Free Republic

New Belgium Brewing released a new beer that tastes bad to illustrate how climate change could affect the beer industry. The Colorado-based brewery said 'Torched Earth Ale' is made with low-quality ingredients that brewers may be forced to use in the future. For example, instead of fresh hops, the beer is made with hop extracts and dandelions. New Belgium said it wanted to make the point that climate change affects beer lovers everywhere. Last year, Fat Tire became America's first certified carbon neutral beer.

Democratic incumbent Sen. Michael Bennet’s first ad of the election cycle touts one of his campaign donors, the New Belgium Brewing Company. Bennet released his first television spot Thursday, which features the senator talking about beer and farmers. “They say one man’s trash is another man’s treasure. Or sometimes, these guys’ treasure,” Bennet says, pointing to a herd of cows. The ad then cuts to Bryan Simpson, who is only introduced as a “brewery worker” in Fort Collins. Simpson praises Bennet for working against a federal regulation of how breweries can sell spent grain, or leftover malt beer makers can...