Craft brewers meet to discuss and pitch ideas for water conservation

GRAND RAPIDS — Roughly 90% of beer, from the process to the product, is water. Dave Engbers of Founders Brewing Co. put it simply, “We can’t brew the great beer that we do without great water.”

This was the overwhelming consensus at the sixth annual Great Lakes Water Conservation Conference for craft brewers and policy makers. The three-day conference kicked off on Tuesday evening with beer tastings and sustainability-focused tours at Founders.

The following day was packed with presentations, both informative and innovative, that focused on the importance of clean water to the craft brew industry especially in regards to the triple bottom line of sustainable business practices — society, economy, and environment. Presenters ranged from brewers and brewery representatives, to environmentalists, policy players and engineering firms.

Noting Grand Rapids’ “shameful history” of abusing the Grand River, Grand Rapids Mayor George Heartwell kicked off the day of sessions on Wednesday. In recen

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