No clean water, no good beer.

By Eric Pepa

It’s not just a cute tag line; it really is a profound statement

We do take clean water for granted, especially here near the great lakes, where fresh water is abundant. But in few arenas is water quality more important than in the brewing of beer. Brewers go to extraordinary lengths to make sure the water used in the brewing process has the right pH balance, mineral content, etc. Having a good base to start with is very important.

Taste an assortment of excellent craft beers

To emphasize the point, we’ve selected an assortment of excellent craft beers, to be savored and enjoyed at our annual fundraiser, “No Clean Water, No Good Beer”. As lovers of craft beers know, there has been a boom in the number of craft breweries in the United States over the past several years. In fact, the total number of breweries has more than doubled since 2010, from about 1,800 to over 4,200 in 2015. With so many good, quality beers to choose from, we’ve tried to provide an assortment of beer types and breweries; some very local, some far away; some with large production, some very small. With all that variety, you are bound to find a new beer you just love.

 

Meet 9 craft breweries

All in all, nine craft breweries will have beers for sampling at the fundraiser Monday August 8^th at Bandito Barney’s in East Dundee. Four are “out of town” and five are local breweries. The most distant are Allagash from Portland Maine and Ballast Point from San Diego, CA. Left Hand is from the Denver area and Bells is out of Kalamazoo, MI. Of the local brews, three are from Chicago: Lagunitas, Pipeworks and Revolution. Finally, the two closest are Crystal Lake Brewing out of Crystal Lake, IL and Wild Onion out of Lake Barrington. In fact, the closest two brewers are within the Fox River watershed and draw water by way of their local water supply from aquifers fed by the watershed. In terms of size, these breweries span the gamut: from Lagunitas, the 6^th largest, which brews 640,000 barrels per year to Crystal Lake, which brews less than 3,000 barrels per year. Each brewery will have several of their best beers available for tasting.

Are you ready to taste all these beers?

Get your tickets now and receive a free 1 year membership to the Friends of the Fox River.