Watch: Maine craft brewers film a skillful video to help protect their Sebago Lake watershed

Last week, we detailed Allagash Brewing Co. donating 10 cents for every barrel of beer brewed to support and protect Sebago Lake and its watershed, from which it draws extremely pristine water. Sebago Lake is situated just northwest of Portland and is Maine’s second-largest and deepest lake. Cool fact: Sebago is one of America’s cleanest lakes. It’s one of only about 50 lakes — out of 13,000 used as drinking water supplies in the United States — that does not require filtration or treatment for potable use.

We started covering the efforts of Maine brewers and water quality back in April when representatives from 13 of the state’s top craft breweries joined together to launch the Maine Brewshed Alliance — a coalition of brewers committed to helping protect clean water in the state’s rivers, lakes, streams and ocean. This week we’ll continue our drive to support clean water and specifically Sebago Lake with the excellent video above.

Found on Shipyard Brewing’s YouTube site, this little mini movie (it’s 14 minutes long) brings together some of Maine’s top craft beer personalities to discuss the importance of water quality, including Christie Mahaffey, Foundation Brewing Co., Jason Perkins, Allagash Brewing Co., Bruce Elam, Shipyard Brewing Co., Heather Sanborn, Rising Tide Brewing Co., Will Fisher, Austin Street Brewery, and way beyond. Beer makers talk with the likes of Matt Markot, executive director of the Loon Echo Land Trust, which protects lands in the northern Sebago Lake region, on how watersheds work and how the slow process of water getting to the lake creates a richer ecosystem overall.

“[The] water that you’re using for your [beer] business is some of the highest quality, most pure water in North America, and the reason why are these trees and this watershed,” Markot says to David Redding of Goodfire Brewing Co. in the vid.

Deforestation, continued building throughout the watershed and the resulting runoff are currently putting the pureness of Sebago Lake at risk. It’s a common story around the country, and this video is a great way to educate both beer drinkers and the general public about the importance of preserving water quality. Because what’s the most important ingredient in beer? The water. Oh, and more importantly what’s the most essential resource on our planet for all living creatures? Yep, water.