After almost three years, Patagonia is growing its beer family.
The company’s food product line, Patagonia Provisions, has released its second beer, Long Root Wit. The sustainably focused company brews the beer in partnership with Portland, Oregon’s Hopworks Urban Brewery.
The Belgian-style witbier is made with organic ingredients and the Kernza perennial grain, a grain specifically suited for organic regenerative agriculture thanks to its long roots — up to 10 feet long — and perennial growth cycle. The grain grows well without pesticides and with less water than conventional wheat.
Kernza was developed by The Land Institute in Kansas, and Patagonia Provisions hopes to bring the sustainable grain to the forefront of the brewing industry. The company, along with several other organizations, launched the Regenerative Organic Certification in 2018 to help outline standards for soil health and animal and worker welfare.
“I am very excited to introduce our second beer made with Kernza,” Patagonia Provisions managing director Birgit Cameron said. “Beer is the perfect vehicle for this and a delicious byproduct of our collaborative work in regenerative agricultural practices.”
The witbier clocks in at 4.9 percent alcohol by volume and starts with aromas of pear, coriander, marmalade, and toast. The beer rolls over the tongue with a variety of flavors ranging from honey to crisp apple, Valencia orange, and pink peppercorn. By using 15-percent Kernza in addition to the two-row barley, the beer receives a punch up in spiciness.
HUB also uses certified organic Hard Red Wheat from the company’s farm on Washington’s San Juan Islands.
Patagonia Provisions launched its first beer, Long Root Pale Ale, in October 2016. Along with its Kernza and organic malt use, the pale ale is brewed with organic Chinook, Mosaic, and Crystal hops.
HUB was selected to produce the Long Root beers because, like Patagonia, the brewery is incorporated as a B Corporation with a goal of bettering the world through sustainable practices. HUB was the first Certified B Corp in the Pacific Northwest and uses organic malts and hops to produce 13,500 barrels of beer annually.
Long Root beers are available at Whole Food Markets and other independent stores in California, Colorado, Oregon, and Washington.
