9 Sustainable & Organic Beer Brands Making Our Planet Hoppy Image by Sierra Nevada #organicbeer #sustainablebeer #organicbeerbrands #bestorganicbeer #sustainablebeercompanies #sustainablebeenpractices #sustainablejungle
Image by Sierra Nevada
9 Sustainable & Organic Beer Brands Making Our Planet Hoppy Image by Toast Ale #organicbeer #sustainablebeer #organicbeerbrands #bestorganicbeer #sustainablebeercompanies #sustainablebeenpractices #sustainablejungle
Image by Toast Ale

9 Sustainable & Organic Beer Brands Making Our Planet Hoppy

The SJ Team


There’s nothing quite like cracking open a crisp beer at the end of long work week or after toiling in your sustainable garden all day.

But do you know what’s better than a fresh beer?

The taste of an organic beer made through sustainable brewing practices and ingredients. 

Although not every brand on our list is certified organic, we cover some of the most sustainable breweries to help you party and drink responsibly. 

So break out the sustainable snacks, pop open a cold one, and raise a glass to learning how to be a sustainable beer drinker.

A Toast To The Top Organic & Sustainable Beer Companies

Toast Ale goes above and beyond sustainable by offering zero waste beer made using otherwise wasted bread byproducts.

For an organic light beer that’s equally light on the planet, Peak Organic Brewing offers a range of all-organic options—including ultralight organic hard seltzers—using mostly local ingredients.

But what is an organic beer and is organic beer worth it?

To find out, you (beer) can jump to the bottom of the article to learn more about organic beer benefits and how these brands made our happy hour hit list.

The Full List Of Sustainable Breweries


1. Toast Ale

9 Sustainable & Organic Beer Brands Making Our Planet Hoppy Images by Toast Ale #organicbeer #sustainablebeer #organicbeerbrands #bestorganicbeer #sustainablebeercompanies #sustainablebeenpractices #sustainablejungle
Images by Toast Ale

About Toast Ale’s Zero Waste Beer

You won’t beer-lieve what Toast Ale is doing with its vegan, award-winning craft beer. 

Bread is one of the largest food wastes in the UK, with 20 million slices of bread going unwanted every day. This sustainable brewing company uses this fresh surplus bread to replace 25% of the malted barley in their brewing process.

Not a bad food waste solution, we’d say!

The bread must be fully traceable and have known ingredients and allergens, ensuring a high-quality product.

This sustainable food brand turns this otherwise landfill-bound byproduct into eco-friendly beers, like light, refreshing lagers, and a bright, tropical American pale ale. 

Toast also makes IPAs, craft lagers, and traditional pale ales, which can all be purchased in aluminum cans or glass bottles.

Toast Ale’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

We’d like to make a Toast to Toast’s ethical and sustainability practices.

The Certified B Corp measures their carbon emissions and is committed to reaching NetZero by 2030. They use reusable steel kegs through Kegstar, while many brewers utilize Key Kegs made from single-use plastic. 

Through a collaboration with Change Please, Toast Ale has also opened a Good Company, a cafe and taproom that brews “life-changing coffee by day and planet-saving beer by night”.

All coffee sale profits go toward Change Please’s mission to end homelessness, while all beer profits go to charities “fixing the food system”.

Toast has also donates 1% of overall revenue to charities supporting sustainable food systems. Their leading charity partner is Feedback, a global leader against food waste.


2. Sierra Nevada

9 Sustainable & Organic Beer Brands Making Our Planet HoppyImages by Sierra Nevada#organicbeer #sustainablebeer #organicbeerbrands #bestorganicbeer #sustainablebeercompanies #sustainablebeenpractices #sustainablejungle
Images by Sierra Nevada

About Sierra Nevada’s Sustainable Brewing

Chances are, you’ve seen the green cans in your local supermarket from Sierra Nevada.

The sustainable brewery is dedicated to high-quality, low-impact brewing by investing in the most extensive solar power setup in the alcohol industry.

While not exclusively an organic beer brand, Sierra Nevada’s core organic and all-natural line-up includes a crisp pale ale, a medium-bodied organic ale, and a hoppy IPA with a citrusy aroma and a complex, malty flavor.

You can also find seasonal and limited releases alongside non-alcoholic options. 

Sierra Nevada’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

The main thing separating Sierra Nevada from other natural breweries is its sustainable brewing practices. 

In addition to utilizing 10,750 solar panels to power beer production in its Chico, California facility, Sierra Nevada’s sustainable brewing practices also include on-site water recycling and spent grain composting. Several times a day, tractors come by to collect their spent grain and deliver it to regional cattle and dairy farms.

They maintain three acres of hops, 25 acres of barley and rotational crops, and two acres of garden—all certified USDA organic.

Their North Carolina brewing facility is the first LEED Certified production brewery in the US, and they have the largest solar array in craft beer at their Chico, CA production facility.


3. Upslope Brewing

9 Sustainable & Organic Beer Brands Making Our Planet Hoppy Images by Upslope Brewing #organicbeer #sustainablebeer #organicbeerbrands #bestorganicbeer #sustainablebeercompanies #sustainablebeenpractices #sustainablejungle
Images by Upslope Brewing

About Upslope Brewing’s Sustainable Brewing

When it comes to sustainable brewing, Colorado is Rocky Mountain High on our list of the best places to buy organic beer.

Based in Boulder, flavorful, low-impact, and full-bodied beer are Upslope Brewing’s primary concerns.

The sustainable craft beer brewery doesn’t use any glass bottles, utilizing recyclable aluminum cans instead, which are lighter to ship. 

Upslope’s outer packaging is made from 100% recycled cardboard with sustainable forestry certification from the SFI.

Besides traditional options, like IPAs and pale ales, Upslope creates an organic beer with unique flavors, like Blackberry Lemon Sour Ales and Pumpkin Ales. The Pumpkin Ale, in particular, is made with organic ingredients, like baby bear pumpkins. 

Upslope Brewing’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Upslope Brewing is a Certified B Corp, ensuring ethical practices in their supply chain, production process, and working conditions.

Not only that, but they know how to make a brewery sustainable.

Solar panels generate 10% of the energy at their breweries, their Miura boiler is 20% more efficient than industry standard ones, and thanks to their Flow Meter Project, they can monitor their water use. A normal barrel of beer uses about seven barrels of water, while Upslope’s use only four.

All Upslope events are zero waste and their facilities have over 98% solid waste landfill diversion through composting, recycling, and spent grain donation.

Upslope donates to over 175 nonprofits every year, with 1% of their craft lager sales going to the freshwater wildlife conservation nonprofit Trout Unlimited.

The organic beer brand also treats its employees very well, with paid time off for volunteer work, additional funds for outdoor activities, and financial support to buy their first home.


4. Peak Organic Brewing Co.

9 Sustainable & Organic Beer Brands Making Our Planet Hoppy Images by Peak Organic Brewing Co #organicbeer #sustainablebeer #organicbeerbrands #bestorganicbeer #sustainablebeercompanies #sustainablebeenpractices #sustainablejungle
Images by Peak Organic Brewing Co

About Peak Organic Brewing Co’s Ultra Organic Beer

As their name suggests, Peak Organic Brewing Co. is just about the most sustainable craft brewery offering entirely organic and locally-sourced ingredients.

Natural ingredients and sustainable practices come together in the form of premium organic beers, like a toasty amber ale, full-flavored IPAs, and even hard seltzers.

The Peak Beer Organic IPA is a local favorite in Portland, Maine, with Simcoe, Amarillo, and Nugget hops.

Peak Organic Brewing Co’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Peak organic beer utilizes organic ingredients from local farmers. Peak believes using local ingredients from small farms produces the best flavor. 

You can find several of their partners on their website, such as the organic Oeschner Farm in Ithaca, New York.


5. New Belgium Brewing Company

9 Sustainable & Organic Beer Brands Making Our Planet Hoppy Images by New Belgium Brewing Company #organicbeer #sustainablebeer #organicbeerbrands #bestorganicbeer #sustainablebeercompanies #sustainablebeenpractices #sustainablejungle
Images by New Belgium Brewing Company

About New Belgium Brewing Company’s Beer Sustainability

Beer consumers across the world are familiar with the sustainable beer brand New Belgium Brewing Company.

They produce several different craft beer flavors, like the Voodoo Ranger line composed of various IPAs and ales. 

But Fat Tire is one of the oldest and best organic beers on the market. “Crisp, bright, and easy-drinking”, it’s been a staple in American beer culture for years and for good reason.

Taste aside, it became America’s first certified carbon-neutral beer in 2020, made with sustainable production practices and lightweight packaging.

New Belgium Brewing Company’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

As a Certified B Corp and 1% For the Planet member, New Belgium Brewing Company is a standout in the beer industry.

Although Fat Tire is their first carbon-neutral beer, they aim to have all craft beers carbon-neutral by 2030.

Besides brewing organic beer, New Belgium is an inclusive company with diversity training, comprehensive audits, and support for LGBTQ+ employees.

New Belgium also supports environmental impact reduction initiatives by donating to various organizations and encouraging employees to bike to work, reducing their transportation footprint in the process.


6. Ninkasi Brewery

9 Sustainable & Organic Beer Brands Making Our Planet Hoppy Images by Ninkasi Brewery #organicbeer #sustainablebeer #organicbeerbrands #bestorganicbeer #sustainablebeercompanies #sustainablebeenpractices #sustainablejungle
Images by Ninkasi Brewery

About Ninkasi Brewery’s Sustainable Beer Brewing

As far as craft brewers are concerned, the team at Ninkasi Brewery is dedicated to creating high-quality and ethical beers.

Ninkasi strives to use sustainable brewing solutions in all of its products.

They have several flavors and varieties of beer, including pale ale, pilsners, IPAs, stouts, and more. 

Ninkasi Brewery’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

The Oregon brewery has made several efforts towards sustainability, like using recycled and local construction materials, energy-efficient appliances, energy recovery systems, and more.

Ninkasi’s Beer Is Love program provides beer donations to nonprofit organizations in any community where their products are sold. 

Through the program, they have supported organizations bolstering causes like animals, arts & music, equality, outdoors, and women’s rights.


7. Eel River Brewing Company

9 Sustainable & Organic Beer Brands Making Our Planet Hoppy Images by Eel River Brewing Company #organicbeer #sustainablebeer #organicbeerbrands #bestorganicbeer #sustainablebeercompanies #sustainablebeenpractices #sustainablejungle
Images by Eel River Brewing Company

About Eel River Brewing Company’s Organic Beer

For organic beer brands, Eel River Brewing Company is a pint above the rest. 

As the first brewery to become certified organic in the country, Eel River produces some of the highest-quality organic beers on the market.

They offer several organic beer options, like the California Blonde, Amber Ale, Organic IPA, and Climax 100. Described as “beer for beer’s sake” the latter is their effort to bring back simple, classic brews, made with only organic malt, hops, yeast, and water.

Eel River Brewing Company’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

Eel River Brewing Company’s organic beers are certified by the California Certified Organic Farmers (CCOF). 

This organic certification ensures their products meet strict organic standards and undergo an annual inspection.


8. Great Lakes Brewing Company

9 Sustainable & Organic Beer Brands Making Our Planet Hoppy Images by Great Lakes Brewing Company #organicbeer #sustainablebeer #organicbeerbrands #bestorganicbeer #sustainablebeercompanies #sustainablebeenpractices #sustainablejungle
Images by Great Lakes Brewing Company

About Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Brewery Sustainability

Great Lakes Brewing Company is located right by Lake Erie, crafting eco beer while keeping the environment in mind. 

The brewery sources local ingredients whenever possible and works with partners that share their values of sustainability, community, and fair working conditions.

They offer a wide array of brews, including seasonal and year-round options. 

You can also find on-tap brews at their pub in the Ohio City neighborhood. If you’re in the area, enjoy a zero waste beer by bringing your own refillable growler for a discounted fill.

Great Lakes Brewing Company’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

The eco-friendly brewery does a lot when it comes to sustainability. 

Their spent grain finds new life as soil and feed for livestock. Their low-fill beers are used for sauces, soups, sausage, and soap, encouraging circularity. 

Great Lakes has also reduced its water usage through its bottling and cleaning process. They also use solar energy to power their brewery in Cleveland, Ohio. 

They also partnered with various Cleveland organizations to form Ohio City Farm, one of the largest urban farms producing vegetables and herbs for local restaurants.


9. Heineken

9 Sustainable & Organic Beer Brands Making Our Planet Hoppy Images by Heineken #organicbeer #sustainablebeer #organicbeerbrands #bestorganicbeer #sustainablebeercompanies #sustainablebeenpractices #sustainablejungle
Images by Heineken

About Heineken’s Sustainable Beer Practices

Easily the biggest name on this list, Heineken is becoming one of our favorite green beer can brands—and not just because their cans and bottles are actually green.

Although not traditionally an eco-friendly beer company, they’ve come a long way concerning sustainable brewing practices.

This Dutch brewing company now uses recycled materials and ingredients from sustainable sources to craft some of the most premium imported products in the brewing industry—and we can certainly cheers to that.

Heineken’s Ethical & Sustainability Practices

67% of Heineken’s barley and 97% of their hops come from sustainable sources, and in France, they are at 100%. 

They have two breweries working with 100% renewable energy in Austria and are working on expanding their efforts to increase the sustainability of their traditional beer.

Heineken minimizes the number of materials they use, with all of their carton packs FSC certified with recycled glass and aluminum.

But there are countless ways to make brewing more sustainable without sacrificing either of these things, and some of the sustainable brewing companies in our list have adopted these methods. 

Beer production requires a LOT of water—about 300 liters per one liter of beer. Reducing water usage is possible through closed-loop systems and waterless cleaning methods. 

Brewers can also use renewable energy through solar and wind power.

Eco-friendly packaging, locally sourced ingredients, and carbon offset programs are other ways beer companies can do their part in the fight against climate change. 


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How We Chose The Best Sustainable Beer Brands

Sustainable living doesn’t only include refitting your wardrobe and home with low-impact goods. It also means filling your pantry and fridge with sustainable foods and beverages.

When it comes to craft beer, sustainable business practices are often secondary to things like taste (duh) and alcohol content. 

But there are countless ways to make brewing more sustainable without sacrificing either of these things, and some of the sustainable brewing companies in our list have adopted these methods. 

So what is a sustainable beer, and how can beer companies be more sustainable?

Ingredients and sourcing:

Some of the factors we look for include organic, non-GMO, and locally grown ingredients. 

What’s the difference between organic beer and regular beer?

Organic beer utilizes natural ingredients and resources with ethical farming, manufacturing, and brewing processes.

Organic beer benefits the environment by not relying on biodiversity destroying and soil diminishing fertilizers and pesticides, and it benefits drinkers by ensuring none of those chemicals linger in your lager.

But organic crops aren’t the only way to promote responsible drinking. Ingredients sourced from regenerative agriculture and upcycled grains are also on-tap. 

Supply chain & labor practices:

In addition to sustainability certifications that ensure our brews are better for the planet, manufacturing certifications and transparent supply chains ensure they’re better for workers, too.

Fortunately, many of these sustainable breweries are 100% USA-based, meaning all ingredient sourcing and brewing is done domestically under stricter labor guidelines.

Carbon commitments & green business practices: 

Sustainable brewing practices can also involve using renewable energy sources, like solar or wind power, to power the brewing process.

Breweries doing their part to offset their carbon dioxide emissions and footprint are our favorite stops on our pub crawl. This can include renewable energy, carbon offset programs, solar and wind power, and anything else to reduce their carbon footprint

Sustainable packaging:

Beer is often packaged in single-use packaging, like aluminum cans and glass bottles. Both are fortunately recyclable, though aluminum is slightly preferable because of the lower weight and lower associated shipping emissions. 

Still, we encourage you to go directly to these breweries if you can and opt for growler refills to reduce packaging altogether.


Final Thoughts On Organic & Sustainable Beer

Drinking responsibly doesn’t just end with calling an Uber home—although you should do that, too. 

It stretches to purchasing brews from sustainable beer companies using responsibly sourced ingredients, carbon offsetting programs, and ethical manufacturing processes. 

So, is organic beer worth it?

Considering organic ingredients mean less harmful chemicals for both the environment and your eco-friendly 4th of July BBQ, we certainly think so—not to mention they create a drink with better flavor.

Have a friend who’s always ready to crack open a cold one?

Send them this list of organic beer brands to help them cheer for good health and environmental sustainability.

Pin these:
9 Sustainable & Organic Beer Brands Making Our Planet Hoppy Image by Heineken #organicbeer #sustainablebeer #organicbeerbrands #bestorganicbeer #sustainablebeercompanies #sustainablebeenpractices #sustainablejungle
9 Sustainable & Organic Beer Brands Making Our Planet Hoppy Image by Ninkasi Brewery #organicbeer #sustainablebeer #organicbeerbrands #bestorganicbeer #sustainablebeercompanies #sustainablebeenpractices #sustainablejungle

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