Beer Review: Organic E.S.B. by Lakefront Brewery

Yesterday my article asked you to consider your beer from an environmental standpoint.  When I wanted to pick out my Earth Day Beer Review I settled on Lakefront’s Organic E.S.B..  Why this beer?  Well it was the first certified organic beer bottled in the United States.  Now the ingredients are not all locally sourced, in fact the hops come from New Zealand, Russ Klisch, the president, is working to change that.  He has started partnering with Wisconsin farmers so he can locally source his ingredients.  As for shipping, I am in Chicago.

What else makes Lakefront worthy of being a Green Beer provider?  Well, they have a section of their website dedicated to Green Brewing.  They donate their spent grain to an organization which turns it into high quality plant soil to help provide equal access to nutritious food.  Lakefront has also taken steps to use renewable resources to power their plant and instituted facility improvements to reduce consumption.

Lakefront’s Green Initiative did miss on two points:

1. Water- They didn’t mention it.  Given their other initiatives it makes sense they reduced their water impact, but please brag about it so we know.
2. Bottles- Cans are much more planet friendly and many believe they are better for your beer.

Tasting Notes:

This 100% organic beer was poured from a bottle into a shaker pint forming a finger of head which dissipated.  Aroma of biscuit and hop aromas, but more grassy than citrus.  Medium body with moderate carbonation accompanies the malty yeasty flavors with upfront bitters typical of an English Bitter.  This should be your Earth Day beer if you are close enough to think about the shipping!

Tags: E.S.B., Environment, Lakefront Brewing, organic