For 15 years, Golden Avalanche Brewing Company, housed in the Kutztown Tavern, has produced some of the best craft beers to come out of Berks County. We’ve had a few representatives from Golden Avalanche on Beer Busters Podcast, including Colin Presby (current head brewer), Christian Mosebach (former head brewer, currently brewing for Weyerbacher) and Tom Scoglio (current assistant brewer).
The Kutztown Tavern has recently announced the installation of new waste-handling equipment as part of their continuing efforts to operate in a sustainable, environmentally conscious manner. We are proud to support this great local brewery and applaud their commitment to being a leader in ecologically responsible business practice. The following is a reprint of a press release announcing the new system.
The Kutztown Tavern, home of Golden Avalanche Brewing Company, became the first business in Berks County to install an Organic Refuse Conversion Alternative (ORCA) aerobic food digester. The addition of this new waste-handling equipment is just the next step in the Kutztown Tavern’s commitment to responsible business operations.
The ORCA is an aerobic food digester designed to break down and eliminate organic waste that would otherwise be headed to the landfill. Matt Grider, owner of the Kutztown Tavern said, “The ORCA will allow us to break down up to 182,000 pounds of organic waste each year and approximately halve our footprint to the landfill.”
This particular piece of equipment, the ORCA Model OG25, is the first of its kind in the area. Similar models have been installed to eliminate organic waste at large operations including Dallas Cowboys Stadium, the Waldorf Astoria in NYC, and the Aflac Corporate Cafeteria. The ORCA can digest food scraps and waste up to and including chicken bones from Kutztown Tavern’s popular Monday Wing Night and organic waste from the brewing process. More information on the ORCA can be found at http://www.feedtheorca.com .
The Kutztown Tavern has undertaken many “green” improvement projects in recent years, including a solar thermal hot water array providing 100% of the brewery’s hot water needs and 95% of the domestic supply, all-LED lights with motion sensors to cut down on electricity usage, and energy efficient, low water-usage appliances throughout the building.
