The ClimateHound Pack: Cellarest Beer Project
Within the brightly painted cinderblock walls of Cellarest Beer Project in West Asheville, co-founders Mark Goodwin and Harrison Fahrer are brewing and serving farmhouse-style beers that embody their shared commitment to community and nature. Each beer begins with “bioprospecting” of wild yeast and bacteria from the brewery’s urban neighborhood. Cellarest works with local maltsters to source regionally grown grains, and Appalachian produce and botanicals give each barrel-rested brew its distinctive character.
This emphasis on natural processes and products demands a thriving ecosystem, and from the beginning, Cellarest has prioritized good choices for the planet, like European-style serving tanks that utilize a liner and compressed air instead of CO2, a composting program that turns their spent grain into livestock feed, and a growler program to reduce single-use packaging. Goodwin and Fahrer always dreamed of taking their commitment all the way to carbon neutrality, though.
"Environmental responsibility is part of our DNA, right down to our energy-efficient equipment."
"Even as a brand-new brewery, being carbon neutral was one of our top goals – environmental responsibility is part of our DNA, right down to our energy-efficient equipment – but we had so many priorities to juggle,” says Goodwin, who serves as director of fermentation for Cellarest.
Fahrer, the business’s general manager, adds, "We're thrilled to partner with ClimateHound. Through the straight-forward, custom-tailored approach they’re developing for our small business, we can reduce our impact on the environment we draw so much inspiration from."
“The Cellarest team has been incredibly mindful about every choice they’ve made in building their business – and choosing to go carbon neutral through ClimateHound is a way of continuing and celebrating the hard work they’ve done,” says ClimateHound CEO Palmer Fox. “Certification is a concrete statement of the beliefs that have guided every aspect of Cellarest’s growth, and we have been proud to welcome them as our very first carbon neutral brewery.”