A Sustainable and Community-Based Approach to Craft Beer
In an interview, Laura Meyers, co-owner of Imminent Brewing in Northfield, shared her passion for craft beer and the close-knit community it fosters. Although the taproom is a popular attraction at the brewery, it also serves as a community hub where visitors can socialize with friends, play board games, listen to music, and bring their dogs and kids. The company’s unwavering commitment to fostering a safe, respectful, and dignified environment for all is truly admirable and inspiring.
Imminent Brewing not only serves delicious beer, but also strives to be a responsible member of the community and protect the environment. We love how they champion local farmers and growers by utilizing their ingredients to create delicious ales and lagers. We are delighted to share their team’s story of sustainability and continued exploration with Kernza®.
Kernza® is the trademark name for the grain harvested from intermediate wheatgrass (Thinopyrum intermedium). This grain is in development at The Land Institute, with research support from many other interested organizations.
Kernza® grain plants are deeply rooted perennial plants that don’t require annual reseeding. The roots can extend 10 feet or more beneath the soil surface, delivering atmospheric carbon to the soil and efficiently taking up nutrients and water. Kernza® can be used as a whole grain, flour, and malted or mixed directly into beer and whiskey.
In late 2019, Clean River Partners orchestrated a collaboration between Imminent Brewing and the Milltown Mashers Home Brewing Club to experiment with brewing Kernza® beer. The winning recipe was selected, and Imminent Brewing produced a larger batch, which became available to the public in 2020. Laura mentioned that although it’s been a learning experience to getting machinery to work with this new crop, the environmental impact makes it worthwhile.
This year, we facilitated another collaboration between the Agricultural Utilization Research Institute, Forever Green Initiative, and the Land Institute to help Imminent Brewing launch a brown ale named "Sure Do!" This brew was crafted from a Minnesota-grown malted Kernza®. Laura acknowledged that they experienced significantly better results when using malted Kernza® grain in the brewing process. Working on projects like this leaves us feeling hopeful and excited about the future of perennial grains!
