Owned by husband and wife duo, Steve and Denise Beumer, Earth’s Best Beverages is a less than 10-year-old company that sources organic wine and beer from around the world and sells it locally. Each Sunday, the Beumers and, at least, one of their 10 children can be found manning their tent at the Downtown Orlando Famer’s Market at Lake Eola. Check out the video above for an inside peek at Steve and I discussing organic alcohol.
Here are a few highlights from the video:
As our local expert on organic alcohol, I asked Steve to give me a few reasons why organic is a great way to go and also recommend some options to try. Here’s what he had to say:
On why he and others choose organic alcohol over non organic:
“There’s no pesticides. There’s no genetically modified organisms in it. None of that is used in there. So, it’s more like food use to be 60 or 70 years ago: healthier for you without the additives.”
On if organic alcohol tastes better than non organic:
“Once people try it, they’ll find that it does add to the taste. You taste the grapes in the wine. You taste the hops and the barley in the beer. You don’t have the overwhelming chemical additives that are in other beers.”
On what makes organic alcohol organic:
“The ingredients are what is organic. It’s not necessarily the process of the wine or the beer. So, the organic beer that we serve from Orlando Brewing Company has organic hops and barley. It means that the fields where that hops and barley was grown had to lay fallow for at least three years so that it gets all of the impurities out of the ground. Then they can only plant seeds that are not modified and they can’t use chemical fertilizers.”
Here are three certified organic beer and wines that Steve personally recommends:
Organic Red Ale (Florida!!)
Why you should try it:
- It has a full body, real beer taste
- Strong beer taste
- Not pasteurized
- No after taste
Live a Little (South Africa)
Why you should try it:
- It is a dry red
- It is a blend of cabernet and merlot
- No added sulfites, which means no headaches!
Casa Baranca (Central Coast of California)
Why you should try it:
- It is a chardonnay
- It is a dry, white wine
- Nice fruity flavor with a nice finish
- No after taste
If you want to try a little something new this summer and take one of these or other organic offerings from Earth’s Best Beverages to your next BBQ or summer outing, be sure to reach out to Steve at [email protected]. For a quick glass or two, visit their booth at Downtown Orlando’s Farmer’s Market held every Sunday at Lake Eola beginning at noon.