In this article over on WEAU.com, Jake Leinenkugel is quoted about the “soul of beer,” i.e. barley, which stands out to me because my own soul is basically a large tank filled with beer. (Translate that metaphor on your own, kids.) What’s interesting is that Big Jake is talking about moving that soul a little closer to home. We excerpt-ize:

• Leinenkugel says he's currently in talks with local farmers about starting to grow barley in the area, something that could help the local economy. He says, “That would be the first step in local in a big way because barley is such a huge ingredient in beer, it's the soul of beer.”
• And City Planner Jayson Smith says that's good news for the county, “One of the largest industries in Chippewa County is agriculture, that industry is very, very important to the economy of Chippewa County and very important to the city of Chippewa Falls.”

Well, that’s actually pretty cool news. (Not sure where their barely comes from now). I hope the idea goes somewhere. The entire article is mostly about the brewery’s new pasteurizing system (set to start working early next year), which will save the company – and the environment – 20 million gallons of water a year. And probably a bunch of money. The new pasteurizer is also said to increase Leinenkugel’s potential for beer output. And if they end up increasing the amount of beer they brew up, it’ll mean more jobs.

Above photo by eleatherberry.