Riding the rising tide of organic foods, small brewers started marketing organic beers to distinguish themselves from mass-market brews. But now, companies like Anheuser-Busch are entering the organic beer market, too, the Associated Press reported July 16.

Sales of organic beer rose from $9 million in 2003 to $19 million in 2005, according to the Organic Trade Association. "Organic is not a new movement," said Jon Cadoux, founder of the Peak Organic Brewing Co. in Burlington, Mass. "Our grandparents grew up eating organic foods, although it wasn't called that."

Organic-beer represents a tiny fraction of overall beer sales, but the trend has caught the attention of Anheuser-Busch, which is test-marketing a pair of organic beers: Wild Hops lager and Stone Mill pale ale.