Microbrewery Mad Mole offers environmentally friendly beer
In late 2017, friends and co-workers Martin de Jongh, Ole Pederson, Chris Worden, and Thomas Varnum became partners in planning Mad Mole Brewing. Ole and Martin have been homebrewing for the better part of the past decade and wanted to share their passion for beer. The breweries name (Mad Mole) is a clever combination using the “M” from Martin and Ole’s name, adding “mad” to “mole” is a nod to “mad scientist” — As brewing is a science more than a guessing game. The partners that founded Mad Mole Brewing are also passionate about helping the environment and sought out help from local experts at Cape Fear Solar Systems to help them brew beer using the power of the sun.
The brewery opened in May 2018 and operates on a seven-barrel electric system, which is now powered in part by solar panels. The 63 SunPower solar panels are visible from Mad Mole’s taproom where there are 12 beers on draft. The partners wanted solar to help power their operations using the suns energy and they saw immediate savings in their electric bill. “The Mad Mole team was awesome to work with. I am grateful we got to help them carry out their vision of beer brewed by the sun,” stated Cape Fear Solar Systems Senior Project Manager, Robert Parker who went on to say, “The beer at Mad Mole is outstanding and you can feel good about drinking it. I look forward to spending time there with my friends and family.”
“Working with Cape Fear Solar Systems was a great experience,” explained Mad Moles co-owner Martin de Jongh. “They truly are experts in solar energy. We wanted to also support a local business and we are so glad we chose Cape Fear Solar,” concluded de Jongh. “Supporting local contractors was important to us in our process,” added Mad Mole co-owner Ole Pederson. Pederson closed with a statement speaking to the level of professionalism Cape Fear Solar delivered, “The staff were very knowledgeable and understood our vision. We’re very proud to have beer brewed by the sun and a space where people can gather and have a great time. For those curious about how our solar system works we installed a sign explaining the process and credited Cape Fear Solar Systems.”
