If you like to make your fair trade coffee Irish, I’m guessing you’ll like your beer made fair trade too! Peak Organic Brewing in Portland, Maine, has made the first fair trade certified beer: Peak Organic Brewing Company’s Espresso Amber Ale.
No, the beer itself wasn’t made in a far-off country. The fair trade ingredient in the beer’s the espresso, a dark Sumatran coffee blend roasted locally by a Maine company called Coffee by Design. That local roast was then combined with local beer to create the Espresso Amber Ale.
Unfortunately, I haven’t yet been able to taste this beer because it’s only available in stores in the Northeast. I guess they’re keeping it local! Next time I’m in Maine — which would be the first time I’m in Maine — I look forward to trying this local, organic, and fair trade brew — and enjoying its caffeinated buzz.
Earlier: Fermenting Revolution
Image via Peak Organic
I have yet to try a beer with coffee in it but Sumatran was my favorite origin back when I roasted coffee for JustUs. I was a coffee roaster when the Tsunami hit Sumatra. The coffee growing regions were not affected (high elevation) but sadly many of the families being helped by fair trade had children in university in the city and lives were lost. The coffee storehouse was empty when the disaster happened and it was put to use as emergency shelter.
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Comment by Martin — March 8, 2009 @ 10:49 am
Peak is at Vendome in the LA Area. Don’t know if this brew is available, but I got a couple of six packs from Vendome in June.
I’m always on the look out for it, you see I went to summer camp in new hampshire (YMCA Camp Belknap) with most of the guys at peak organic and most of the people on the labels :)
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Comment by Ian — March 9, 2009 @ 9:17 pm