This past weekend, I took a moment to relax and enjoy my favorite local beer, Yards Philly Pale Ale. As I savored the taste of this crisp and hoppy ale, I wondered, “how ‘green’ is this beer?” Being that Philadelphia is the biggest small city (ever?), I have quite a few friends that work at Yards that were able to shed some insight into this question.

Crafting beer produces yeast, hops, barley and water waste. Yards attempts to combat these challenges by reusing the yeast up to ten times and contributing “spent grain” to a local farm in neighboring Montgomery County for spicing up livestock feed.

Packaging
Packing is probably the heaviest source of waste in the product life cycle. Heaps of cardboard are necessary for packaging which arrives wrapped in plastic. Loads of glass and steel caps are also part of packaging. In an attempt to lessen their impact, Yards purchases cardboard composed of recycled materials from a local manufacturer. In addition, they work with the Peddle Coop, a worker-run organization that offers environmentally-friendly services such as recycling-by-bicycle to local businesses in Philadelphia.  They can haul up to 250 lbs of trash per visit via their fuel-free transportation. 

Energy
Crafting delicious beer requires an extraordinary amount of energy:

• Water is heated to create steam to heat the tanks;
• Beer is cooled during fermentation;
• Water is cooled to prevent infection and prepare for yeast;
• and electricity is needed to run all the bottling, labeling machines, and various other pumps.

Good thing Yards Brewing Company is 100% Wind powered! It took little convincing to get these guys on board to purchase a blend of wind, including Pennsylvania-generated wind. The environmental benefits of this much emission-free energy is equivalent to preventing the release of more than 494,800 pounds of CO2 into the atmosphere, comparable to not driving over 517,700 miles or planting about 200 acres of trees. 

Construction of the Brewery
Last year, Yards moved to a new facility and rehabilitated an old skate park warehouse to accommodate their brew lab. They started sustainably when they used recycled cement for the floors, which avoids quarry sequestration and landfill waste. They have hired a green designer through the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission to design a sustainable brew pub. Some of the creative plans will delight and surprise: recycling an old bowling lane alley to use as a bar top, recycled milk cartons for tasting room and bathroom countertops, sealing countertops with non-toxic and recycled materials, using refurbished doors as table tops, reclaiming light fixtures and using non-toxic paints facility wide.

I’d never before thought about the story behind my beer, but I’m glad to have asked the question. Not only did I learn more about the product I support, but I also learned how dedicated the Yards’ team is to incorporating green initiatives in both their short-term and long-term vision.

I thought about my beer, now it’s time to think about yours. Or instead, just drink a Yards.