The Best Organic Beers

Why It's Good:

It's always Miller-or-fill-in-the-brand-blank time, but now that Oktoberfest season is here, you can really indulge in some delicious frosty brews.

Why It's Green:

Organic beers are produced without or mainly without the use of synthetic pesticides, herbicides, chemical fertilizers, antibiotics or hormones, and contain no artificial preservatives or other additives. All beers that bear the "USDA Certified Organic" label abide by these regulations, (although not all organic beers are created equal—read on...).

Drink Up! Best Beer for Fall

Go ahead: Pop a bottle and enjoy the crisp in the air with a cold one. From tiny microbrews, established imports, to even the king of beers, there is now an organic beer for all regions and tastes. It's no wonder: Organic beer sales increased 40 percent in 2005, tying coffee as the fastest-growing organic beverage.

Here, a list of the good and the better in organic beers:

Wild Hop Lager: Among Anheuser-Busch's first certified organic "microbrews" (although it does contain some hops grown with artificial fertilizers and pesticides), this beer tastes much more fruity than hoppy—despite its name—and has a slightly nutty finish. It's like Budweiser, but energized by a macrobiotic diet.

Butte Creek Organic Pilsner: This light, zesty and earthy pilsner is from Chico California's Butte Creek Brewery, which brewed its first organic summer ale in June 1998, and now makes four more including a porter. The flavor? Like orange zest meets hay—imagine if Becks moved to the country, leaving behind the bitterness.

Wolaver's Organic Brown Ale: This medium-to full-bodied creamy-tasting ale has strong toffee and burnt sugar notes—like Newcastle on a sugar high, but in a good way. Produced by the organic arm of Vermont's Otter Creek Brewing Co., Wolaver's beers (they also do a pale ale and seasonal offerings) are made with malts, hops, yeast, and water sourced within Vermont. Less food miles means a fresher product and healthier environment, especially if you're located on the east coast.

Orlio Organic Common Ale: South Burlington, Vermont's Magic Hat brewery constantly produces beers with distinctive flavors, labels, and names (Hocus Pocus, Fat Angel, etc.) and their mysterious Orlio line of organic beers with its simple all-black label is no exception. The Common Ale, a malt-heavy, fuller-bodied beer with in-your-face flavors of butterscotch and apricot, is available year round, with a cold-weather Black Lager and warm-weather Pale Ale available seasonally.

Samuel Smith Organic Ale: At only 5% alcohol, it's surprising just how full-bodied this very traditional-style ale is. (Founded in 1758, Samuel Smith, which also produced a certified organic lager, is the oldest brewery in Yorkshire, England.) With its earthy kick, this ale is complex without being out of balance. It's like Sam Adams, all grown up.—Michael Green