Lager Lovers and Responsible Beer Drinkers Rejoice - Certified Organic Beer is Here and Available Near You

Patagonia Provisions x Topa Topa Brewing Co. Kernza® Lager can officially add a small but significant seal to its packaging: USDA certified organic. Brewed with the soil-saving and carbon-capturing Kernza grain, a certified organic wheatlike perennial developed by The Land Institute, this lager demonstrates that beer can be both delicious and have a positive environmental impact, the joint mission behind Topa Topa and Patagonia Provisions, both 1% for the Planet members.

While the lager is not new to Topa Topa's lineup, achieving the certified organic seal on the product and securing placement in three major grocers in Southern California is indeed a brand-new addition to the nine-year-old brewery’s accomplishments. Local fans may know Kernza Lager as an intermittent specialty release – due to supply chain restraints, manufacturing complexities, and harvest irregularities – but not anymore. This climate-friendly lager is now available on a regular basis at all five Topa Taprooms and multiple convenient SoCal grocers from San Luis Obispo to San Diego.

Non-organic beers are typically brewed with barley and hops grown with synthetic fertilizers, which account for about 10% of agricultural emissions. Reducing that impact by brewing with organic ingredients can help protect waterways, biodiversity, soil health, and the climate. Topa Topa’s Kernza Lager grain bill also includes heirloom Regenerative Organic Certified® White Sonora wheat from Oatman Farms in Arizona.

The collaborative journey to stabilizing the supply chain of this soil-saving beer has been a little over two years in the making, as part of Patagonia Provisions’ mission to make delicious, nutritious foods and beverages that help fight the environmental crisis. In working with Kernza, Topa Topa Brewing Co. COO, Founder & Brewmaster Casey Harris discovered ways to adapt his brewing process to further maximize efficiency and make the grain’s unique flavor shine.

“Kernza acts a little differently than other conventional barley or wheat crops,” says Harris. “The smaller kernel can make it tough to get a fine grind in our mill, so after much trial and error, we are happy with the final process. The unique personality and flavor profiles of Regenerative Organic Certified (ROC™) ingredients offer consumers new nuances to pick up on when tasting ROC versus conventionally farmed ingredients, which has been rewarding to see.”

Harris views this certification as a way to increase visibility on the craft beer ingredient supply chain while providing a high-quality product that alters the perception of organic beers. “Climate change is here. This is our opportunity to raise awareness for ROC raw ingredients, the farmers, and their mission to get their hard work into beer.”

“Moving the craft beer industry towards organic and regenerative ingredients is an important lever we can pull for the planet,” says Paul Lightfoot, general manager of Patagonia Provisions. “It’s overdue, and necessary, for the health of our planet. We can’t continue brewing beer – or any product, really – using crops grown with synthetic fertilizers and pesticides. By working with a values-aligned partner like Topa Topa Brewing Co., a leader in the craft brewing industry that values the positive impact of responsible agriculture, we can build momentum for this movement.”

Earning organic certification required a rigorous review of the production facility, which Harris oversaw earlier this year.

“Organic certification is very thorough, but unlike other regulations a production facility must meet, there is a genuine feeling of support towards a bigger cause. Every point of the manufacturing process, from supply chain sourcing to water composition, is vetted to earn that tiny green seal. The folks over at Oregon Tilth were a tremendous resource and truly championed the process of becoming certified. Now, when I see the USDA seal on products, I know firsthand the journey those raw materials had to take. It is one thing to use organic ingredients, which anyone can put on a label, but to source USDA-certified organic material is an entirely different commitment.”

It may be a small badge of honor, but it is reassuring to know the great lengths folks go through to ensure the integrity of the raw material,” adds Harris.

Kernza Lager 6-packs can be found across Southern California at Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, Vons and other retailers in Topa Topa’s distribution network.

• Patagonia Provisions x Topa Topa Brewing Co. Kernza® Lager

• Light, crisp, wildly drinkable - 4.7% ABV

Topa Topa® Brewing Co. was founded in 2015 in Ventura, CA, nestled between the Topa Topa mountains in Ojai and the salty shores of the Pacific Ocean. With five taprooms along California’s southern central coast, Topa Topa is upheld by a trifecta of values: quality, craftsmanship, and community spirit. This means using the freshest ingredients, working with the most skilled brewers around, and thriving on uplifting and unifying our community. Topa Topa is a proud member of 1% for the Planet, donating at least 1% annual sales to local, approved environmental partners.