14 of the Most Sustainable Beer Brands

Our editors rounded up 14 of the best beer brands with sustainable brews, and we want you to vote for your favorite.

Green Matters Staff - Author
By

Jun. 25 2024, Published 12:00 p.m. ET

Group of five friends toasting glasses of beer at brewery.
Source: iStock

Let’s face it: when you’re buzzed, you’re probably not thinking too hard about whether your beer was brewed sustainably. So while you’re sober, take a gander at 15 of the best sustainable beer brands, each of which have brews you — and the planet — can feel better about.

Vote for the best sustainable beer brands once a day until July 23, 2024 at 11:59 a.m. ET.

The 10 winners will be announced on August 1, 2024. Read more about our Green Matters Approved contests here.

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Allagash Brewing Company

Box and can of Allagash Brewing Company's Surf House Summer Lager
Source: Courtesy of Allagash Brewing Company

Allagash Brewing Company, located in Maine, is a Certified B Corp and a Crafted for All Partner. The company has one USDA-certified organic beer called Crosspath Organic Golden Ale, and 100 percent of the company's year-round brews are vegan.

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Aslan Brewing Co.

Aslan Brewing Co., located in the Pacific Northwest, is a Certified B Corp with a long history of transparency when it comes to sustainability. The company has its impact reports from 2018-2022 posted on its website, along with its various eco-friendly partnerships, including with Brewshed Alliance and Sustainable Connections. All beer is USDA-certified organic and many of the brews are "salmon-friendly" as well.

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Athletic Brewing

Athletic Brewing makes non-alcoholic beer, which allows you to enjoy a brew without worries about hangovers the next day. All of the company's beer is non-GMO and vegan, and the Athletic Lite beer variety is certified organic. The company's Two for the Trails initiative allows for a portion of its proceeds to maintain and restore hiking trails across the country. Athletic Brewing is a Certified B Corp, and has plans to install solar panels in its California brewery.

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Eel River Brewing Co.

Eel River Brewing Co. from Northern California was the country's first brewery to earn USDA organic certification for some of its products. Eel River's organic line includes California Blonde Ale, Amber Ale, IPA, and Climax 100.

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Great Lakes Brewing Co.

Great Lakes Brewing Co. uses solar energy and founded the Burning River Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to "improving, maintaining, and celebrating the vitality of our regional freshwater resources." The company also uses ethical sourcing, repurposes its waste, and offers one organic beer (the Organic Pilsner).

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Hopworks Brewery

Hand holds a can of Hopworks Brewery Overland IPA in front of tall grass
Source: Courtesy of Hopworks Brewery

Hopworks Brewery has an adorable name and a great mission: "Beer as a force for good." The company is a Certified B Corp with 90 percent salmon-safe hops and 27 percent USDA-certified organic ingredients. Hopworks currently has three completely organic brews: Golden Hammer Helles Lager, Tree Frog Pale Ale, and Beestly Porter.

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New Belgium Brewing

A glass of Flat Tire Ale, a bottle of Flat Tire Ale, and a box of Flat Tire Ale, all made by New Belgium Brewing
Source: Courtesy of New Belgium Brewing

With two locations across the U.S. (in Colorado and North Carolina), New Belgium Brewing is a Certified B Corp and makes its products in a zero-waste factory. The Flat Tire line is specifically "carbon neutral" beer, and the Purist line is USDA-certified organic.

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Peak Organic Brewing Co.

Brewing out of Portland, Maine, Peak Organic Brewing Co. is not only non-GMO and USDA-certified organic, but it has a long history of leading the charge in organic brewing. The craft beer company sources directly from local farms, and is best known for its Happy Hour pilsner and Slim Hazy, a low-calorie IPA. The brand also makes organic hard seltzers.

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Protector Brewery

Protector Brewery was founded by U.S. Navy Seal veterans, and is dedicated to creating brews that are better for your body than the average. The company crafts USDA-certified organic beer, uses 100 percent renewable energy, and all of its beer is certified vegan.

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Pure Project

Beer in a Pure Project glass on a wooden table alongside a 1% for the Planet Member plaque.
Source: Courtesy of Pure Project

Pure Project is a partner with 1% for the Planet, working on becoming plastic and carbon-neutral, and has a partnership with The Conservation Alliance. The company produces a beer made with organic ingredients called the Kernza Lager, which is the result of a partnership with Patagonia. Kernza is a unqiue low-till grain that is grown organically and regeneratively.

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Samuel Smith Brewing

Based in the U.K. but available all around the world, Samuel Smith Brewing makes a wide variety of organic cider and beer. Nearly all products are certified vegan, and the company, which was founded in 1758, claims to be Yorkshire's oldest brewery.

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Sierra Nevada

Four different Sierra Nevada beers sit on a surface with a "fan favorites pack" box behind them.
Source: Courtesy of Sierra Nevada

Sierra Nevada's product offerings include a few USDA-certified organic brews, such as the Estate Ale and Strainge Beast, which is actually a hard kombucha. The company built the first LEED-certified platform brewery in the U.S. and has a large craft beer solar array. Sierra Nevada also diverts 99.8 percent of waste from landfills and has invested in estate agriculture.

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Toast Brewing

Four cans of Toast Brewing beers alongside loaves of bread
Source: Courtesy of Toast Brewing

U.K. brand Toast Brewing is a vegan, Certified B Corp known for making its beer with leftover bakery bread that would have otherwise gone to waste, as an eco-friendly alternative to malted barley. 100 percent of Toast Brewing's profits go to environmental nonprofits, such as the Soil Heroes Foundation, the Rainforest Trust UK, and Plantlife. For transparency's sake, Toast Brewing 2022 impact report is available on its website.

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Warfield Distillery & Brewery

Warfield Distillery & Brewery, located in Ketchum, Idaho, began as a small business, but now thrives as a local classic. Warfield makes all USDA-certified organic brews, including the canned creation Basketball Coolness (an IPA with orange juice) and Storehouse (a citrus and spice brew on tap).

All Green Matters Approved nominees are chosen by the Green Matters editorial team, and winners are chosen based on reader votes. Readers can vote for each category once a day. To learn more, read our terms and conditions.

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