Hopworks Urban Brewery - Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week

Hopworks Urban Brewery (Portland OR) is a brewpup offering organic beer and restaurant menu items made from local ingredients. But it's what goes on behind the scenes that makes Hopworks Urban Brewery our Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week.

Hopworks Urban Brewery refers to itself as an Eco-Brewpub and touts everything from composting to rain barrels to being powered by 100% renewable energy. No one tells it better than Hopworks Urban Brewery's own website:

Sustainable Points-No LEED green washing, just the facts G

Brewery

1. Biodiesel fired brew kettle using HUB fryer oil


2. Waste pizza oven heat captured to heat brewing water


3. Organic barley malt


4. Zero VOC epoxy floor coating with walnut shell broadcast for texture


5. Cool-Fit pre-insulated glycol pipe-most energy efficient pipe available


6. T8 fluorescent lights-cool running and energy efficient


7. Flow meter on brewing water to minimize waste


8. Organic spent grain used by local cattle rancher


9. Biodiesel fired delivery truck


10. Wort heat exchanger hot water recovered for subsequent brew


11. Walk in cooler compressor remote operated on cool roof


12. Tasting room bar base constructed from recycled material
    
    

Building

1. Building professionally deconstructed- all useable material recovered and sorted


2. 1/3 all framing material used recovered from deconstruction
   


3. Ceiling blasted with corn cob instead of sand-eliminates risk of silicosis for blasters


4. Booths constructed entirely from ceiling joists


5. Finish trim constructed from recovered trim


6. Vault finished with recovered ship-lap sheathing


7. Bar base constructed from recovered framing, office paneling, and ceiling joists


8. Bar foot rail made of old boiler pipe


9. Tables recovered from restaurant remodel


10. Low and zero VOC finishes


11. Reflective membrane roof w/3" rigid insulation-74% UV radiation reflected, no heat island, significantly lower operating environment temp for mech equipment on roof


12. Air conditioner economizers


13. 93% efficient gas furnaces, 4 residential furnaces provide zone heating more efficiently than commercial gas packs


14. Insulated, low-E window and door upgrade


15. Skylights provide natural light to mezzanine


16. Hot water recirculation provides hot water on demand-no wasted line purge


17. Low flow toilets- 1.28 GPF


18. Hand dryers eliminate paper waste- fastest, most energy efficient dryers available


19. Plentiful covered and uncovered bike parking


20. Bike repair stand at front door
    
    

Parking and Landscape

1. 6000 sqft Eco-paver west parking lot- rain water remains on-site


2. Native species used exclusively for landscaping


3. South Parking lot features 5000 gallon retention/settling pond


4. Rain barrel captures roof run off- used for irrigation, general wash down, and future greenhouse


5. South retaining wall constructed of recycled basement slab

Kitchen

1. Organic Made from scratch Roma Tomato Sauce


2. Use of Shepherd's Grain "Food Alliance Certified" flour for our pizza dough & other bread items (pretzels, foccacia bread)


3. Organic Milk


4. Organic field greens, romaine & various seasonal vegetables


5. Dressings made from scratch, less packaging


6. 100 % post consumer waste


7. 100% recycled dinner napkins


8. Waste recycling programs that strive for zero waste


9. Recycling food waste for animal feed & composting


10. Organic coffee from Stumptown "Holler Mtn"


11. All to go material 100% post consumer 100% recycled material


12. Compostable plastic to go cups (corn based)

Hopworks Urban Brewery was founded by Christian Ettinger in 2008.

Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week is a weekly behind-the-scenes look at what businesses are doing to be more sustainable and responsible in their operations.

Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week: If they can do it, so can you!