August Community Tap Partners Focus on Water

Each month our Community Tap program raises support for a local organization that we admire and respect. This summer we turn to organizations that focus on water, one of our most valuable resources. We are taking a stand for water by reducing our water consumption at the brewery, maintaining water neutral operations with the purchase of water credits, and supporting organizations that advocate for clean water.

This month we have partnered with two organizations through our Community Tap program. The Oregon Brewshed Alliance will be BikeBar’s very first Community Tap partner, and Salmon-Safe is the next organization on the line up at our Powell brewpub. Each organization will receive 1% of August pint sale proceeds from the respective brewpub.

You can support Oregon Brewshed Alliance and Salmon Safe by coming in and raising a pint for them. Learn more about both groups below, and you can also meet the people from each organization by coming in to each Community Tap Kickoff:

Oregon Brewshed Alliance | Aug. 3, 6pm | BikeBar | 3947 N. Williams Ave. Portland

Salmon-Safe | Aug. 4, 6pm | Powell Brewpub | 2944 SE Powell Blvd, Portland

OREGON BREWSHED ALLIANCE

An outreach initiative of Oregon Wild, the Oregon Brewshed® Alliance is a coalition of brewers, craft beer affiliates, and conservationists advocating for the protection of forests and watersheds. Together, members of the Alliance work to educate the beer drinking community about protected watersheds and their essential role in Oregon’s celebrated craft brewing industry. Pint nights, special brews, beer fests, and brewshed® hikes serve as a platform for outreach and education, and give craft beer enthusiasts a chance to support the Oregon brewers committed to leadership in sustainability and conservation.

Over the past few months we’ve worked with Marielle Cowdin, the Outreach Coordinator at OBA and Oregon Wild, on a few fun projects that gave us the opportunity to talk about our efforts to conserve water. We asked her why Oregon Wild was interested in putting together this initiative. She said, “Enjoying a cold, local craft beer out in the wilderness is one of my favorite things. We’re Oregonians – enjoying craft beer and the great outdoors are two things we do best. But recognizing the connection between the two is an important step to make sure our wildlands and local brews have a future. It’s a connection that most people haven’t made, which is where the Oregon Brewshed® Alliance comes in.”

SALMON-SAFE

Salmon-Safe’s mission is to inspire the transformation of land management practices so Pacific salmon can thrive in West Coast watersheds. Salmon-Safe has worked cooperatively with more than 400 private landowners and certified approximately 80,000 acres of farmland in critical West Coast salmon watersheds. Founded by river and native fish conservation organization Pacific Rivers Council, Salmon-Safe became an independent Oregon-based nonprofit in 2002.

Salmon-Safe was founded in the late nineties certifying Oregon vineyards for practices that prevent erosion on steep hillsides and enhance wildlife habitat. That project now has transitioned 300 Northwest winegrowers to more ecologically sustainable practices, including nearly half of the Willamette Valley’s vineyard acreage. Salmon-Safe seeks to have the same kind of impact in the craft beer sector where environmentally innovative craft brewers such as Hopworks, Deschutes, Full Sail, Widmer, Worthy, Sierra Nevada, and New Belgium have inspired growers to make profound changes in farming practices to supply certified hops the industry.