Clean Waters IPA Project

The History of Clean Waters IPA

Spring 2020: The Clean Waters IPA project was born!


People’s Clean Waters IPA was under development at the time and was looking to be an exciting beer with a great potential to grow in the market.


Chris Johnson, People’s founding co-owner, and Johnny Klemme, of Geswein Farm & Land, talked about how this beer could be used to support local communities and give back– something they each have a passion for.


Johnny had been working with the Big Pine Creek Watershed Project (a part of Benton County Soil & Water Conservation District) on efforts to protect the Big Pine Creek.


Chris grew up on a family farm in Northeast Indiana and spent a lot of time in nature, most notably the Pigeon River Fish & Wildlife Area and the Fawn River, in Lagrange County, and was very excited about the idea of raising awareness and funds for local waterways in Indiana.


Summer 2020:


People’s Brewing Company partnered with Benton County Soil and Water Conservation District in June of 2020 to raise awareness for the Big Pine Creek Watershed Project.


Spring 2022:


Chris worked with Jess and Andy Linder, of Trading Post Outfitters (on the Pigeon River in Mongo, IN.) to find a partner to work with on the Pigeon River and/or Fawn River, which owner Chris grew up on.


People’s Brewing Company partnered with the Northeast Indiana Water Trails Initiative which serves as a coordinated voice for the river network in NE Indiana and works in partnership to protect, promote, and improve the 566 miles of flowing water in NE Indiana. This includes the Pigeon River and Fawn River.


Starting May 1st 2022, sales of Clean Waters IPA in Lagrange, Stuben, Kosciusko, Noble, Dekalb, Whitley, Allen, Huntington, Wells, and Adams counties support these efforts.

Clean Waters IPA Project Benefits

3.5% of our sales of Clean Waters IPA is donated to the project through the partnerships, including the Big Pine Creek Watershed initiative and North East Indiana Water Trails.

A great aspect of the project is raising awareness for the efforts of organizations that are working to keep these watersheds and waterways clean. Connecting stakeholders to these groups and we are all stakeholders.

As of April 2022, these sales have raised over $2500 for these efforts and brought a great deal of awareness to the project’s goals: they have funded tens of thousands of acres of cover crops and prevented over 115,000 tons of nitrogen, phosphorus, and sediment/topsoil runoff from entering the Big Pine Creek Watershed.

Clean Waters IPA Description

Clean Waters Session IPA is brewed with a complex array of malts and hops. Pilsner malt, caramalts, melanoidin, and mild malts add subtle flavors, while oats give a balanced mouthfeel and body. Simcoe and Amarillo hops dominate the aroma and flavor, which pair smoothly with the oats and malts backbone to deliver a full-flavored sessionable beer great for many leisure activities (like a float down your favorite creek). 4.7% ABV 50 IBUs

Where Can I Find Clean Waters IPA

Ask your favorite bars, restarants, and package stores in your area of Indiana (by county and distribution partner):

Lake, Porter, Newton, Jasper, Starke, and southern LaPorte counties through Calumet Breweries*.

Lagrange, Stuben, Kosciusko, Noble, Dekalb, Whitley, Allen, Huntington, Wells, and Adams counties through Aalco Distributing Company*.

Howard, Miami, Tipton, Grant, Carroll, Cass, White, Wabash, Pulaski, Marshall, Fulton, and Tippecanoe counties as well as parts of Hamilton, Benton, and St. Joseph counties through Mid-America Beverage*.

Marion, Hendricks, Morgan, Montgomery, Vermillion, Parke, Putnam, Vigo, Clay, Sullivan and Greene counties through Zink Distributing Company*.

Clinton and Boone counties through People’s Brewing Company self-distribution. You can always contact us for help getting Clean Waters IPA or any of our products where ever you are.

*Click to go to the distributors website.

Product Downloads (descriptions and images)

Partners and those involved in protecting our waterways and water sheds:

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