Spring Break
Green Daze
Emily MurrayIssue date: 9/4/08 Section: News
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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."
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