilst the options are not necessarily vast - there are more to be found in bottles or on draught, in a number of outlets, pubs and bars.
Find the right place, and the scenario posited at the beginning might end positively.
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This post was written by Chris Woolfrey on August 1, 2008