Chug a Pint for Charity
An amazing trend has emerged among many of the 6,000+ craft breweries operating in the United States. Craft brewers are using their suds to benefit the world. Aside from donating beer to nonprofit organizations for beer festivals or silent auctions, many breweries work directly with charities, raising awareness and contributing a portion of proceeds from their sale of beer directly to support the greater good. Enjoying a beer and helping people … I’ll drink to that.
Environmental Causes
For more than a decade, SweetWater Brewing of Atlanta, Georgia, has worked with the Chattahoochee Riverkeeper and the Waterkeeper Alliance to help protect our rights to clean water. They brew and donate funds from the sale of their Waterkeeper Hefeweizen, and work with accounts to host events that raise even more funds for these organizations. In 2018, their “Save Our Water Campaign” contributed $100,000 to five additional partner organizations, including Trout Unlimited, Ducks Unlimited, Bonefish and Tarpon Trust and Coastal Conservation. These initiatives help to better legitimize the brewery’s name and rainbow trout-shaped tap handles.
Two Craft Brew Alliance-owned breweries have launched initiatives to work with unique endeavors. Appalachian Mountain Brewing of Boone, North Carolina, partnered with the Longleaf Alliance to help restore thousands of native longleaf pine trees to the Southeast. As part of the partnership, AMB and The Longleaf Alliance have collaborated on a “Drink a Pint, Plant a Pine” campaign which unites beer and wilderness enthusiasts. For every case of AMB’s Long Leaf IPA sold at stores, bars and restaurants, the Longleaf Alliance will plant one longleaf pine. To date, sales of Long Leaf IPA have supported the planting of 15,000 seedlings.
In 2014 Cisco Brewers of Nantucket, Massachusetts, released Shark Tracker Lager in 2014, teaming up with OCEARCH to raise awareness, benefit research and education on sharks. OCEARCH conducts expeditions aboard their vessel, the M/V OCEARCH, which serves as an at-sea laboratory where they catch, collect samples and tag and release apex predators for the sake of research and education. Three dollars from every case sold goes to OCEARCH in support of their education and outreach program. They also created a custom Shark Tracker App where users can view where tagged sharks are and get video updates from OCEARCH.
People and Pets
Local brewery Tequesta Brewing has worked with Ernie Els for Autism Foundation for more than five years. To benefit the foundation, they produce a Blueberry Saison during Autism Awareness Month in April and co-host an annual Beer and Food Pairing event. Due South Brewing Company of Boynton Beach produced Land, Sea and Air IPA in November for Veterans Day weekend, donating a portion of proceeds of the sale of the beer to Wounded Veterans Relief Fund of Florida.
Sanctuary Brewing in Hendersonville, North Carolina, is entirely “committed to enriching the lives of both humans and animals though excellent craft beer, kindness and philanthropy.” They work with local animal shelters and advocacy groups like Brother Wolf Animal Rescue, Boxers Butts and Other Mutts foster program, Friends for Life Forever Farm, Full Moon Farm, Animal Haven of Asheville, Earthshine Nature Programs and The Turtle Hospital, all aimed at helping animal welfare. Their brewery even has its own rescue cat who walks around looking for attention.
Some breweries run their entire business as a not-for-profit company. Ex Novo Brewing Company of Portland, Oregon, gives 100% of its profits to “those building a better world and bringing hope to places where it is scarce.” They donate all of their proceeds to Friends of the Children, a prevention/early intervention program for high-risk children; International Justice Mission; Impact NW Community Organization; and Mercy Corps.
California Camp Fires
One of the largest charity initiatives recently organized is Resilience IPA. When 85 people lost their lives and 13,000+ people lost their homes in the California Camp Fires, near Sierra Nevada’s brewery, they decided to brew a beer called “Resilience IPA,” with 100 percent of the proceeds going directly to the Butte County Recovery programs.
One of oldest and most respected craft breweries in the country, Sierra Nevada, under founder Ken Grossman, sounded the horn and asked breweries around the country to also brew this beer. In less than a month, more than 1,400 craft breweries, nearly a quarter of all breweries in the country, joined the effort. On Dec. 18, breweries started pouring this beer in their taprooms. Sierra Nevada is projecting that over 10 million dollars will be raised for the charity through this effort. Local breweries who have brewed this beer include Tarpon River Brewing, Gulf Stream Brewing, Wynwood Brewing, Concrete Beach, Veza Sur Brewing, Funky Buddha, Islamorada Beer Company, Saltwater Brewery, 26 Degree Brewing Company, NOBO Brewing Company, Grill & Brewery, to name a few. Giving back never tasted so good.
