GRAND RAPIDS — The Forest Friendly Brewery Project is a nonprofit with a mission to acknowledge forests and good forest management contribute greatly to the clean waters of Minnesota, and great beer.
Forest to Tap is a red pine seedling giveaway set for 5-8 p.m. Friday, April 21, at participating breweries in Northern Minnesota.
Kathleen Preece is an associate with Dovetail Partners, an environmental think tank in Minnesota. She and Rich Courtemanche, brewer and owner of Block North Brew Pub in Aitkin, appeared on the Tuesday, April 18, KAXE Morning Show to share more about the event.
Preece explained a group of people with forestry backgrounds came together to discuss ways to increase education for citizens about the connection between good forest management and water quality. The idea of partnering with local breweries arose from that effort.
“I was part of that group and came up with the idea, thankfully, through people like Rich, that a lot of folks visit the craft breweries,” Preece said. “And they're ... our kind of folks: down to earth, love the land and are interested in the connection between forests and the amenities they provide.”
Courtemanche said healthy water is inextricably linked with producing good food and beer.
“The human taste can really know the difference between poor water and good water and so when we're starting with great water, we get great results,” Courtemanche said. “All these breweries know that, because we have great beer.”
With a background in forestry, Courtemanche said the tree giveaway highlights positive forest management practices in the state — something about which he is passionate.
“We have these images of rainforest deforestation and that's not what we have in Minnesota. We have true forest management. We're not forest mining, we're forest management,” he said. “We're creating better forests, healthier forests, more diverse forests here.”
Northern Minnesota brewers participating as a group further emphasizes the importance of water quality to not only their businesses, but the region in general, Courtemanche said.
“It just shows kind of a unified front of what we think of good forest management and why we're here,” he said. “We're brewing great beer with great water because of good land management and that includes the forestry program for public and private landowners.”
KAXE’s spring fundraiser is underway and Preece and Courtemanche offered 10 seedlings to the first new KAXE member attending Forest to Tap at Bemidji, Block North in Aitkin or Klockow Brewing in Grand Rapids.
Among those taking part are Bemidji Brewing in Bemidji, Klockow Brewing Co. in Grand Rapids, Block North Brew Pub in Aitkin, Portage Brewing Co. in Walker, Big Axe Brewing Co. and Roundhouse Brewery in Nisswa, Cuyuna Brewing Co. in Crosby, 14 Lakes Craft Brewing Co. in Crosslake, and Jack Pine Brewery in Baxter.
Dovetail Partners, according to its website, works to empower locally owned breweries to pledge sustainable use of water resources in brewery processes and promote the connection of forests and clean water through community events.