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Demand for organic beer growing fast

02:30 PM PDT on Friday, May 4, 2007

By ERIC WILKINSON / KING 5 News

The next time you're perusing the produce at one of those fancy upscale markets, turn your Birkenstocks toward the beer aisle.

Organic beers made from certified organic ingredients stack the shelves.

Now, alongside obscure microbeers stands beer giant Anheuser Busch.

The company is launching two organic beers, and even a gluten-free lager.

Henry Weinhard's, owned by Miller, now has an organic on the market as well – a major indicator that organics are officially mainstream:

"It's beyond a fad. People are looking for it in produce, beer, wine. They're demanding it and we're listening to what people want," said Jameson Fink, Uptown QFC.

While many beer snobs belch at the idea of an organic Budweiser, local brewers are hoping the marketing muscle behind the macro-brewers will further bring organics to the masses.

Olympia's Fish Brewing helped pioneer organic beer in the Northwest. Sales for its organic brews were up 44 percent last year.

Organic beer is now the industry's fastest growing segment, available in some form at most supermarkets now.

And with America's two biggest breweries putting millions into selling the idea of organic beer to the Joe Sixpacks of the world, stores that normally wouldn't sell organic beer at all are starting to expand their shelves.

"Many markets are going to organic sets where you can reach into your cold case and buy a variety of organic beers, and that's just good news for us because we're already  there and we're established," said Marty Bills, Fish Brewing Co.

But while organics are less and less a niche market, it remains to be seen whether Joe Sixpack is ready to go crunchy with his beer.

Organic beer sales have more than doubled in North America since 2004 and sales continue to rise in the double-digits every year.

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