Big Grove Brewery and Taproom in Des Moines has achieved platinum level certification from the Iowa Green Brewery Certification program. The Iowa Green Brewery Certification is a component of the Food, Beverage and Organics program of the Iowa Waste Reduction Center at the University of Northern Iowa that awards certifications to Iowa craft breweries that have implemented sustainable practices within their facilities and brewing operations. Big Grove is the first brewery to have two facilities certified at the platinum level. In Des Moines, sustainable practices implemented by Big Grove include the installation of a hop vacuum to extract more beer per batch, generating nitrogen on-site, recycling its cooking oil and the formation of a company-wide Green Team. “Big Grove has really set the standard of what it means to be a sustainable craft brewery here in Iowa. Their forward-thinking approach during their rapid growth and expansion is certainly commendable,” Joe Bolick, director of the Iowa Waste Reduction Center, said in a prepared statement. Big Grove in Des Moines is the fifth brewery certified at the platinum level of the IGBC program. The other platinum certified breweries are Big Grove Iowa City, SingleSpeed Brewing Co. in Waterloo, Exile Brewing Co. in Des Moines and NoCoast Brewing Co. in Oskaloosa.