With more than 7,000 breweries in operation across the country, the choices of which businesses to support are endless. Yet for us, there is no place like home.

Oregon is home to some of the titans of the industry. Breweries care deeply not only about their communities but also about their local environment and specifically water quality and quantity.

They know great water is needed for great beer. As populations increase and we begin to see and feel more consequences of climate change, breweries and their beer will be impacted.

According to Water Deeply, in 2017, craft brewers have recently struggled with water shortages in the American West.

“During the California drought, the city of Chico asked Sierra Nevada Brewing to reduce its water usage by more than 30 percent” and “Bear Republic Brewing Company in Sonoma County had to curtail its plans for a major expansion of its plant in Cloverdale because the city could not provide it with enough water.”

Breweries are not waiting around to see how everything shakes out. Many are actively attempting to reduce their water usage across all areas of their business, utilizing innovative technology, making adjustments in their supply chain and partnering with organizations like ours to address freshwater issues that can and will impact their businesses.

This is why for a fourth year in a row, breweries across Oregon are coming back to be a part of the Brewers Challenge, an industry-wide effort to support our work fixing rivers across the state.

This effort launches every year alongside our annual benefit with each brewery committing to a donation of at least $500 in support of our work. Trusting in our ability to get real results for real rivers, many of our partner breweries return year after year to participate, with new faces joining along the way.

This year, we are fortunate to have 11 breweries participating in the challenge. Together, they have collectively pledged $9,000 to protect and restore rivers – including the Sandy River basin, where the city of Portland gets its drinking water. These funds will match contributions from individual donations at our annual benefit Immerse, on March 7, leveraging the funding available for the work needed to ensure the resiliency of our water resources in an uncertain future.

Join us in raising a glass to salute these local brewers!