If you like beer, you should love forests.
Beer has four main ingredients: water, grain, hops and yeast. While water may seem like beer’s simplest ingredient, there's a lot involved in getting that clean water to our taps.

Clean, plentiful water depends on healthy surrounding natural areas, like forests. Forty percent of the world’s usable water is stored and filtered through forests. From the tree canopy all the way down to root systems, every part of a forest plays a critical role in cleaning and protecting our water supply.
The Central Appalachians are the water tower for the mid-Atlantic. More than 500,000 people in the Richmond metro area get their drinking water from the James River, which flows from the cool mountain streams that form and converge in the forested mountains of the Allegheny Highlands.
It’s not an obvious connection: beer and forests. But, we hope the next time you enjoy a pint, you give a nod to the trees.


A Toast to Virginia's Founding Forest
When Black Narrows Brewing Owner Josh Chapman learning about efforts to restore the longleaf pine ecosystem—Virginia’s “Founding Forest”—wheels started turning. As a craft brewer and OktoberForest partner, Chapman was inspired to create a special brew using Virginia longleaf as a featured ingredient.
Pine and resin are two of the most common descriptors for traditional American hop varietals like Cascade or Centennial. It made sense to Josh to try to do something with actual pine, and his first foray was with local loblolly.
Soon after reading about longleaf restoration, Josh and his family visited TNC's Piney Grove Preserve in Wakefield. After a tour of the preserve led by Preserve Manager Bobby Clontz, Josh gathered needles, branches and cones—fresh ingredients that would form the base of Black Narrows' Forest of Forgotten Trees IPA.

Knowing the amazing work that TNC has done on the Eastern Shore, it just made sense to reach out and see if we could use local beer to highlight longleaf pine.
We Can’t Save Nature Without You
Sign up to receive monthly updates from Virginia.
