OBH Is Proud To Support Clean Water

We are so proud of our co-founder Ike for speaking at the Cleaning Up Anacostia and ‪#‎ProtectCleanWater‬ event with the NRDC and EPA today. He made quite the buzz on Twitter for his speech!
"Without clean water, you can't have good beer. And without good beer, a lot of people would be sad." - Ike Broaddus ‪#‎CleanWaterRules‬

Ike Broaddus
Old Bust Head Brewing Company
Clean Water Speech, 5.27.15

Thank you.   It’s an honor to be with you all today.  My love for water started as a young boy, canoeing the Potomac River, from its headwaters to its tidal waters.  I have fond memories of fishing, swimming, crabbing, oystering, and sailing in our beloved Chesapeake Bay just down stream from here.  

As a co-Owner of Old Bust Head Brewing Company, which we opened a little over a year ago, I am driven by those early experiences.  Water is, of course, the backbone of our lives, and it’s also the backbone of the brewing industry.

Small breweries employ over 110,000 people in the US today.  These jobs, which can’t be outsourced, range from brewers to biochemists, from sales to human resources, and everything in between.  These are good stable jobs at growing companies, which in many cases have been the key to revitalizing their communities.

Even as a new business, we chose to embrace the “Brewers for Clean Water” initiative for several reasons: 

First, we believe that every business must do its part.  At OBH, our investments in water conservation have resulted in a usage rate 24% below the industry average.  That’s a good start, but we can do better.  We believe that creating good jobs, being profitable, and being environmentally friendly, are not mutually exclusive goals.

Second, brewers have a special connection with water.  It is critical to the farmers who grow our barley; it’s essential for keeping our brewing equipment clean and sanitary; and, of course, water is the principal ingredient in beer.  Without clean water, brewers cannot make good beer, and without good beer, a lot of people would be sad.

And finally, it is clear today that abundant clean water is something we can no longer take for granted.  It does us no good leave our children a thriving business, if we simultaneously leave them a deteriorating planet.

To that end, Old Bust Head Brewing Company will always strive to do our part and we are grateful for the work you’re all doing to make clean water – and good beer – available for future generations.