Yards brewing green beer all year ‘round

Yards doesn’t just make green beer on Saint Patrick’s Day like so many other breweries.

As the self-proclaimed greenest beermaker in Pennsylvania, the city brewery backed it up two weeks ago when they signed up with an alternative energy company to pay extra for wind energy.

“We buy wind credits, so all the kilowatts we used PECO needs to outsource as a wind source coming into the grid,” Yards founder Tom Kehoe said. “This forces them to buy more wind power and invest in windmills, like those in Summerton, Pa.”

Harry Warren of Washington Gas Energy Services, which provides the wind energy, said Yards’ move is equivalent to taking 91 cars off the road.

David Masur of Penn Environment said Yards’ move to 100 percent alternative energy pushes it near the front of the pack.

“Unfortunately, politicians are not hammering out laws for sustainability or making it easier and more affordable,” Masur said.