Atlas Brew Works Turns Discarded Fruit from MOM’s Organic Market Into ‘Rescue Brew’

Those attending the 10th annual SAVOR craft brewing event at the National Building Museum this weekend are expected to get first crack at a sour ale dubbed Rescue Brew “Ugly and Stoned,” a brand new beer made by D.C.’s Atlas Brew Works from reclaimed produce donated by retailer MOM’s Organic Market.

The collaborative brew, which is projected to stick around the area — look for it on draft at MOM’s in Arlington, both locations of Glen’s Garden Market (Dupont Circle, Shaw), and at many of the beer-centric outposts in the Neighborhood Restaurant Group chain (The Partisan, Rustico) — once The Brewers Association wraps things up on June 3, is the first anti-food waste themed beverage to be featured at the annual gathering.

The experimental beer takes its cues from the discarded peaches, plums, and nectarines MOM’s supplied — as well as some probiotic yogurt the Atlas crew worked into the mix.

“Produce that didn’t really fit the bill to be sold to the general public,” is how Fox described the battered and bruised building blocks of this particular project.

According to partner organization Plate of the Union, approximately 40 percent of food produced in the U.S. is discarded every year — amounting to approximately $218 billion in waste. “Plate of the Union views this challenge as a call for all Americans to do better, and is working with small businesses, producers, and consumers across the country to help raise awareness and promote a smart approach to food waste reduction,” the advocacy group said in a release.