The sustainability equation

The trio met and determined that Mergoum’s ‘AGS 4023’ wheat would be an ideal ingredient for the 2024 Get Comfortable collaboration due to its alignment with the brewer’s commitment to sustainability. In 2021, Creature Comforts became a Certified B Corporation. This is a certification obtained by for-profit companies that leverage the influence of business to build a more inclusive, sustainable economy. Currently, 100% of the spent grain waste produced by the brewery’s processes is distributed to local cattle farms as feed, totaling approximately 7 million pounds in 2023.

While wheat is not a major crop in Georgia — it accounted for approximately 1.8% of the state’s row and forage crops in 2022 — wheat growers want high-yielding, disease-resistant varieties adapted to regional growing conditions.

Mergoum and his collaborators bred ‘AGS 4023’ as a high-yielding cultivar that is resistant to most prevalent pests including fusarium head blight — also known as scab — a destructive fungal pathogen that can cause low quality and major crop loss. Fusarium head blight also can produce a vomitoxin called deoxynivalenol (DON), which is harmful for humans and animals.

“DON causes vomiting at high levels and can cause beer gushing. This is another reason ‘AGS 4023’ was selected for this joint venture,” said Mergoum. Gushing is a vigorous overflowing of beer upon opening a bottle or can.

“Sustainable agriculture is something we’re wanting to spotlight through this year’s Get Comfortable collaboration. Breweries are needing to become more strategic about how we do our ingredient sourcing,” Stevens said. “If we can produce a viable, successful small batch using a more sustainable wheat variety, that opens up the possibility for scaling up in the future.”

Beer with a science back

Once the wheat was chosen, the work of creating a new beer began. Creature Comforts sourced the ‘AGS 4023’ wheat from Mixon Seed Service. The wheat was grown by Shepard Family Farms in Miller County, Georgia, then malted at Epiphany Craft Malt in Durham, North Carolina, a small craft malt house dedicated to improving carbon neutrality and sustainable manufacturing, Beauchamp said.

They then brewed a wheat-based beer and split it into small tanks, using a different variety of hops in each version. On Feb. 29, Mergoum, Beauchamp and a handful of Creature Comforts staff gathered for a blending lab in the brewery’s downtown Athens taproom to create the final recipe for the Get Comfortable brew.

Sitting around a table lined with cups of hops and glasses of malted wheat, they tasted each component before sampling the hazy, golden base brews. Mergoum, who does not drink, curiously smelled the samples to give his impressions.

“Wheat lightens the body of the beer and makes it easier to drink. Increasing the wheat content gives a lightness and a tanginess,” Beauchamp said. “We’re looking to find a blend of hops that will not overpower the character of this wheat. We are looking to feature the wheat front and center, but beer needs hops for balance.”

After three rounds of blending and tasting, the recipe was set. The hazy IPA has a 35% wheat content — much higher than their other beers — with a blend of Meridian and Crystal hops. According to Creature Comforts, the Get Comfortable Wheated IPA has “a hazy appearance and a delicate, gorgeous foam” and an “aroma … layered with inviting mango, orange and lemongrass.” Released on April 12, the brew is available at the Athens taproom and at local bars and restaurants and through local retailers while supplies last.