Is Fat Tire Going Mainstream?

When I got stranded in the mountains of North Carolina last weekend, we checked into a motel to wait out the storm. Fancying a beer, I trudged through the snow to the gas station. Sitting among the Bud Lites and the Millers was a large bottle of New Belgium's Fat Tire. I was surprised (and a little excited). Not being used to finding a TreeHugger favorite in the gas station beer fridge, I figured this was a one off. But on arrival in Indiana-which as I mentioned earlier this week, involved stepping outside our political comfort zone-we noticed that Fat Tire was everywhere here too. Conservative and liberal friends alike arrived brandishing the aforementioned brew, and more than one strip-mall bar had Fat Tire on tap. So what's going on? And is this a good thing for green beer lovers?

New Belgium Brewing Company has long been in our good books-from turning waste water into cash, to wind-powered energy efficient beer brewing, to working to bike more-these guys are serious when it comes to sustainability.

And it's nice to see a company like this doing well in venues across the country that are not just frequented by your traditional, environmentally-aware beer lover. Undoubtedly, the company's success is due in part to a broader interest in sustainability. While most folks are unlikely to buy a beer because it was brewed using wind-power, it is still an interesting point of differentiation from the competition. As my friend and colleague Jerry Stifelman said in a guest post some time back, just because it saves the world, that doesn't make it popular-but all else being equal, it does make it more interesting.

Full Article: TreeHugger