How about a pint of ‘Torched Earth?’ New beer made with smoke tainted-water and drought-tolerant grains shows the impact of climate change will have on a fermented beverage
- New Belgium Brewing released a limited-edition Fat tire, ‘Torched Earth’
- It is made using smoke-tainted water, dandelions and drought-tolerant grains
- The idea of the new beer is to show how climate change would impact beer
- These would be some of the only brewing ingredients left in a warming world
Colorado’s New Belgium Brewing has released a new Fat tire brew that could make beer lovers more conscious of climate change.
Called ‘Torched Earth,’ the limited-edition ale is made from smoke-tainted water, dandelions and drought-tolerant grains – the last ingredients that may survive a warming world.
According to New Belgium Brewing, this beer was developed ‘to inspire the 70% of Fortune 500 companies who do not have a real climate plan to make one now.’
Beer drinkers can purchase two four-packs of 16-ounce cans for $39.99, but the company says all profits are going to the Protect Our Winters (POW) organization.
Colorado’s New Belgium Brewing has released a new Fat tire brew that could make beer lovers more conscious of climate change
POW is a nonprofit stared in 2007 by professional snowboarder Jeremy Jones that strives to turn outdoor enthusiasts into climate advocates.
According to the group’s mission statement, ‘Protect Our Winters leads a community of athletes, creative-pioneers and business leaders to achieve this mission.’
And it is also headquarters in Colorado with New Belgium Brewing that is tackling climate change with beer.
The new Torched Earth is to remind consumers of what climate change will do to ingredients and conditions needed to brew a tasty beer.
‘Torched Earth’ is a limited-edition ale is made from smoke-tainted water, dandelions and drought-tolerant grains – the last ingredients that may survive a warming world
The ale was mad using ‘some of the less-than-ideal ingredients that would be available and affordable to brewers in a climate-ravaged future without aggressive action now to confront the climate crisis,’ according to the company.
Smoke malts were added ‘to mimic the impact wildfires will have on water supply,’ along with drought-resistant grains such as millet and buckwheat as opposed to barley.
‘The resulting dark starchy liquid with smokey aromatics is not likely to win any awards but does highlight the stakes of climate change for beer lovers everywhere,’ the company said in a release.
The Torched Earth Ale logo features the company’s iconic red bicycle in a denuded landscape, its rubber tires melting.
And the print ad marketing the brew reads: ‘The future of beer is here. And it tastes awful.’
New Belgium Brewing’s iconic Fat Tire Amber Ale was certified last year as America’s first nationally distributed carbon neutral beer.
The ale was mad using ‘some of the less-than-ideal ingredients that would be available and affordable to brewers in a climate-ravaged future without aggressive action now to confront the climate crisis,’
The firm released a separation promotion to address the urgency of climate change, but this time it hiked up process to $100 for a six-pack.
This dramatic, one-day climate action emphasized how disruptions to agriculture caused by climate change are likely to affect the price of beer and other agricultural goods unless concerted efforts to stabilize the climate are taken now.
However, brewing beer possess threats to the environment from pulling the grains to the moment it is poured into a glass.
Barley farming and beer production are the largest consumers of water.
Breweries that are environmentally committed can have carbon emissions that hover around 5 percent of the beer’s total carbon impact.
WHEN DID HUMANS START DRINKING BEER?
Humans have had a long history of consuming alcohol.
It is believed the primitive cultures of Mesopotania could have been brewing malted barley scraps as far back as 10,000BC but there are no records of it.
The earliest proof of beer-drinking dates back to Northern China 9,000 years ago.
This ancient brew was made using hawthorn fruit, Chinese wild grapes, rice and honey, and is the oldest known fermented beverage in history – older even than wine.
The earliest proof of beer-drinking dates back to Northern China 9,000 years ago
To make it the corn was milled and moistened in the maker’s mouth to convert starches in the corn into fermentable sugars – before it was ‘spat’ into the beer.
Throughout history, the consumption of alcohol may have helped people become more creative, advancing the development of language, art and religion.
This is because alcohol lowers inhibitions and makes people feel more spiritual.
It is believed the Egyptians started brewing beer around 5,000BC, according to the papyrus scrolls.
They were brewing things like dates, pomegranates and other indigenous herbs.
At around 3150 BC, the Egyptians used industrial-scale breweries to provide beer for the workers who built the pyramids of Giza.
Eventually beer made its way from the Middle East to Europe where an abundance of barley crops provided lots of raw ingredient for brewers.
Experts have now found evidence of brewing in Greece during the Bronze Age.
Researchers believe that these prehistoric people enjoyed getting merry with alcoholic drinks for feasts all year-round and not just when the grapes were ripe.
Not only was it considered nutritional it was also a safe alternative to drinking water.
It was in the Middle Ages that malted barley became the main source of fermented sugar and beer became the beverage we are familiar with today.