Widmer Brothers Columbia Common Spring Ale Returns

Widmer Brothers Brewing today announced the return of Columbia Common Spring Ale, the brewery’s take on a California common-style beer, as its spring seasonal. First introduced in 2013, Columbia Common is brewed to showcase historic Columbia hops, a once-popular hop varietal that was near extinction when Widmer Brothers began developing the Columbia Common recipe in 2012.

“We’re always experimenting with unique hop varietals, and we were intrigued by the Columbia hop’s story and its character,” said Joe Casey, brewmaster. “Columbia hops, a sister varietal to Willamette hops, lost popularity decades ago as Willamettes became the hop of choice for some larger breweries in the United States. They nearly disappeared until a local hop grower, Annen Brothers in Mt. Angel, Oregon, worked with Oregon State University to revive them. We really enjoy the beers we’ve brewed with Columbia hops and have purchased nearly all of the Columbia hops they’ve grown.”

The Columbia hop has a clean, mild, pleasantly floral and slightly spicy profile, characters that are also reflected in the easy-drinking Columbia Common Spring Ale. Widmer Brothers is the only brewery that currently uses the Columbia hop commercially.

As part of its commitment to environmental sustainability, Widmer Brothers continues to partner with the Bonneville Environmental Foundation (BEF) to offset 100 percent of the water used by the brewery to brew Columbia Common. Last year, Widmer Brothers restored 500,000 gallons of water to the Middle Deschutes River, and the brewery will be restoring another 500,000 gallons of water in 2014 for a total of 1 million gallons over two years. The water restoration is made possible through the purchase of BEF Water Restoration Certificates® or “water offsets” to offset the brewery’s water consumption.

Widmer Brothers will fully offset the nearly 500,000 gallons of water that will be used to brew this year’s entire production of Columbia Common Spring Ale, making this spring seasonal entirely “water neutral” and further contributing to the Deschutes River restoration efforts.

“We are constantly looking for ways to lessen our environmental impact,” said Julia Person, sustainability coordinator. “We have reduced our water usage to about 4.2 gallons of water per gallon of beer, which is significantly lower than the industry standard. The water offsets through the Bonneville Environmental Foundation provided us with another great way to make a positive contribution to Oregon’s natural resources.”

Columbia Common is available in markets across the country on draught and in six- and 12-packs until May 2014. Columbia Common is also available in the Widmer Brothers Brothers’ Best variety packs until May.
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