Organic Beer: The Natural Choice

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

- Jim Dykstra

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.