August 7th is International Beer Day. To commemorate the occasion Fat Tire—one of the top-selling American craft brands on the market—is raising the retail price of its six packs to $100. That’s roughly a 1000% increase above what you’d pay on any other day of the year. Not exactly your typical corporate ‘promotion’. But parent company New Belgium Brewing, which pulls in an estimated $225 million in annual revenue, isn’t doing this to raise money. They’re doing it to raise awareness.
According to a press release, the temporarily inflated price reflects the “true cost of beer in 50 years if the climate crisis continues unabated.” And so they are imploring government, and the beer business at-large, to confront the impending specter of economic, if not ecologic, catastrophe.
While greenwashing is an increasingly pervasive marketing ploy in many industries, New Belgium undeniably has the credentials to back up its call to action. After the runaway success of its flagship amber ale, back in the early ‘90s, the Colorado-based brewery has consistently implemented environmentally-friendly measures into its business model.
In 1999 they became the first 100% wind-powered brewery. Onsite electricity is also generated through solar and biogas technology. And they’ve donated more than $17 million to climate advocacy. Today’s statement on the shelf also coincides with the announcement that New Belgium is now America’s first national beer brand to be certified as carbon neutral.
“Make no mistake, the climate crisis is an economic and health crisis far greater than the one we’re experiencing now, with even more devastating consequences for marginalized communities hurting most,” said New Belgium Brewing CEO Steve Fechheimer in a statement issued today. “We failed to prepare for COVID-19, but we have a historic opportunity to learn from our mistakes and act now to avoid economic catastrophe in the future. Congress should lead the way in creating a powerful, carbon-free engine of prosperity for current and future generations, instead of rebuilding our fossil fuel-dependent past. The future of beer – and everything else – depends on it.”
This isn’t some crisis looming on the distant horizon, either. Supply chains within the beer industry are already feeling the effects. Barley and wheat, necessary ingredients for brewing, are increasing in cost at a much more rapid rate than ever before. And the growing scarcity of clean water is becoming of paramount concern as global temperatures rise and climate patterns became exceedingly erratic.
Given the severity of the predicament, beer—and specifically the one day price of a six pack—might seem like a trifling matter. But the move highlights the key role that all major industries will play in how climate change is, or isn’t, addressed in these crucial years ahead. And for those segments of the economy that utilize outsized allocations of agricultural commodity, there could hardly be any issues more pressing—COVID-19 included.
More information on carbon neutrality and Fat Tire’s environmental initiative can be viewed here.
Fat Tire Amber Ale out on the trail.
Andrew Maguire