The Future of Beer: The Quest to Prove Lower-Emission Barley
Jun-17-2025
In the heart of one of North America’s most vibrant and climate-conscious craft brewing centres, a new collaboration is seeking to inject fresh insight and trust in sustainable beer.
With funding from the Colorado Department of Agriculture, Downforce Technologies will use its advanced remote measurement tools to assess the climatic impact of barley production at Olander Farms.
The Climate Smart Barley project promises to lay down an important marker for the beer industry, given barley production is a significant contributor to beer’s environmental footprint.
The barley involved in the project will be piloted by the New Belgium Brewing enterprise, a trailblazer in sustainable beer production and headquartered in Colorado. In 2020, New Belgium’s Fat Tire became America’s first certified carbon-neutral beer and has committed to certifying all its brands as carbon neutral as part of its 2030 Carbon Reduction plan.
“We want to make sustainable, lower-emissions beer, and that means examining everything from grain to glass, so this project offers an important point of proof for us,” New Belgium Senior Director of Environmental Programs, Walker Modic, said.
Industry data shows sales of sustainable alternatives are growing rapidly compared to conventional beers and often attract premium prices. Consumer trust has proven to be a key ingredient to the success of these brands.
Downforce Technologies Head of Product and Business Development (Americas), Luke Richards, said the partners in the Climate Smart Barley project were taking transparency and trust to a new level.
“We are very grateful to the Colorado Department of Agriculture for funding this work because it wouldn’t happen without their contribution,” Mr Richards said.
“Olander Farms has already shown true leadership in regenerative barley production, and by sharing their farm practices we now can demonstrate the net impact of their management”
"This project aims to demonstrate that we can produce climate-smart and regenerative barley with reduced carbon impact, and by exploring these sustainable practices we'll be contributing valuable insights for the broader supply chain as we move toward more environmentally positive agriculture."
"Olander Farms operates as both a grower and maltster, supplying craft malt to more than 100 Colorado breweries and distilleries under the Root Shoot Malting brand. The team at Olander has a particular commitment to sustainable practices, including conservation tilling and cover crops, throughout their 1500-acre operation."
Founder Todd Olander said his family-owned operation was motivated by respect for the land and its heritage.
“The land where we farm has been in our family for five generations,” Mr Olander said.
“We want to take what we have learned from them and add the innovation, knowledge and technology of the present to make the least impact on the Earth into the future, to ensure we hand on a healthy farm to the next generation.”
