Laurelwood Brewery isn't the only place that we've been drinking organic beer on the Kickoff Tour. One brew in particular that seems to be following us around the Pacific Northwest is Deschutes Brewery's Green Lakes Organic Ale.

Green Lakes was served on the first night of the Organic Summit in Stevenson, WA, and ever since, we've encountered it in bars, restaurants and grocery stores in Oregon and Washington. My favorite thing about the Green Lakes Organic Ale? It's sold at the exact same price as Deschutes' other, non-organic brews.

Deschutes Brewery is located in Bend, Or, and it's one of the more established breweries in the region. According to the Deschutes website, the Green Lakes Organic Ale "is brewed with five types of 100% organic malted barley and balanced with Liberty and Salmon-Safe Sterling hops."

What does it mean for a brewer to be salmon-safe? "finding natural methods to control weeds and pests, protecting steams and wetlands, planting cover crops on fallow fi elds to prevent erosion and runoff, and reducing irrigation water use."

-Mark