Conscious Cocktails
Raise a glass to Mother Earth with these organic and Biodynamic spirits, wines, and beers.
Christine Richmond
11/2007
11/2007
Organic farmers help keep artificial pesticides, hormones, and fertilizers out of the air and water—and out of our bodies. Biodynamic farmers operate on a similar principle, but they also create treatments from natural ingredients like oak bark and dandelion flowers to promote healthier soil and plants. The products organic and Biodynamic farmers create are good for the planet—but do they taste good? To find out, we sampled a bunch of eco-friendly brands (another tough day at the office) and came up with this list.
Prices vary, so contact the websites to find retailers in your area.
Beer
Prices vary, so contact the websites to find retailers in your area.
- Bison Brewing in California is best known for its organic seasonal beers like Chocolate Stout and Gingerbread Ale (bisonbrew.com).
- Butte Creek has been making organic beers for more than a decade; we especially like the Organic India Pale Ale (buttecreek.com).
- Eel River was the first brewery in the country to earn organic certification; be sure to check out the Organic Amber Ale (eelriverbrewing.com).
- Fish Brewing Company in Washington makes British- and German-style brews—like its popular Fish Tale Organic India Pale Ale (fishbrewing.com).
- Pinkus got its start in 1816 in Germany; its classic Organic Hefe-Weizen tastes pure and refreshing (merchantduvin.com).
- Samuel Smith, an independent brewery in England, still uses traditional methods to create its Organic Ale—and it even makes local deliveries on horseback (merchantduvin.com).
- Wolaver's, based in Vermont, began producing organic beers in 1998; be sure to try the creamy, coffee-scented Oatmeal Stout (wolavers.com).
