Organic beer is here!

That's right, the Out Back Shack started serving Mill St. Organic this year. Now even health-conscious students can enjoy a good clean brew in between classes, after tests, with a meal and at every pub night.

Brewed in Toronto, Mill St. Organic is Ontario's first organic lager and contains no pesticides, insecticides, herbicides or chemical fertilizers. Brewed with certified organic malt and hops imported from New Zealand, this 4.2 per cent European-style pilsner is described as “a uniquely refreshing lager which offers a light, crisp and refreshing European flavour, with a clean finish.”

Although Mill St. Organic beer costs significantly more than conventional brew at the beer store, the Out Back Shack doesn't sell it at a premium. In fact there is nothing on tap cheaper than Mill St. Organic. The Shack is selling this beer for the same price as every other domestic beer at only $4.25 a pint, or $12.75 a pitcher.

“A lot of people like it, and despite a lot of promotion early on in the year, a lot of people are still finding out about it,” Kevin Cadieux, a bartender with seven year's experience at The Shack.

When asked why the Out Back started serving organic beer, Cadieux said it was a decision that came from the Shack's manager, Mike Hall.

“[Hall] thought it would be a good idea to cater to students who consume organic products, and that it was important for society to realize the benefits of organic product,” explained Cadieux.

Cadieux realizes this benefit. Not only does he serve the beer, he proudly drinks it too.

“I drink organic beer for the same reasons I try to consume other products that are organically grown,” he said. “I like to know about the things I put into my body. Organic is healthier for me and cleaner for the environment.”

Cadieux also explained that when it is busy and the bar runs out of glasses, Mill St. Organic is served in biodegradable cups while other beers are poured into plastic ones.

According to Cadieux, the Out Back Shack is “one of very few venues in London that carry Organic beer, but we'll see a rise of organic product [being carried in bars] in the future.”

Cadieux added that the student bar would continue serving this beer next year.

Organic beer being sold at the Out Back Shack for the same price as regular beer might not alter everyone's drinking habits, but according to one health-conscious drinker at Fanshawe, “there's never been a better time to get drunk.”