Operating under the slogan “Beer is agriculture,” San Francisco-based Almanac Beer Co. has carved out its own niche in the burgeoning craft brewing industry with its “farm-to-bottle” beer model. The brewery collaborates with select northern California sustainable farms to create artisanal ales using locally sourced seasonal ingredients, such as the organic baby fennel used in its spring release, Biere de Mars.
Almanac Beer Co. presented its local-centric business model with Standing Stone Brewing, Ashland, Ore., and Fullsteam, Durham, N.C., during a “Brew Local! Supporting Local Economies, Farms and Culinary Cultures” panel discussion at the Craft Brewers Conference & BrewExpo America, May 2-5 in San Diego. Standing Stone leased a 265-acre parcel of land where it raises chickens and additional animals on land fertilized by natural food and brewing waste from its nearby brewpub. Fullsteam creates products, including Carver sweet potato lager and Hogwash hickory-smoked brown porter, based on its desire to define a “Southern brewery.” For some of its “plow-to-pint” releases, Fullsteam requests that area patrons help collect wild fruits, such as persimmons, to be used in the brewing process.