New Belgium: Kind of Like Old Belgium....But Better

As I mentioned in one of the last posts, I just moved back from Colorado. While living there I had the wonderful experience of hitting up New Belgium Brewery with some friends in Fort Collins, CO.

I had loved their beer before I went there, but I was in love with their brewery after I left. Not only was it beautiful (which it most certainly is), but much of it was built with sustainability in mind. They actually have 2 brew houses, and one of which they don't use at all anymore because they were able to build a more efficient one.

This is a picture from the inside of their gorgeous new brew house.
They actually hold employee weddings up there.
And yes, those are hand-crafted mosaics all around the kettles.

This picture is from their waste water treatment center. They realized the toll they were putting on the city of Ft. Collins treatment plant and decided to build their own to help out. While they were building the treatment center one of their employees thought it would be a great idea to harness the methane gas that is produced so they do. And now, along with wind power, methane is one of their largest sources of energy of they brewery.

The Methane Bubble

This is taken from the New Belgium website under their sustainability beliefs section:

Click Here to read it in full.

We believe, to be environmental stewards, we need to:

1. Lovingly care for the planet that sustains us.
2. Honor natural resources by closing the loops between waste and input.
3. Minimize the environmental impact of shipping our beer.
4. Reduce our dependence on coal-fired electricity.
5. Protect our precious Rocky Mountain water resources.
6. Focus our efforts on conservation and efficiency.
7. Support innovative technology.
8. Model joyful environmentalism through our commitment to relationships, continuous improvement, and the camaraderie and cheer of beer

My love for New Belgium hasn't left me since I left the Rockies, but it might get put on hold since the closest state to sell New Belgium is Indiana. I sure hope they keep going east because we only have 1 Sunshine Wheat left in our fridge.

Do you know of any eco-conscious breweries in the mid-west? Any favorite brews for those of you that have tried New Belgium? Let me know what you think.

Pictures taken from www.newbelgium.com.