A SIERRA CLUB publication from the Columbia Group of Oregon
representing northwest Oregon including the Portland area
August - October, 2014
Volume 24, Number 3
Helping The Planet, One Pint At A Time
Below are five of the Good Food Awards’ winning beers (all are pictured at left):
by Callum Beals of the Sierra Club Insider
No one needs an excuse to drink good beer, but
here’s one anyhow: 2014 is the best year ever to
find ecofriendly ales. Virtually nonexistent 20
years ago, green beer is now being cranked out
by brewers of all sizes, from micro to mega.
PORT CITY BREWING CO., Alexandria,
Virginia – 2014 GFA WINNER: Optimal
Wit, 5% ABV ($6 for a pint). This traditional
Belgian witbier is made from raw wheat and
oats. It has notes of coriander, orange peel, and
grains of paradise.
“When I opened in 1996, I was barely able to
find organic malt,” says Ron Silberstein, who
started San Francisco’s ThirstyBear Brewing
Co. and sits on the Good Food Awards Beer
Committee. “But as more people use organic
products, it has become easier to brew sustainably.”
DESCHUTES BREWERY, Bend, Oregon
– 2014 GFA WINNER: Black Butte Porter,
5.2% ABV ($5 for a pint). Deschutes’s flagship
beer is hoppy up front with a roasted-chocolate
finish.
Microbreweries like ThirstyBear often have a
drastically smaller carbon footprint than their
giant competitors. On average, a locally brewed
pint is 300 percent kinder to the planet than a
bottle of beer that has traveled far. Microbrews
make up just 7.8 percent of beers by volume,
but the number of small breweries grew by 18
percent last year.
Photo:Lori Eanes
BEAR REPUBLIC BREWING CO., Healdsburg, California – 2014 GFA WINNER: Cafe
Racer 15 Double IPA, 9.75% ABV ($8.50 for a
22-ounce bottle). Citrus and pine aromas mix
with generous hops. Pair it with spicy foods
and savory dishes.
To even be considered for a Good Food Award,
beer makers must recycle water, source locally,
and not use genetically modified ingredients.
To win, they have to be tasty, too.
and conserving water. “It’s the number-one
ingredient in brewing,” says Cheri Chastain,
the sustainability manager at Sierra Nevada
Brewing Co. “You can generate more energy,
While the market for easy-on-the-earth beer
ingredients has grown—it helps that prices have but water is that one thing you can’t make.”
dropped—it’s still relatively minor. Silberstein
Sierra Nevada’s Chico, California, brewing
admits that his commitment to staying organic plant has more than 10,000 solar panels and
limits the variety of beers he can make.
a big on-site water treatment facility—a setup
Another challenge for eco-brewers is recycling
envied by many smaller breweries.
Others are coming up with eco-solutions as
varied as America’s microbrews. Dave’s BrewFarm in Wisconsin has “Jake,” a wind-powered
generator that delivers most of the brewery’s
power. Anderson Valley Brewing in Boonville,
California, deploys goats to mow its grass.
“There’s something new every day,” Chastain
says. “The industry is growing so quickly. It’s
really an exciting time.”
VICTORY BREWING CO., Downingtown,
Pennsylvania – 2014 GFA WINNER: Helios
Ale, 7.5% ABV ($5.30 for a 22-ounce bottle). A
Belgian farmhouse ale by style, it finishes with
flavors both honeyed and tart.
NINKASI BREWING CO., Eugene, Oregon
– 2014 GFA WINNER: Believer Double
Red Ale, 6.9% ABV (About $5 for a 22-ounce
bottle). Plentiful hops and dark malts. Drink it
alongside pork, pizza, or chocolate.
At the Columbia Group Summer Picnic …
Columbia Group Member Diane Corson, CG Executive Committee Members Jamison Cavallaro and Ted Gleichman,
and Chapter Executive Committee Member Mary Fifield. Photo credit: Cosette Freeman.
Bluegrass musician Ramblin’ Eric James, singing a Woody Guthrie ballad for the
Columbia Group picnic. Photo credit: Cosette Freeman.
Columbia Group directory and contact information
Executive Committee
Chair
Ted Gleichman
[email protected]
Vice Chair
Pat Nation
[email protected]
Secretary
Jeff Fryer
[email protected]
Treasurer
Vacant
Jamison Cavallaro
[email protected]
Christopher Bowker
[email protected]
Lauren LaFleur
[email protected]
Trygve Steen at the Columbia Group
Third Thursday Program
Trygve Steen is a recently retired (but still very active!) professor of Forest Ecology, Environmental Sustainability, and Photography at Portland State University. He has joined several
Sierra Club outings, generously contributing his contagious energy and knowledge of our forest
landscapes to these explorations, helping members understand the ins-and-outs of how a forest
ecosystem functions. Trygve is also an accomplished photographer and has recently been immersed in a project to photograph the Hoyt Arboretum. We’d like to take this opportunity to
thank Trygve for his work and invite you to join us for our September Third Thursday Program
& Potluck, where Trygve will be discussing forests and photography:
What: Trygve Steen on Forest Ecology & Photography
Conservation Committee
Where: Columbia Group Office, 1821 SE Ankeny, Portland
Chair
Greg Jacob
[email protected]
Water Quality
Christopher Bowker
[email protected]
Salmon
Jeff Fryer
[email protected]
When: Thursday, September 18th, Potluck at 6:30, Program at 7:00
Mount Hood
Pat Nation
[email protected]
Who: You and everyone you know
Administrative & Program Coordinators
Political/Legis.
Rob Milesnick
Singles Group
Vacant
Outings
Mike Newsham
[email protected]
Pizza and beverages will be provided. Please bring a dish to share if you
are able. [email protected]
Newsletter Editor
Jeff Fryer
[email protected]
Newsletter Layout
Samuel John Klein
[email protected]
Third Thursday
Jeff Fryer
[email protected]
Volunteers
Vacant
Webmaster
Jim Maskus
Communications
Vacant
Why: Enjoy food and drinks, make new friends, reconnect with old
ones, and learn.
Call For ExCom Candidate Nominations
[email protected]
http://oregon.sierraclub.org/groups/columbia
(503)238-0442 ext. 300 • fax: (503)238-6281 •1821 SE Ankeny Street, Portland, OR 97214
Looking for back issues? Visit http://oregon.sierraclub.org/groups/columbia/overlook/
It’s time for the annual ExCom Election process to begin. The ExCom, consisting of nine
members, directs the Group in forming environmental priorities, making political endorsements,
setting budgets, sponsoring outings and publishing the newsletter. It’s a great and rewarding way
to “get involved.”
Five positions are up for election this year. If you are a Sierra Club member and would like to be
considered as a candidate by the Nominating Committee, please contact Nominating Committee Chair by September xxth.
Any member may also have their name placed on the ballot by submitting by September 10th
a petition signed by 15 Group members. All candidates are encouraged to submit by October 1
campaign statements of no more than 200 words for publication in the November issue of this
Overlook newsletter. A copy of the Group election policy may be found at www.oregon.sierraclub.
org/groups/columbia/excom
MEETINGS CALENDAR
All meetings are at Oregon Chapter Offices
unless otherwise noted:
1821 S.E. Ankeny St, Portland
September
Wed 3 High Desert Committee 7 pm
Contact: Borden Beck, [email protected]
Thu 11 Executive Committee 6:30 pm
Contact: Ted Gleichman, [email protected]
Thu 18 Third Thursday, Potluck at 6:30 PM, Program at 7 pm
Contact: Jeff Fryer, jeff.fryer @oregon.sierraclub.org
Seen at the Columbia Group Summer Picnic: Columbia Group Vice-chair Pat Nation (right)
and Oregon Chapter Executive Committee Communications Chair Mary Fifield. Photo credit: Ted Gleichman.
October
Wed 1 High Desert Committee 7 pm
Contact: Borden Beck, [email protected]
Tue 9 Executive Committee, 6:30 pm
Contact: Ted Gleichman, [email protected]
Thu 16 Third Thursday, Potluck at 6:30 PM, Program at 7 pm
Contact: Jeff Fryer, jeff.fryer @oregon.sierraclub.org
STAY CONNECTED!!!
Look for the NEW “Portland Sierra Club Columbia Group Meetup”on Meetup.com:
http://www.meetup.com/Portland-Sierra-Club-Columbia-Group-Meetup
For the latest Portland/Vancouver area Sierra Club Outings check out:
www.OutingsNorthwest.org
Subscribe to the Columbia Group News List.
Sign up at: http://oregon.sierraclub.org/groups/columbia/
Check out Oregon Chapter Sierra Club’s Blog, Facebook Page & Twitter Feed.
Find them on the Oregon Chapter’s homepage:
http://oregon.sierraclub.org
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COLUMBIA OVERLOOK
Sep-Oct 2014 • Vol 24, Number 3