Sustainability
Here at Central Waters, we are committing to being one of the most environmentally sustainable breweries in the nation. From upstream product sourcing to downstream management, we consider the implications of every aspect of our business in managing our environmental footprint.
We love to brew beer, it is our passion, and so is being a responsible steward of our environment. Unfortunately, making beer can be very resource intensive, from energy needs to water resources, breweries use a lot. To that end, we are continually working to mitigate our drain on these precious resources, so all of us can feel better about the beer we drink.
When we source our raw goods, our decisions take into account its environmental footprint. Our bottles are sourced from the greenest manufacturer in the country, even though they are more expensive. Our packaging is post-consumer recycled cardboard, and our raw goods for beer production are sourced as locally as possible. We purchase all of our barley from Briess Malting Company in Chilton, WI, a mere hour and a half away. We are one of the founding breweries of the Midwest Hops and Barley Coop, working to have local farmers produce local hops and barley.
Managing our facility and our energy and resource consumption is paramount in mitigating the environmental footprint of our beer. We have 4 large solar arrays here at Central Waters. One is a 1,000 square foot solar thermal (hot water) array. This system provides hot water to heat our 12,500 square foot facility, and also provides preheated water to our brewhouse, so every beer we make is brewed using solar heated water. We also have a 120kW (120,000 watt) photo-voltaic array, producing roughly 65% of our energy needs annually. While these items are the most eye catching, they are only the beginning of what we do here at Central Waters. We use LED lighting with motion detecting switches throughout the brewery, we continually monitor and conserve water resources so the brewery consistently uses less water than industry averages, and conserve and reuse brewing chemicals wherever possible. We even built our sampling room bar out of recycled materials!
All of this effort has garnered us recognition as one of the greenest breweries around. We were the first brewery granted entrance into the state of Wisconsin’s Green Tier program, recognizing businesses that are sound environmental stewards, and are the only brewery in the state’s Green Masters program. We have spoken and delivered presentations at numerous local and regional events promoting sustainability, and have helped other industry members to become more environmentally responsible.
We have done all of these efforts not for advertising, but because we believe in them, and we hope that shows. Our desire is that other businesses see that these things are achievable for small and large businesses, and that we have been, and will continue to be, a model for environmental stewardship.
The next time you raise a glass, ask, “How was my beer made?” Now you know how ours is.
Ale Sun Earth and Sky
CENTRAL WATERS BREWING
