Widmer Brothers Brewing Celebrates Earth Day With Tierra Biera SMaSH Pilsner

In time to celebrate Earth Day Widmer Brothers Brewing released its latest beer from its Innovation Brewery, Tierra Biera, a single malt and single hop (SMaSH) pilsner. This new small batch beer was brewed with both Salmon-Safe hops from Roy Farms and malt from Mainstem Malt.

Yesterday Widmer Brothers assisted in a clean-up effort with Green Streets in the local Eliot Neighborhood that surrounds the brewery. This initiative included Portland’s chapter of Surfrider Foundation, Salmon Safe along with the City of Portland. The streets that surround the brewery need periodic maintenance to ensure that bioswales continue to filter pollutants in stormwater runoff prior to reaching the nearby Willamette River and salmon habitat.

Tierra Biera is a SMaSH pilsner that is brewed exclusively with Salmon-Safe Pilsner malt and Salmon-Safe Azacca hops. Proceeds from the sale of that beer will go to the Portland chapter of the Surfrider Foundation.

“We wanted to brew a small batch beer especially for Earth Day, one that we could share with our guests in the pub as a way to bring attention to and support local partners that are committed to protecting our natural resources,” said Tom Bleigh, Innovation Brewmaster, Widmer Brothers Brewing in a news release.

Widmer Brothers Brewing Fires Up Its Innovation Brewery

Yesterday’s cleanup efforts towards Earth Day along with the Tierra Biera release build on Widmer Brothers long-term sustainability commitment. This effort began with Kurt and Rob Widmer themselves as the brothers helped launch the Oregon Brewshed Alliance that protects Oregon’s watersheds. Kurt and his wife Ann participated in yesterday’s Earth Day cleanup effort, and Ann plays a key role on the Widmer Brothers Sustainability Committee.

Over the course of the past year Widmer Brothers Brewing conducted the following it its sustainability efforts.

• Widmer Brothers is a leader in water to beer ratio, using 3.77 gallons of water per gallon of beer, with a goal to hit 3.47 gallons of water per gallon of beer this year.
• Widmer Brothers has made a concerted effort to tackle carbon intensity, resulting in world-class carbon efficiency per barrel of beer brewed. The brewery uses 10 kWh/BBL and 1.1 therms/BBL. With the help of Energy Trust of Oregon, the brewery hit 22.06 lbs of CO2/BBL this past year.
• Widmer Brothers sent 13,000 tons of spent grains to local farms, which helped divert 99.5% of the brewery’s total waste from landfills.

Tierra Biera Brewery Description:
Tierra Biera is a SMASH (Single Malt and Single Hop) lager made with Salmon Safe Pilsner Malt form Maltstem and Salmon Safe Azacca hops from Roy Farms. The ending result is a hop forward lager with emphasis on hop flavor and aroma without bitterness. This well balanced Earth and Salmon conscious beer is ripe with tropical fruit and melon flavors. This simple malt and hop Lager anything but simple and infinitely green!

FLAVOR POINTS
Ripe tropical and melon flavor aromas
Straightforward pilsner
Full flavor, bold aroma

INGREDIENTS
Malts: Mainstem Salmon-Safe Pilsner Malt
Hops: Bittering – Salmon-Safe Azacca; Flavor & Aroma: Salmon-Safe Azacca
ABV:  5.4%
IBU: 35

Look for additional new beers from the Innovation Brewery each week as this brewery usually releases at least one new beer per week. Currently the Widmer Brothers Pub is serving Rainy Days and Mondays, a new hazy IPA along with Crystal Gale Goschie, Koln At Midnight and Swabian Wheat.