Live Locally, Drink Locally

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Memorial Day weekend is coming up, eh? For many Americans, that means one thing: BEER.

The Hun loves Portsmouth. - photo from flickr.com/18474854@N00

Your average beer is created out of grains grown in one place and refined in another, plus water gathered and distilled yet somewhere else. After brewing, it is poured into cans or bottles made from precious natural resources. Then it gets on a series of boats, trains and trucks, finally landing at your corner store where you pick it up, drive it to some remote natural setting, consume it and (if you’re trying to be “responsible”) cart the empties back to be placed ceremoniously in the recycle bin.

Like you’re saving the world or some shit.

So here’s an idea for the caring alcoholic out there: this weekend, get your beer from the local brewery (or if you are le snob, wine from the local winery). Buy a growler or seventeen and fill them with whatever fresh, delicious microbrew you choose. Then keep a growler in permanent rotation at your house: instead of consuming piles of bottles and cans, just use the one.

I don’t need to tell you that buying locally-brewed spirits helps your local economy, saves a massive amount of fossil fuels, and reduces waste while increasing deliciousness factor.

So… why not try it this weekend?

PS – Quiet Earp has been teaching me how to make beer, and we’re putting an instructional together so you can do-it-yourself. Look for that real soon.