Green Daze

By: Emily Murray

Posted: 9/4/08

Imagine the morning sun shining on a field of golden grain while a nearby windmill churns out power for a brew house run almost entirely by natural power.

Sound like a scene from the 1940s when farming was simple at best?

Actually, it's an idyllic vision coming to fruition up and down the West Coast - organic breweries and wineries.

And now, a growing number of metro area bars and restaurants are making these "green" alcohols available to customers, perhaps none more notably than downtown's The Lost Leaf.

Owner Eric Dahl said providing his customers with an organic alternative to the run-of-the-mill beer brands seemed only natural. He said growing up in the Northwest, surrounded by friends and family who taught him about the benefits of organic products, laid the foundation for what has created with his own business.

"I knew definitely one of the things I wanted here was as much organic beer, wine and sake that we could get our hands on," Dahl says. "And I was surprised to find that of all the distributors in Phoenix there's quite a few that have a lot of different organic stuff."

Unfortunately for businesses like his, there are more organic producers than distributors.

"There are a lot of organic American breweries," Dahl explains. "I just recently took a trip up the West Coast and probably about 50 percent of the beer up there was coming out organic but their breweries are small and they haven't picked up large distribution so you can't get them in Arizona. If it's not on one of our distributor's beer lists we can't bring it in to the state."

In spite of this, Dahl currently stocks about eight different organic beers at his bar and gallery. A new special at The Lost Leaf also includes solid organic chocolate cups perfect for filling with a sweet lambic, a raspberry flavored brew.

The Lost Leaf also carries a selection of organic wines along with other earth-friendly beverages.

"We also have an off-the-grid wine, which is a winery that is not relying upon any public power source, they are either using solar or wind."

Even bigger beers are getting into the trend, Dahl said, as brewer Sierra Nevada is approaching off-the-grid status.

Why organic?

Organic agriculture, as defined by The Organic Trade Association, is the term for, "an ecological production management system that promotes and enhances biodiversity, biological cycles and soil biological activity."

In order to be certified as USDA organic, products growers must provide a history of the substances applied to the land for three years, descriptions of the organic crops being grown, raised or processed, and an Organic System Plan. This plan explains the substances and practices being used in production. The OSP must also prove that no cross contamination has taken place to taint the organic product.

It's this chemical pesticide-free approach to growing that attracts many people to organic products.

"Lack of pesticides, I mean everything in this world is connected to man-made products and it's nice to have the simplicity of just the basic ingredients," Dahl says. "I think a lot of things use to be organic and then due to commercialism and profiteering off of growing more crops and bigger crops, they are using a lot of things that might affect us 30 years down the road; I mean, who knows?"

But, best of all, according to Dahl, there is another little known secret of organic beer and other alcohol.

"I think once people start trying them you see them definitely start coming back to it because there is one thing they will start noticing," Dahl explains. "If you drink organic beer you'll feel a lot better the next day. And I've tested all the beer in here quite thoroughly and I almost always choose organic."

Why not organic?

For many hobby home brewers like the Valley's own Rob Fullmer, using organic ingredients isn't feasible right now.

"It was less difficult years ago when the price differential between grains and organic grains wasn't that great. But now that we are having grain shortages that are bringing grain prices up and hops shortages that are bringing hops prices way up, you really have to be philosophically committed to brewing organic beer," Fullmer says.

Worldwide demand for grain has been soaring in recent years as China and India demand more. This affects not just dairy farmers and bread makers, it also impacts those who buy in a larger bulk like breweries and home brewers. Organic products are generally anywhere from 20 to 100 percent more than their non-organic competitors. With the general cost of food products soaring, many smaller producers simply can't afford to go organic.

"It's also partially because there aren't as many organic suppliers locally; you are not going to get that information up front, you really have to seek it out," Fullmer says. "And most of the people I know that have grown organic do it not necessarily because of the quality of flavor of the product; they are doing it because they understand the kind of process of what the impact is."

Is there a taste difference?

It's debatable whether or not the finished product actually tastes more or less palatable, but one thing is for sure, the number of people trying organic beer is slowly growing.

According to Dahl, an organic pilsner from the German organic brewery Pinkus is a big hit with Lost Leaf beer drinkers.

"It's almost like, Hoegaarden or other Belgium styles, it's a littler bit grainier to the texture because of the sediment that might be in it, but it's a very mild pilsner, and really an all around good drinking beer. For people who are afraid to try new beers, it's pretty safe," Dahl says.

ASU graduate Michael Tapia sampled the Samuel Smith, another organic beer The Lost Leaf keeps in stock, and while he generally enjoyed the experience, he's not yet sure he would abandon his non-organic regular beer favorites.

"It's pretty smooth. This one is actually really sweet," he says. "I think organic is definitely much better for the environment and stuff like that. It differs from beer to beer, but I can't taste that it's organic."

His friend Brandon Daniel, also an ASU graduate, sampled the Samuel Smith, as well. He was not as impressed.

"It actually seems a little flat to me, kind of bland, its okay," he said.

Boozin' Organic

Other places in the PHX to buy organic alcohol

COWBOY CIAO

Located in Old Towne Scottsdale this restaurant offers a selection of organic beer along with a menu of modern American dishes with Southwestern and global influences. Cowboy Ciao, 7133 E. Stetson Drive, Scottsdale, 480.WINE.1111

I AM THE CENTER

Aside from yoga and other mind-body classes, the restaurant portion of this building serves up some great food and also offers an impressive selection of organic beer and wine. I Am the Center, 21 E. Sixth Street, Suite 114, Tempe, 480.491.5591

WHOLE FOODS MARKET

Aisles upon aisles of organic and natural food, along with a vast selection of organic beer and wine, make Whole Foods a pretty cool place to shop. Whole Foods Market, 5120 S. Rural Road, Tempe, 480.456.1400

PITA JUNGLE

In the spirit of their healthy eating campaign, Pita Jungle offers four different organic beers on the menu. Pita Jungle, 1250 E. Apache Boulevard, Tempe, 480.804.0234

QUIESSENCE RESTAURANT AND WINE BAR

Enjoy organic vegan/vegetarian friendly food and choose from several different organic wines. Quiessence, 6106 S. 32nd Street Phoenix, 602.276.0601