Organic hops, maybe?

Your beer might soon become all-organic

By Culinate staff

October 28, 2010

Not all products labeled “organic” are 100 percent organic. If an ingredient accounts for less than 5 percent of a product’s total weight, it doesn’t have to be organic — a loophole that’s long been a boon for beer producers, who would have to spend two to three times as much to buy certified-organic hops.

That might change in the next few years, though, since the National Organic Standards Board may soon require organic beer to contain organic hops. This could be good — or not. As the Oregonian reported:

Organic yields are lower and less predictable than conventional harvests, [says Jim Solberg, the co-founder and CEO of Indie Hops], worrying brewers in an industry that relies on multi-year contracts with farmers. And beer drinkers, unlike consumers of other organic products, don’t seem as willing to pay big premiums for organic beer.

Will you pay more, or not?