“No Farms, No Beer!” This eye-catching and mouth-watering slogan advertised a recent PCC Farmland Trust event at Lagunitas Taproom in Seattle. Every dollar spent by beer-drinkers at the event supported PCC Farmland Trust’s work to protect working farms.
And rightfully so, as Washington’s brewing industry depends on a thriving agricultural economy and productive farmlands. Brewers like Lagunitas know that locally-sourced grains and hops produce a more flavorful craft beer. Land trusts working to protect farmland are protecting the source and character of some of our favorite beer ingredients.
A brew-tiful partnership
PCC Farmland Trust’s “No Farms, No Beer” event at Lagunitas is not the first time that local breweries have chipped in to support the Trust. They also have a longstanding vendor partner program through PCC Natural Markets, which includes a rotating selection of local breweries like Fremont Brewing and Alaskan Brewing. The featured breweries each donate $1 to the Trust for every case of beer sold.
PCC Farmland Trust also has a longstanding relationship with Seattle’s Pike Brewing. Artisanal malt, grown on Washington farmland, is the secret to flavorful craft beer. In setting out to support Washington malt farmers, Pike Brewing has partnered with WSU’s Bread Lab and Skagit Valley Malting to source farmer-direct heritage barley varietals, like the delicious Skagit Valley Alba, which is featured in a number of Pike’s ales. Pike Brewing regularly donates in-kind to PCC Farmland Trust and is a vocal advocate of protecting local farmlands.
Immeasurable Malts
Blue Mountain Land Trust, too, recognizes how craft malt plays a role in sustainable farming of the Walla Walla Valley. As part of its Learning on the Land series, the land trust led a trip in June to Umatilla, Walla Walla and Columbia counties to learn about the malt-growing industry. Over the course of the tour, participants learned about H.T. Rea Farming Company and about Mainstream Malt, a network of malting grain producers and malters in the Pacific Northwest that adopt strict standards of land and water conservation. H.T. Rea and Mainstream Malt have partnered to produce responsibly-raised wheat and barley used by bakeries, breweries, and distilleries.
Fresh Hops
Fremont Brewing Company, a popular Seattle-based craft brewery, has also been a big supporter of conservation through its relationship with Cowiche Canyon Conservancy. Fremont is dedicated to offering a product that helps support environmental responsibility and sustainability — including in its sourcing of hops. Since 2010, Fremont Brewing has partnered with hop-growers in Yakima and Cowiche Canyon to source high-quality, local organic hops. Fremont uses these hops to produce one of their most beloved small batch beers, Cowiche Canyon Fresh Hop Ale. This partnership helps to promote the organic hop industry and elevates the connection between conservation, recreation and local economy. What’s more, a portion of the proceeds from this Fresh Hop Ale supports the Cowiche Canyon Conservancy.