Solar powered ice-cream beer? Say no more

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American ice-cream giant Ben & Jerry’s and Manly’s own 4 Pines brewery have teamed up for a limited-edition Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Nitro Beer with the intention to support a community group to receive a solar installation through Enova Community Energy.

The beer is a take on Ben & Jerry’s arguably most famous flavour, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough flavour, although I’d say other contenders include New York Super Fudge Chunk and anything with peanut butter.

4 Pines, whose Brookvale brewery and headquarters is powered by energy sourced from solar and wind via a Power Purchase Agreement (PPA), says the brew is a hard pour which, if you can picture something a bit close to the cascade of a Guinness, sees the nitro infusion pour down the glass in a golden brown colour like the good sun used to power it. What is more, the decadent flavour and creaminess is ideal as we head into the winter months.

Some of the crew at 4 Pines ready to get on the creams.

Image: 4 Pines

Of course, Vermont’s Ben & Jerry’s has a long history of climate activism and the two companies said it was a “no brainer” to team up and use the power of the sun to create a beer, and to create the opportunity for a community group to receive a solar installation. They’re calling it the ‘good beer that gives back’.

“Ben & Jerry’s has long fought for a renewable energy future,” says Ben & Jerry’s Australia social mission manager Stephanie Curley, “and the partnership with 4 Pines provides a foundation for a sustainable solution with solar panels for the people and the planet.”

Andrew Tweddell, 4 Pines head brewer, seconded that notion, stating that “Since day dot, we’ve brewed beer that we want to drink personally and something that our mates would be proud of. Our Ben & Jerry’s-inspired brew has certainly ticked both boxes. It’s truly a good beer that gives back, and the flavour profile is nostalgic and decadent. For us, we want to leave the world in a better state than which we found it. As each year goes on, we’re working to become a sustainable and community-minded brewery that can make a difference.”

The project will see the two companies contribute to Enova’s ‘revolving community energy fund’, a fund that sees Enova use the energy savings made by a community group to pay off the solar install.

Community groups interested in receiving the funding for the solar installation by expressing their interest to Enova Community Energy.

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