Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Co. run by the husband and wife team of Chad Brill and Emily Thomas, is officially brewing entirely organic brews now – an emerging trend in the brewing industry (think Peaks Organic, or Wolavers, who distributes organic beer nationally)… well, in the U.S. as a whole, I guess. According to The San Jose Mercury News,
“Getting organic certification was a real process,” says Brill, 34, who handles most of the brewing, although Thomas, 32, brews a batch now and then, including a prizewinner. Her brother, and co-founder, Nick Thomas, 25, also helps brew.
“There was a lot of paperwork required, and the first year, we had a problem with our filtration . . . the diatomaceous earth,” Brill says. “We couldn’t get a statement of the source of the earth from the factory it came from. So we discontinued filtration”.
So the pair decided to release their beers without filtration – the “natural state, right out of the fermenter”, they say.
For Brill and Thomas, going organic was an easy decision. “It’s our way of life,” Thomas says. “We care about the environment. I was raised here in Santa Cruz eating organic food.”
For more information on Santa Cruz Mountain Brewing Co. and where to find yourself a pint, visit: www.santacruzmountainbrewing.com
