The Carbon Footprint of Bottles and Cans: Post 3 of 3

New Planet Beer has been weighing the pros and cons of bottles vs. cans in recent blog posts. One aspect of the argument that we have not discussed is the carbon footprint resulting from production of bottles and cans. It’s a complicated debate that hinges on looking at the complete lifecycle of a product, called the Cradle-to-Cradle approach. Some of the debate points are:

  1. Raw material extraction and processing – what is the raw material being used (sand for glass bottles or bauxite ore for aluminum cans), where is it being extracted, and what is the energy effort required for extract?
  2. Production process – how much energy is required to convert raw material to product? What is the energy grid that the production process is occurring on (nuclear power, hydroelectric, coal)? What type of emissions is released in production process?
  3. Transport of finished goods – How much does it cost to move product to brewery and then to sale?
  4. End-of-life management – How much is the product recycled? How much is the recycled product used in the process of new product (how much recycled glass used in glass, etc.)?

As you can see this blog post can’t begin to cover in depth these issues. It can get very overwhelming when studying carbon footprint analyses as it’s hard to know where one individual or even a small company can affect change.

What we’ve learned is that one of the most important things we can do is to recycle. The more we recycle bottles or cans, the fewer raw materials are needed for production. That is why we named our 2nd style of beer 3R Raspberry Ale.  The 3 R’s stand for Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle and a portion of the beer’s proceeds goes to recycling education. The first part of the New Year we’ll be announcing New Planet Beer’s exciting new partnership with an organization that truly lives the 3 R’s.

Keep Recycling!

A Gluten-Free Holiday

The Holidays are in full swing… and while the strands of lights, wreaths and decoration exude the warm feeling of Holiday cheer, the ginger bread houses, stuffing, breads, and winter ales can make the festive gatherings a very un-merry time for those with gluten sensitivities and celiac.

We don’t want any of our fans left out in the cold.  Below are some excellent gluten-free holiday suggestions to compliment an ice cold glass of New Planet Beer.

Pumpkin potato gratin & mushroom swiss chard from Chef Joseph George

Ingredients

  • 1 quart heavy cream
  • 1 16oz. can pumpkin puree
  • 8 peeled potatoes
  • 1 T. nutmeg mixed with 1 T. cinnamon
  • Salt and pepper
  • 1 pound grated parmesan Reggiano

Directions

Grease a 9×13 baking pan.  In a small container, mix pumpkin puree, cream and cinnamon mixture.  On a mandolin, slice potatoes very thin, layer potato, cream mixture, salt and pepper then parmesan.  Continue again until pan is full to the top.  Bake covered at 350 degrees for 45 minutes (or until soft all the way through), bake uncovered for an additional 10 minutes until golden brown.  Let rest at room temperature for 15 minutes before cutting.

Mushroom Braised Swiss Chard

Ingredients

  • 8 stalks Swiss chard – julienned
  • 4 pints button mushrooms – sliced
  • 3 peeled shallots – diced
  • 1 bunch fresh thyme
  • 1 head garlic cut in half
  • Salt and pepper
  • 12 oz. white wine
  • ½ pound butter
  • Juice of 2 lemons

Directions
In a medium rondo pan, place mushrooms, shallots, thyme, garlic, wine, butter and lemon cook on medium heat covered for approx. 15 minutes.  The mushrooms should release a good amount of liquid, at this time, add the Swiss chard and simmer for 5-7 minutes covered.  Strain and serve.

Assembly
Cut potato gratin into squares, place over braised Swiss chard/mushroom mixture.  Garnish with fried onions, shaved Reggiano or fresh vegetables.

Recipe provided by: My Kids Eat Squid


Gluten Free Gingersnap Cookies from Gluten-Free Goddess

Ingredients: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

  • 1 cup sorghum flour (also called jowar flour)
  • 1 cup tapioca starch/flour
  • 1/2 cup Bob’s Red Mill Hazelnut Flour or Almond Flour
  • 1 cup light brown sugar
  • 1 teaspoon ground ginger
  • 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
  • 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 1/4 teaspoons xanthan gum
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda

Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl.

Add in:

  • 1/2 cup Spectrum Organic Shortening
  • 1/4 cup unsulphured molasses

Use a whisk attachment or pastry cutter to cut in the shortening and molasses. The mixture will be sandy and crumbly.

  • Add in one tablespoon at a time: 4 tablespoons coconut milk

Bake in the center of a preheated oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Repeat the process for the remaining cookie dough.

Makes 3 to 4 dozen cookies, depending upon the size of the cut-outs.

Recipe provided by: Gluten Free Goddess


Enjoy and Happy Holidays from New Planet Beer!





Can it! Post 2 of 3

There’s no sound quite as satisfying as when you crack open a can of ice cold beer. While there are many traditionalists who believe that beer belongs in a bottle, there is a new push to put many kinds of beer in cans. So what’s the difference? In a recent blog post we discussed the benefits of bottling beer.

Why the sudden surge in cans? Below are a few reasons why brewers are looking to cans.

  1. Portability – the ease of taking your beer to public events, pools, music venues where glass is not allowed
  2. Weight – Many folks enjoy taking beer with them into the backcountry and find the ease of packing cans (think of foot stomping crunches) is much easier (and easier on the back) than bottles.
  3. Lower Carbon Footprint – it is reported that cans have a lower carbon footprint than beer containers because they are lighter and more compact in transportation. In addition, cans are more readily recyclable and made from a high percentage of recycled aluminum.

Why do you like cans? Leave a comment below and tell us why.

Bottles vs Cans: Post 1 of 3

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If you are reading this blog, you have likely sampled a New Planet Beer from a brown bottle. And you may have observed some of your glutenoid friends drinking from cans and wondered when you can enjoy the same?  While New Planet Beer is committed to bottles for the near future, we are open to putting our beers in cans.

Walking through the liquor store it is quickly apparent that there is a new trend in the beer industry, cans. No longer are they traditional cans, constrained by the combination of silver, blue, white and red. Today’s can is a canvas, a piece of art, that makes the experience of drinking beer that much more special. But there must be more to it, after all, bottles have been used for centuries.

Below are four reasons that bottles are preferred over cans. We’ll discuss the benefits of cans in a later post.

  1. History – The story goes that a monk stored his beer in a wine bottle and it kept well. Beer has been in brown bottles ever since and eventually evolved to different bottle shapes to accentuate certain qualities of their beer.
  2. Skunked – If light strikes beer it can change its taste and smell. Ultra-violet light chemically changes iso-humulones (isomerized hop oils, which are responsible for the bitterness hops add to beer) into mercaptans, the exact same ingredient in a skunk’s spray!
  3. Taste – Many people feel beer tastes better from the bottle. Aluminum can leave an aftertaste in beer (however, cans now have added a liner to prevent fluctuations in taste, made from BPA, which has its own downsides.)
  4. Temperature control – Glass does a better job keeping the beer cold. Aluminum convects quicker than glass, warming the beer, however, cozies solve this problem.

What are your thoughts? Do you prefer bottles or cans? Leave a comment below and tell us why.

A Gluten-Free Halftime: Recipe 2

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Make your football festivities gluten-free friendly. Gluten-free food + gluten-free beer = a good time! Here is one of our favorite recipes for finger eating football fun, provided by Gluten-Free Goddess.


Nachos Fabuloso Recipe

Your shopping list:

  • 3 heaping cups organic blue corn tortilla chips
  • 3 heaping cups organic yellow corn tortilla chips
  • Extra virgin olive oil, as needed
  • 4 oz. Cheddar or Jack cheese, shredded
  • A big handful of organic sweet grape tomatoes, halved
  • 3 tablespoons chopped pickled jalapenos, or chopped mild green chiles
  • Good chili powder or chipotle powder, to taste
  • Chopped fresh cilantro or parsley, if desired
  • Optional for carnivores- Add pieces of cooked chicken, turkey or grass fed ground beef.

Make it just right:

  1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F. Line a large roasting pan with foil or parchment paper.
  2. Layer the blue and yellow corn tortilla chips in the bottom of the lined pan; drizzle with some extra virgin olive oil [to be truly decadent a la Rocco, pour the chips into a bowl first, drizzle with olive oil, and toss well to coat evenly].
  3. Sprinkle with half of the shredded cheese. Layer the tomatoes, jalapenos, and the remaining shredded cheese. Believe it or not, drizzle a little more olive oil all over the the nachos. Add a dusting of spice, to taste, and chopped cilantro, if desired.
  4. Bake for about seven to ten minutes, or so, until the cheese has melted and the nachos are happy and sizzling.
  5. Crack open some crisp and cold New Planet Gluten-Free Beer, and enjoy!