Watch: Tröegs teams up with the Pennsylvania Chapter of The Nature Conservancy to preserve the forested mountains of Kittatinny Ridge

The Nature Conservancy and Tröegs Independent Brewing are joining together to protect Pennsylvania’s Kittatinny Ridge, an ecologically important 185-mile chain of forested Appalachian mountains that runs through Pennsylvania.

Last week, Tröegs released a limited run of a brand new dry-hopped pale ale called Trail Day. A portion of proceeds from the beer will go toward the Tröegs Trail Day Fund. The fund will help protect 15,000 acres of the most critical, connected lands on and next to the ridge — from the Mason-Dixon Line into New York state through the Delaware Water Gap. The goal is to ensure that songbirds, hawks, eagles, bears and even plants can travel as they must, and that nature will continue to provide clean streams, rich forests, recreational trails and biological diversity.

Trail Day, developed through the small-batch Scratch Series at Tröegs, is brewed with unmalted wheat from Pennsylvania, barley and oats. Citra hops dominate with notes of passionfruit and lychee, Lotus hops add hints of orange rind and vanilla, and El Dorado hops works with a fruit-forward yeast to pull in flavors of candied peach.

The beer will be available throughout Pennsylvania, Connecticut, Delaware, Maryland, Massachusetts, New Jersey, New York and Ohio. Visit troegs.com/trailday to learn more.

Protecting the Kittatinny Ridge is a priority for The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. This forested corridor allows wildlife to move throughout the ridge and has been identified as the most resilient landscape in the state for adapting to a changing climate. Working with local, state and federal partners, TNC is working to conserve more than 8,000 acres over the next three years.

“We are thrilled to be working with Tröegs in protecting an area so critical for Pennsylvania wildlife,” said Keith Fisher, director of conservation for The Nature Conservancy in Pennsylvania. “The Kittatinny Ridge holds recreational opportunities for hikers, anglers, boaters and is a rich natural resource that we must protect for future generations.”

“We grew up in the shadow of the Kittatinny Ridge and it passes within 10 miles of the brewery,” said Tröegs Founding Brother Chris Trogner, “so we know this land well. And few things are more important to brewing beer than clean water. We’re proud to be working with The Nature Conservancy to help protect a place that does so much for Pennsylvania and beyond.”

To build awareness for the Ridge, The Nature Conservancy and Tröegs sponsored the creation of a mural in Harrisburg, located at 512 N. 3rd St., across the street from the capitol. Created by artist Emily Ding as part of this year’s HBG Mural Fest, the mural depicts birds that live and migrate along the Kittatinny Ridge, reminding people of the beauty and importance of these mountains.

In October, Tröegs will join in The Nature Conservancy’s Oktoberforest campaign, celebrating how healthy forests and clean water lead to great beer. On September 21, TNC will be hosting a “Views and Brews” birdwatching event at Hawk Mountain where Tröegs will be serving Trail Day.