“Going Green” is a big topic in today’s world, no matter what industry you are involved in, or own a business in. Being more environmentally friendly, making more ecologically responsible decisions, and helping to protect the environment and sustain its natural resources, are things we all need to be conscious about. Everyone doing their part leads to big changes.

We are highlighting the below breweries who have made efforts to recycle, cut down on energy use, paper products, waste, etc, and are doing their part. Read on to see the steps they are taking!

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Burgh’ers Brewing (Pittsburgh, PA)

Burgh’ers strictly monitor their water usage, and they reduce the biological oxygen demand of their cast-off waste by composting solids and donating spent grain to a local cattle farmer. They pH neutralize all cleaning water before sending it to the drain, and also automate what they can to reduce wasted energy.

Cellar Works Brewing (Sarver, PA)

Cellar Works Brewing has moved to all eco-friendly packaging on their 4-packs moving forward. The eco-friendly containers are made from plants that are regrown annually. This means that they are sustainable and can be produced again and again. Many of these crops are by-products of agriculture, such as the production of sugar from sugarcane. By using fiber from sugarcane to produce food containers, this waste is upcycled rather than wasted.

Free Will Brewing (Perkasie, PA)

Free Will Brewing “side-streams” all yeast and hops in order to send them to compost, and all their spent grain gets sent to a cattle farm. Throughout the brewery and taprooms, they have all LED bulbs and use natural gas as well. In addition, the packaging rings on their four and six-packs are photo-degradable.

Great Barn Brewing (New Hope, PA)

Great Barn Brewery brews its beer in an old converted goat dairy barn in Kitnersville. Both their brewery and taproom in New Hope, run on wind power through a partnership they have made. They grow their own non-GMO barley right on the farm as well.

In addition, a lot of the spent grains go to a local farmer for feed, and some go to be composted back into the fields they came from initially. By sourcing all local ingredients, and using the “PA Preferred” seal, they are committed to producing clean and green beers.

Levante Brewing Company (West Chester, PA)

Levante has all their spent grain picked up by farmers each week. They also have paper straws and have installed a water fountain with a digital display of how many plastic bottles saved.

Shy Bear (Lewistown, PA)

Shy Bear has a lot of efforts in place to make sure they save energy and are environmentally friendly! Here are the highlights:

• 317 solar panels which are their biggest investment. These alone generated over 88,000 kilowatts of energy in 2018.
• All cardboard/glass/cans/plastic that’s used in the restaurant and brewery is recycled.
• They side stream all of the hop & yeast sediment that goes to their own compost pile, which creates mulch used around the property.
• They have been implementing subsistent farming practices, as they are feeding local beef cattle with their spent grains. They have started using these beef-based dishes in the restaurant.
• LED lights in every receptacle in the brewery and restaurant.
• Shy Bear uses natural gas for heat and on-demand hot water heaters for the brewery, kitchen, bar, and bathrooms.

Stick City Brewing Company (Mars, PA)

Since opening, Stick City Brewing has been part of a group called 1% For The Planet, and with this, they donate 1% of their annual gross sales to non-profits that protect and save wild/natural areas, waterways, and public access to those places. They are the only brewery in PA that is part of this group!

They give their spent grain to a few cow farmers in the Butler County area and have eliminated single-use plastic cups for water, opting now for washable/reusable ones. They are also looking into installing solar panels on the roof of the brewery as well.

Tröegs Independent Brewing (Hershey, PA)

In 2020 Tröegs partnered with Solar Renewable Energy in Mechanicsburg on the installation of 643kW system of over 1,600 solar panels. Now up and running, the 1,628 panels will produce 812,366kWh annually, or an estimated 15-20% of the brewery’s annual energy needs.

As part of the project, Tröegs also added insulation and installed a new white roof membrane to reflect and maximize capture of the sun’s rays. The panels are bifacial, meaning they produce solar power from both sides.

In addition to harnessing solar power, the brewery has also worked towards complete CO2 self-sufficiency. The brewery installed a carbon capture system that captures CO2 that is produced through the beer fermentation process. Beer fermentation produces roughly one million pounds of CO2 annually and the goal is to harness this production and store it for future use.