By Stephen Robertson
In the spring of 2012, Patrick Murtaugh and Eric McKay, founders of Richmond’s own Hardywood Park Craft Brewery, struck out on the James River with Jamie Brunkow and Ryan Corrigan of the James River Association (JRA). They toured the JRA’s James River Ecology School and Presquile Island National Wildlife Refuge, just south of Richmond, discussing the many programs already in place to help preserve and protect the nation’s founding river.
Having spent summers on the water growing up, the Hardywood founders, like everyone at the James River Association, have a deep respect and passion for the water, especially the mighty James which helped make Richmond the city it is today. Not to mention the simple fact that good beer starts with good water, so protecting the largest body of water in the area only makes sense.
With paddles, the team set about finding a way for Hardywood and the JRA to work together to protect and preserve the James for generations to come. After brainstorming for a time, McKay and Murtaugh floated the idea of repurposing bourbon barrels, used in the aging process for some of Hardywood’s signature ales, as custom rain barrels that people could purchase to use at their homes.
With a quick visit to the James River Association’s website, you’ll find that rain barrels are an important part of their community conservation effort. Residential yards are often fertilized with nitrogen and phosphorus, which can escape into the James River through rain runoff. These fertilizers can help harmful algae grow in abundance in the river. Rain runoff can also pull other contaminants into the river from pet waste to dangerous pesticides, herbicides, and chemical pollutants.
Rain barrels are a simple, sustainable and cost-effective way to drastically reduce the amount of contamination each yard produces. A substantial amount of the rain water that would otherwise drain from a home’s roof to the yard and ultimately the watershed is collected in the barrel, which is equipped with a faucet and garden hose connection so the water can be used during dryer periods to water the lawn and other plants. Not only does the barrel protect the watershed from undesirable contaminants, it also helps reduce the amount of municipal water spent for landscape maintenance as opposed to consumption.
The James River Association website offers a detailed “Runoff Calculator” that assesses the overall watershed impact of a specific address and allows the user to customize the result with modifiers such as total lawn area, amount of hard surface, roof type, etc. Once the address’s impact on the James River is determined, JRA-sponsored conservation techniques, such as rain barrels, can be factored into the results to see what seemingly insignificant changes can do to drastically affect the amount of pollution that could potentially seep into the river. The rustic oak Hardywood bourbon barrels are a more attractive alternative to the traditional plastic barrels often used for rain collection barrels and, according to Ryan Corrigan of the JRA, “may give off a pleasant aroma of bourbon and stout through the first few rain cycles.” Each Hardywood bourbon barrel is fitted with brass hardware, a strainer to prevent clogging, and fire branded with the James River Association logo.
James River Association Hardywood rain barrels are available in limited quantities at the Hardywood Park Craft Brewery at 2408 Ownby Lane, Richmond, Virginia and Whole Foods Market Short Pump. Each barrel costs $150 and the JRA offers ample literature and instruction on ideal placement and use.
In a city deeply connected to it’s river, both historically and physically, it bears reason that good beer, good people, and good stewardship of our shared natural resources should, without question, go hand in hand. Through this and many other community outreach and involvement initiatives, it is clear that the folks at Hardywood are here, not only to brew great beer, but to be an integral part of the city for which they brew.
On the subject of partnering with Hardwood, Ryan Corrigan of the James River Association noted, “suffice to say, the experience of working with Hardywood has been incredibly gratifying. To work with a group that cares as much for its community as its consumers is a trend we hope to continue.”