National Geographic: Battle Creek brewer, others toast clean water

National Geographic reports that inside Arcadia Ales’ brewery, the air is pungent with fermenting beer, and Tim Suprise is talking water. The founder and president of the Battle Creek,  microbrewery recently signed on to Brewers for Clean Water, a Natural Resources Defense Council program that launched in mid-April.  Twenty-two craft breweries have already joined the campaign, which is the first of its kind nationwide. So far, most of the brewers are located in Illinois, Michigan, and Wisconsin.

 

Excerpt: Surrounded by giant sacks of malt and wooden barrels, a glass of beer appropriately in hand, Suprise told a group of journalists he’s sending a simple message: "You can’t have a sustainable culture or society without our most precious resource, and that’s water." 

 

The story says at the new brewery, Suprise's goal is to cut water use by 25 to 30 percent, mostly by recycling wastewater. Historically, water left over after making beer was dumped down the drain, where it ended up at local water-treatment plants.

 

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