Clean Water, Great Beer

Video: Brewers commit to clean water

The Clean Water Pledge

You can't make great beer without clean water. That's why our brewery is proud to join the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and its more than one million supporters to stand up for clean water and the Clean Water Act.

Clean water is essential to more than great-tasting beer –- it's critical for public health and the health of a wide range of industries. Responsible safeguards protect our product from upstream pollution and help us protect our downstream neighbors.

These breweries have taken the Clean Water Pledge and are partnering with NRDC to defend the Clean Water Act:

Click the logo to find out more about each brewery.

Please join us. Stand up for the Clean Water Act. Because we all need clean water. If you're interested in joining the campaign, please tell us about your brewery.

Allagash Brewing Company

Portland, ME

Allagash Brewing was founded by Rob Tod in 1995, on the outskirts of Portland, Maine. His goal was to brew all Belgian inspired beers including our flagship, Allagash White, a wheat beer. In the last 18 years, Allagash has grown to have distribution to 17 states, including almost the entire eastern seaboard, Illinois and California. Allagash has earned a reputation as an innovator in the craft brewing industry and has been recognized with numerous national and international beer awards. Allagash has been featured in many respected publications including the Boston Globe, Men’s Journal, Gourmet, Bon Appétit, and The Wall Street Journal. Allagash began using 100% wind power in 2008 to power our main facility, and now we use wind to power our three warehouse locations as well. Our spent grain and yeast, both by-products of the brewing process, are given to local farmers as feed for cattle and land application for crops. We bale and recycle cardboard and plastic, recycling more than 30 tons in 2012. Several years ago we moved to using a single-stream recycling system for our remaining recyclables and reduced our trash by more than 50 percent. Check back soon for a video profile.

Arbor Brewing Company

Ann Arbor, MI

Our founders, Matt and Rene Greff, are committed to making great beer and delicious food that's served in a comfortable, friendly atmosphere. We're passionate about producing in a conscientious way. We buy locally, support sustainable farmers, give back to our community, and work to reduce our environmental impact. We know our beer speaks for itself, but we also feel each pint tastes that much better knowing it was made thoughtfully and responsibly. Watch the video

Arcadia Brewing Company

Battle Creek, MI

Arcadia Brewing Company was established in 1996 as a microbrewery specializing in handcrafted British-style ales. All of our beers are produced in small batches, and our 25 Barrel Peter Austin Brewery and methods originated in England, which allows this style of beer to reflect over 250 years of world class brewing heritage. In addition to brewing on authentic British equipment, Arcadia uses only the finest malted barley from England, and when combined with the freshest hops from the Pacific Northwest of our United States, and our legendary Ringwood yeast, the result is some of the best and freshest handcrafted ales available, on any continent. Watch the video

Brewery Vivant

Grand Rapids, MI

Welcome to Brewery Vivant! We are excited to share our passion of beer with you. We get inspiration from the small farmhouse breweries that dot the countryside in Southern Belgium and Northern France. We take notes from their artistic approach to brewing and explore our interpretations of traditional styles using a mix of old world and new world ingredients and methods. Watch the video

Central Waters Brewing Company

Amherst, WI

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. Check back soon for a video profile.

Cranker's Brewery

Big Rapids, MI

At Cranker's Brewery we provide our community with craft beer brewed in classic styles from around the world. Our goal is to help you pair our beers with delicious dining options to create a memorable experience. As we always say at Cranker's, drink good beer with good people. Watch the video

DryHop Brewers

Chicago, IL

DryHop Brewers is a craft brewery and kitchen in Chicago's Lakeview neighborhood. At DryHop, our neighbors will sit a few feet from our brewery. We want them to discover there's something perfect about drinking a beer at the source and tasting the freshness after their first sip. From seasonal shared plates to unique beers worth talking about, to our growler bar that lets everyone take a little bit of DryHop home -- all of this is meant to bring people together. Watch the video

Finch's Beer Company

Chicago, IL

Finch's Beer Co. is in the business of brewing great, craft beers locally in Chicago, Illinois. We use the best ingredients and take special care to make sure every batch is the best we can brew. While following in the footsteps of other local brewing companies, we intend on adding another brand of beer to Chicago's already growing selection and contributing to a new generation of microbreweries, taking a foothold in Chicago. Watch the video

Flossmoor Station Restaurant and Brewery

Flossmoor, IL

Flossmoor Station's owners, Dean and Carolyn Armstrong, who are Flossmoor residents, saw the deterioration of the historic old Flossmoor Train Station right before their eyes. Run-down and well on its way to being a safety liability, the building badly needed some tender loving care. Flossmoor Station Restaurant & Brewery's debut was met with great excitement as the community had its first opportunity to see how lovingly the old building was restored, and what a stunning addition it would make to the town. Flossmoor -- and South Chicagoland -- now had a true "public house" and "community gathering place" -- the goal the Armstrongs persisted to achieve. Watch the video

Founders Brewing Company

Grand Rapids, MI

The Founders Family, a group of passionate beer enthusiasts, has grown around this simple philosophy: "We don't brew beer for the masses. Instead, our beers are crafted for a chosen few, a small cadre of renegades and rebels who enjoy a beer that pushes the limits of what is commonly accepted as taste. In short, we make beer for people like us." Founders. Brewed for us. Watch the video

Goose Island Beer Company

Chicago, IL

When the first Goose Island Brewpub opened its doors in 1988, domestic, mass-produced beer was deeply ingrained in Midwestern culture. The craft beer industry was still in its infancy, with only a handful of brewpubs in existence in the Midwest. Today, Goose Island continues to brew an innovative selection of over 50 craft beers at the brewpub, the best of which are then bottled at our Fulton Street brewery. Goose Island beers are now enjoyed in all 50 states and Europe. Watch the video

Half Acre Beer Company

Chicago, IL

Half Acre Beer Company began in 2006 with no experience and loads of optimism. At Half Acre Beer Company, we brew beers we want to see made, enjoy ourselves as much as possible, and encourage the interesting experiences this ride has to offer. Half Acre is a reflection of those that keep it alive, the people that hoist the beer and the places where its found. Watch the video

Harmony Brewing Company

Grand Rapids, MI

Harmony Brewing Company is a friendly neighborhood brew pub in Eastown USA. Harmony sits in an ideal spot but when we first laid eyes on the place it was an old party store that had sat abandoned for over 10 years. Through much labor and love and a lot more labor we reclaimed this little place and now it is a cozy space filled with natural light and the smells of wood smoke and malt. Watch the video

Lakefront Brewery Inc.

Milwaukee, WI

Milwaukee's own Lakefront Brewery Inc. started in 1987. The industrious and inventive microbrewery located on the Milwaukee River has become a Milwaukee landmark. Its rich history includes partnerships with local taverns, preservation of local historical pieces, unique tours, family style dining options and most importantly, great beer. Watch the video

New Belgium Brewing Company

Fort Collins, CO

New Belgium Brewing, makers of Fat Tire Amber Ale and a host of Belgian-inspired beers, is recognized as one of Outside Magazine's Best Places to Work and one of the Wall Street Journal's Best Small Businesses. The 100% employee-owned brewery is a Platinum-level Bicycle Friendly Business as designated by the League of American Bicyclists, and one of World Blu's most democratic U.S. businesses. In addition to Fat Tire, New Belgium brews eight year round beers: Ranger IPA, Shift Pale Lager, Rampant Imperial IPA, Sunshine Wheat, 1554 Black Ale, Blue Paddle Pilsener, Abbey Belgian Ale and Trippel. Watch the video

Revolution Brewing

Chicago, IL

Revolution Brewing is Chicago's new hometown craft brewery. Our brewpub in Logan Square is a bustling, neighborhood institution where friends and families meet to enjoy the freshest beer in town. We have fun doing what we do and invite you to come in and join us. Watch the video

Right Brain Brewery

Traverse City, MI

Our brew team creates some of Northern Michigan's finest craft brew. They have been given full rein to drive the buggy over the cliff. If you want boring, common beer, we don't have it. You'll find all sorts of ingredients in our beer: chocolate, heather, coffee, raspberries, an Englishman, mint, toads, and a bunch of other stuff we found near the building. The water is pumped in from West Bay, which is only a hop, skip, and a jump away. We can smell the fresh lake air from our brew house doors, and you can taste it in our crisp, clean brews. Watch the video

Short's Brewing Company

Bellaire, MI

In April of 2004, we opened the doors to Short's Brewing Company in the quaint village of Bellaire. Beer was the mission, and liberation was the movement. Today, Short's Brewing Company continues the effort to educate and liberate consumers. We take pride in our hands-on, mom-and-pop approach and the energy we put into the quality of our beer, food, staff, customers and facilities. We believe in the power of the smallness. Watch the video

Sierra Nevada Brewing Company

Chico, CA

Sierra Nevada is one of America's first craft breweries and helped popularize the bold and flavorful beers that are hallmarks of the current craft beer renaissance. Sierra Nevada is highly regarded for using only whole-cone hops, and the pioneering spirit that launched the brewery spans more than three decades, with innovation emerging from both the brewhouse and sustainability initiatives. Sierra Nevada has set the standard for artisan brewers worldwide as a winner of numerous awards for its extensive line of beers including Pale Ale, Torpedo®, Porter, Stout, Kellerweis® and a host of seasonal, specialty and limited release beers. Check back soon for a video profile.

Temperance Beer Company

Evanston, IL

Temperance Beer Company is here to heighten your appreciation for the life you are living. We want to take you out of your everyday and ramp up the number and intensity of life's memorable moments with our beer, tap room, and events. We will keep pushing and challenging the idea of what a beer company can be. To do any of this, we need the best ingredients for the beer, starting with clean water. Check back soon for a video profile.

Wild Onion Brewing Company

Barrington, IL

Our philosophy of owning a brewery is plain and simple -- brew fresh, drinkable session ales and lagers that compliment each beer style. Consumers are much more educated these days when it comes to beer, and our goal as brewers is to show everyone why it is called "craft" beer. Anyone can throw a bunch of hops in a beer and call it a double IPA, but we believe in creating beers that have the nuances of malt, hops, alcohol and freshness. Drinkability is our m.o. -- and we hope we can get you wanting just one more -- because beer is good! Cheers! Watch the video

We Need Water

Clean water is essential to great-tasting beer. Even more, it's critical for public health and the health of a wide range of industries. That's why the Natural Resources Defense Council is teaming up with craft brewing companies to stand up for clean water and to enforce the Clean Water Act.

For centuries, brewers have depended on clean, plentiful water supplies to craft the world's greatest beers. Our water supplies depend on responsible regulations that fight pollution and protect drinking water at its source by keeping small streams and wetlands healthy.

Water Needs Us

Now our streams, wetlands, and water supply need our help. Without strong legal protections, they are under threat from pollution like sewage, agricultural waste, and oil spills.

You can help defend clean water and great beer by taking action today.

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What do healthy streams and wetlands have to do with making the best beer? A lot, it turns out. Read more

Updates on NRDC's Clean Water Work

Home Run! Appeals Court Upholds EPA Action to Stop Giant, Polluting Mountaintop Removal Mine: posted by Jon Devine, 4/25/13
Cheers to Brewers for Clean Water: posted by Karen Hobbs, 4/9/13
New EPA Survey Underscores Need to Release Clean Water Act Guidance: posted by Karen Hobbs, 3/27/13
Streams and Wetlands: Worth a Tweet: posted by Melissa Waage, 3/25/13
No Reason to Wait to Invest in Green Infrastructure: posted by Karen Hobbs, 3/22/13

Brewers for Clean Water

Video: Brewers commit to clean water

The Clean Water Pledge

These breweries have taken the Clean Water Pledge and are partnering with NRDC to defend the Clean Water Act:

We Need Water

Water Needs Us

Learn More

Updates on NRDC's Clean Water Work

Popular Issues

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