Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters launches Busy Bee Ale

Courtesy: Wisconsin League of Conservation VotersThe Wisconsin League of Conservation Voters, in partnership with Next Door Brewery, will launch its very own beer on Tuesday, part of a fundraiser it calls “Sustainable Suds.”

As a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization, WLCV focuses on protecting Wisconsin’s air, land, and water by electing pro-conservation officials into government around the state, according to Development Assistant Kurt Weible. The group’s members take pride in educating voters through their state-wide presence and advocating policy at the State Capitol, he said.

Busy Bee Ale, the signature beer brewed by Next Door Brewery, is an English-style brown ale enriched with honey. The ale is meant to celebrate the lands that support Wisconsin’s state insect, the honey bee, as well as all the conservationists who keep themselves busy with protecting the environment. The name-sake of Busy Bee Ale came from a competition among WLCV’s current members.

“This is a brand new beer we created and we did design it to be appealing to a large crowd. With the honey character and locally harvested honey, we thought it would be perfect for the event,” said Next Door Brewery’s Lead Brewer, Bryan Kreiter.

Kreiter was enthused to have Gentle Breeze, a family-run beekeeping business in Mt. Horeb, as the supplier for all the honey that was used in the brewing process. He said the foundation ingredient that makes this ale so special is honey malt, which is a grain that provides the base of smooth honey character. The special brew will be on tap until the batch is gone.

The fundraiser idea came to WLCV as a way to increase awareness of the group and its cause, as well as to excite current members with a beer-naming competition.

“Our organization is unique in that although we’ve become established as an important player in state politics, we're young and small enough to be agile and move faster than other organizations. That allows us to mobilize our network of supporters to either rally behind, or line up in opposition, to legislation in the State Capitol in the most effective way possible,” said Weible.

They hope to raise funds and awareness for this year’s upcoming elections. The Executive Director of WLCV will talk about their future work during the event.

Sustainable Suds will occur at Next Door Brewing Company (2439 Atwood) from 5:30 to 8 p.m. Tickets can be found online for $20, which includes a complimentary beer, snacks, and one raffle ticket towards a chance to win prizes.