A fact all craft beer drinkers know: Good beer relies on good water. Water is undeniably the most critical ingredient in beer, making up 90 to 95 percent of a beer.<\/p>\n
Although the Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that the United States has one of the safest public drinking water supplies, there are emerging issues with Americans\u2019 water. These concerns prompted the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to create Brewers for Clean Water in 2013. Since then, the initiative has been gaining ground. The fight for clean water is on.<\/p>\n
In 2013, NRDC began working with several organizations in the environmental community to push the Environmental Protection Agency to clarify which waterways were protected by the Clean Water Act (CWA). \u201cThis was \u2013 and still is \u2013 a subject of great confusion,\u201d says Becky Hammer, senior attorney and deputy director of Federal Water Policy for NRDC.<\/p>\n
To aid their efforts, NRDC began investigating what other voices they could partner with to make sure water sources were protected. Breweries were a natural fit. \u201cNo matter the size, breweries intuitively understand that they need to have clean water,\u201d Hammer says.<\/p>\n
NRDC first began reaching out to breweries in the Midwest. As word got out, big-name breweries like Allagash and Sierra Nevada joined its movement. And their efforts paid off. In 2015, the Congress passed the rule they\u2019d been pushing for limiting water pollution.<\/p>\n
In 2016, everything changed when the new administration took over. Since then, the NRDC has been playing defense in response to a multi-phased rollback by the government that will undo CWA. \u201cThey put out their own rule that redefines protected waterways in ways that are worse than how it was in 2015,\u201d Hammer says.<\/p>\n
As a result, fewer waterways are protected under these new rules. The threat is a problem everywhere, but certain parts of the country will be hit hardest. In Arizona, for instance, 80 percent of its waterways will no longer be protected under the CWA. Breweries are paying attention, and it\u2019s safe to say that many are worried.<\/p>\n
If you\u2019ve ever brewed beer, you know that mineral content matters. \u201cHow hard or soft water is in the area can be problematic,\u201d says Layne Carter, local brand and sustainability manager at Aslan Brewing Company in Bellingham, Wash. \u201cDepending on where you live, the mineral content might be a lot for a brewer to work around.\u201d<\/p>\n
In Bellingham, for instance, water is drawn from Lake Whatcom and, occasionally, the middle fork of the Nooksack River. Because the water is soft, it\u2019s perfect for brewing beer. \u201cWe\u2019re basically starting with a blank canvass, and we can add minerals if we want,\u201d says Frank Trosset, Aslan\u2019s head brewer.<\/p>\n
For Cahaba Brewing Company in Birmingham, Ala. \u201cThe water in Birmingham has always been among the top-rated across the country,\u201d says Eric Meyer, Cahaba\u2019s co-founder and brewer. \u201cYet because there could always be a change in the water chemistry with heavy rains or changes in the water treatment plant, we have charcoal filters and constantly check our water.\u201d<\/p>\n
Cahaba has a full lab to test the water, which generally takes about 15 minutes. Cahaba brews two days a week, and on the first day of every brewing cycle, the brewery tests the water. It doesn\u2019t usually get tested the second day, as Meyer assumes the water will be the same.<\/p>\n
While these breweries and others haven\u2019t yet encountered issues with water quality, there is growing concern. \u201cThere\u2019s absolutely a sense of urgency,\u201d Carter says. \u201cWhether or not it be in our area, we know that advocating for clean water is important, especially considering recent changes in environmental protection and water supply safeguarding.\u201d<\/p>\n
Enter Brewers for Clean Water, which currently consists of over 100 breweries. It costs nothing to join \u2013 filling out a simple form is the only step to becoming a member, outside of having the brewery\u2019s name listed on the web site as a supporter.<\/p>\n
Once breweries are registered, they can decide what actions by the NRDC they want to endorse. For instance, when NRDC composed a letter to the administration opposing some of its clean water rollbacks, breweries could choose whether or not they wanted to add their signature. The situation was the same when NRDC sent letters to oppose the administration\u2019s attempts to weaken water standards for coal-fired plants.<\/p>\n
It seems like every brewery should want to be part of this movement. But Hammer suspects there are a few reasons that may be holding breweries back.<\/p>\n
For starters, capacity issues are an obstacle for some. \u201cSome breweries are so small that the only person reading the emails is the owner who\u2019s also trying to run the business,\u201d Hammer says. While it requires only a minimal time commitment to participate, brewery owners do have to read emails and letters to decide if they want to sign on. \u201cFor some small breweries, they just don\u2019t have time to do this.\u201d<\/p>\n
Some breweries also cite political reasons. \u201cSome believe that advocating policy issues would be perceived by customers as a political move,\u201d Hammer says. \u201cThey don\u2019t think it\u2019s worth losing business if customers who support the Trump administration get mad.\u201d<\/p>\n