Rhinegeist and Patagonia Team Up to Help the Planet With New Brew

Rhinegeist’s new Kernza Lager Photo: Courtesy of Patagonia Provisions/Amy Kumler

Rhinegeist and Patagonia are teaming up to help save the planet and make some tasty beer in the process.

The Over-the-Rhine brewery is partnering with Patagonia Provisions, the food and beverage arm of the outdoor apparel company, to craft the Kernza Lager, which uses a mix of organic hops, including organic Centennial and El Dorado, as well as Regenerative Organic Certified Kernza, a deeply-rooted perennial grain that has a sweet and nutty flavor when added to beer.

Rhinegeist says the beer is part of Patagonia’s new program working with 11 independent craft breweries across the country to create lager-style brews using organic ingredients and the Regenerative Organic Certified Kernza. The goal is to scale regenerative farming practices and perennial ingredients that improve soil health, restore ecosystems and help fight the climate crisis, according to a press release.

Patagonia says the kernza grain stabilizes soil, needs minimal tilling, increases organic matter in soil and improves soil’s structure and water-holding capacity. The company also says it’s confident more research will show the perennial grain draws down and stores more carbon in soil than annual grains.

Each brewery’s kernza lager will be unique to the region. Rhinegeist says theirs is approachable and light, with notes of peach, citrus peel and crackery malt.

“We feel privileged to be part of Patagonia’s Kernza Lager initiative,” Rhinegeist’s interim CEO Adam Bankovich said in the release. “Patagonia is a beacon for how organizations and individuals can band together to create more organic and environmentally friendly products, and the Kernza Lager project is one step in helping to deliver on that mission.”

Breweries in the program will donate 1% of their Patagonia beer sales to a local nonprofit that supports environmental initiatives. Rhinegeist says it will be donating those proceeds to the Ohio River Foundation.

“Patagonia is thrilled to partner with Rhinegeist, which has reinvigorated its community, launched a charitable giving platform, and continues to innovate in craft brewing,” Paul Lightfoot, Patagonia Provision’s general manager, said in the release. “Craft beer drinkers want delicious, high-quality beer made with clean ingredients that are better for the planet, and we look forward to bringing that beer to Patagonia customers with Rhinegeist in Ohio.”