Grain swaying in the summer sunshine, small batches tested in great wooden barrels: old-fashioned beer production was a homey, rustic process. It conjures up images of a careful approach to consumption, one that respects the growing season and matures only with the fullness of time. Luckily for beer lovers everywhere, Sierra Nevada is making sure this summer’s ale lives up to the same time-honored (and delicious) standards.
 
With hops and barley grown at the Chico brewery’s side, organic Estate Ale is one of the few estate-made ales produced in the world. And the plants are far from the only inspiring thing going down onsite.
 
The facility boasts an impressive array of planet-friendly solutions – as befits the EPA’s 2010 choice for Green Business of the Year. Composting, solar panels, fuel cells, heat and CO2 recovery and even a green transportation fleet are all working hard to achieve the company’s goal of 100% energy self-generation.
 
Best of all, that commitment to excellence more than extends to the products themselves. Spicy and earthy, sweet and smooth, you’ll be drinking to local craftsmanship and environmental health with every sip.