Crafting beers for conscientious consumers.(New Belgium Brewing Co.)

Mainstream consumers are beginning to employ compact florescent light bulbs, but that's old news for New Belgium Brewing, Fort Collins, Colo. The craft brewer has operated with compact florescent lighting, which consumes approximately 75 percent less energy compared with widely used incandescent bulbs, throughout its 16-year existence.

Last Christmas, Kim Jordan, New Belgium's chief executive officer and co-founder, along with her husband Jeff Lebesch, even gave all their coworkers five high-spectrum compact florescent lights.

Conservation and quality reign at New Belgium. Before Jordan and Lebesch made their first barrel of beer, the couple went on a hike in Rocky Mountain National Park and talked about what was going to be important to them as they ran the company. The points they identified were that they were going to make world-class beer; they were going to promote beer culture, particularly bringing the culture of Belgium into the company; they were going to be good environmental stewards; and they were going to have fun.

It comes as no surprise that the brewer of Fat Tire Amber Ale and the host of Tour De Fat philanthropic bicycle rides would be interested in making beer fun. But New Belgium's environmental advancements and new sustainable advertising campaign have showcased its green manufacturing practices and made consumers take notice.

While reducing the waste involved in the production of New Belgium's beers such as Fat Tire, Sunshine Wheat, Blue Paddle Pilsener-Lager, 1554 Brussels Style Black Ale, Abbey Belgian Style Ale, Trippel Belgian Style Ale and seasonal brews like Skinny Dip, the company is proving full-bodied beers and environmentally conscious practices are resonating with consumers. "All those little things add up to make a difference, and that's always been important to us," she adds.

This year, New Belgium is on track to grow to more than 485,000 barrels, which sparked the construction of a new 55,000-square-foot packaging hall. Additionally, New Belgium launched its first organic beer, Mothership Wit, which the company plans to use as a test to see if the whole portfolio could one day move to organic.

Belgium beginnings

As a newly married couple, Lebesch and Jordan started New Belgium Brewing in the basement of their home in 1991. Jordan was formally a social worker and Lebesch an electrical engineer. The homebrewing lasted 14 months. The company then moved to its second location near its current location, and stayed there for three years. In 1995, New Belgium relocated to its current brewery, which has undergone nearly 10 expansions and the addition of the new packaging facility this year, Jordan says.

As indicated by the company's name, New Belgium's Lebesch discovered the source to his homebrewing …