Enter Fibonacci Brewing in Mount Healthy, Ohio, whose owners not only recognized that their corner of the world has several food-insecure residents but also have been taking action to help the community. In 2019, the brewery opened a farmers market and a year later, introduced two programs that make buying fruits and vegetables more affordable.

Why a farmers market at a brewery?

A brewery might sound like an unusual place to host a farmers market. Until, that is, you remember that beer is an agricultural product, its ingredients sourced straight from the land.

That’s exactly what Betty Bollas thought, too, and ironically, she had always hoped that somebody would open a farmers market in Mount Healthy. Yet when she and her husband Bob opened Fibonacci, she concluded that somebody was her. “I realized with the acre-and-a-half urban farm and a large beer garden we have, we were in a position to do more,” she says. On its urban farm, Fibonacci produces eggs, honey, and mushrooms and is home to three goats and 10 chickens. It even offers Airbnb accommodations in its farmhouse.

She was also aware that Mount Healthy has numerous areas that are food insecure, including just a few blocks from the brewery, and it hit home. “My husband and I grew up with single mothers, and he was on the school lunch program so we know what it’s like to struggle,” she says.

By hosting a farmers market that could tackle food insecurity, Fibonacci would also be helping its community, one of the reasons the couple opened the brewery in Mount Healthy where they also live. “We wanted to be a community centerpiece,” she says. That community spirit, in fact, is felt every time somebody orders a pint of its Oberhausen Kolsch. Fibonacci has a Charitable Giving Program which gives 10 percent of pint sales (after taxes) from this beer to a different local organization every month.

Helping individuals in need buy healthier food

Saying that you want to start a farmers market is one thing, but a market can’t run without vendors. Fortunately, Fibonacci had already established relationships with numerous growers, namely because it strives to use at least one local ingredient in all of its products. Bollas also spent countless hours contacting farmers and vendors, going after small businesses who were growing as sustainably as possible.

While most of the responses were positive, one vendor said it wouldn’t be worth his time to be in her neighborhood. “He told me that people here don’t have the money to spend at the market,” she said. That only emboldened her to make the market a success, and during its inaugural year in 2019, she ran the market from May through November with 14 vendors. The response from vendors? “You know you’re doing well as a market host when vendors are inviting other vendors to participate,” she says.

Yet operating a farmers market doesn’t automatically equate with aiding food insecure individuals, and for that, Bollas had to get creative. In 2020, she did a massive amount of legwork before introducing two ways for these individuals to access healthy food at an affordable price.

First, Bollas set it up so that the market could accept Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) dollars. SNAP is a USDA program that aids income-eligible families in buying healthy foods.

She then brought Produce Perks to the market. The program, which is available to anybody receiving SNAP in Ohio, makes it more affordable for individuals to buy fruits and vegetables by matching SNAP dollars. For every $1 that an individual spends with SNAP, Produce Perks matches up to $25 by offering free Produce Perks tokens that can be spent on fruits and vegetables at the market. “Produce can be a little more costly at markets, but this makes it more affordable,” Bollas says.

Spreading the word to those who need it most

Getting the word out about these programs, though, takes time, and in 2020 when Bollas introduced them at the farmers market, the pandemic had just hit, and attendance was understandably low. Yet in 2021, there was an uptick in attendees, and feedback about these initiatives has been positive. “People are happy when they find out we have that option,” she says.

To get the word out, she’s been partnering with local organizations like the food pantries and a community health care facility, but she realizes this may take time. “It may be several years until this comes to full fruition, but we’ll keep building relationships and getting the world out as best as we can.”

Fibonacci runs the Mount Healthy Farmers market on the first Sunday of each month from May to November. There, you’ll find not only about 15 vendors but also live music and a food truck. And of course, there’s always beer, including an option that does good so you can, too.

The post How This Nanobrewery Is Fighting Food Insecurity in its Corner of the World appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Winter usually signals the end of patio season, but for numerous breweries—even those in places where the temperature routinely plummets below freezing—that season is now year-round. While the pandemic pushed some breweries to get creative to keep guests safe, others already had plans in the works to appeal to hearty beer drinkers who enjoy the outdoors.

Regardless of the reason, keeping patios open in winter has become a wise business strategy. These four breweries are giving beer lovers a space to drink outdoors when the mercury dips.

Pushing out patio space

Months before the pandemic hit in March 2020, plans were underway to double the size of the patio at Big Grove Brewery in Iowa City, Iowa. Big Grove’s founders envisioned the brewery’s massive yard as a music venue for beer drinkers.

After Big Grove struggled to find its footing with that gameplan, it pivoted to improving its outdoor space. In January 2020, Big Grove unveiled a revamped patio space complete with 10 firepits.  “In hindsight, it was the smartest thing we’ve done because when May [2020] came, we were still under restrictions for indoor dining but had this massive outdoor space that doubled our footprint,” says Doug Goettsch, co-founder of Big Grove. The hardscape patio surface measures about 10,000 square feet, but total outdoor patio space encompasses over 20,000 square feet. “It’s given customers a safe space where they can socialize, and it’s been a monumental win for us.”

Big Grove also scored points by creating what staff calls the “fake patio.” A 16-foot overhang extends 24 feet from the garage doors, which are open in warm weather months. Last winter, Big Grove dropped a temporary wall from the overhang and placed infrared heaters in the area so that people could be outside, even though they were just feet from the taproom. “That was a goldmine for us last year, as it helped us recover some of the revenue we had lost during the early part of the pandemic,” Goettsch says. That space is open again this winter, and between its two outdoor areas and taproom, Big Grove can now seat about 750.

Of course, just because you build it doesn’t mean they’ll come, but Big Grove’s firepits are constantly cranking during the winter. “Surprisingly, we have people who are drinking beer out there in below-zero weather,” Goettsch says. It helps, too, that the brewery is situated on a snowmobile trail, and for snowmobilers who want to enjoy a pint without stripping off all of their gear, they’ve come to the perfect place.

Bubbling up

Winter is no picnic in Fort Wayne, Ind., which is why Trubble Brewing had always closed its patio during the colder months Then the pandemic hit, and Trubble changed its tune.

While taking note of what neighboring Michigan breweries were doing with their outdoor space during winter, it wasn’t until the pandemic hit that Trubble began investing in year-round outdoor seating, says Keli Hankee, co-founder and general manager. The solution? Heated geodomes, affectionately referred to as Trubble Bubbles.

The brewery didn’t originally start off with geodomes. Instead, it experimented with less expensive options, first installing outdoor tents with clear plastic sidewalls. Those wound up lacking the quality to stand up to commercial use, so last year the brewery replaced them mid-winter with pop-up style tents with sidewalls. However, snow load became a recurring problem.

This winter, Trubble found the perfect solution with geodomes. Three now sit on the patio, each one seating two to eight people.

Customers can’t get enough of the Trubble Bubbles, especially on Friday and Saturday nights. “They make eating out more of an event,” Hankee says. “It’s your own private space, kind of like camping but with better food.”

Although it’s been challenging for staff to provide the same full food and drink service in the bubbles as in the brewery, they’ve brought in more business. “We’ve seen a positive impact to our bottom line in the winter,” Hankee says.

More good news for Fort Wayne beer drinkers: the bubbles won’t burst when the pandemic ends. The brewery plans to bring them out every winter going forward.

Igloos hold the edge

When you’re on top of a mountain, it can get so cold that you’d consider seeking refuge in an igloo. Fortunately, if you’re at Bear Chase Brewing Company in Bluemont, Va., you now have six to choose from.

Bear Chase’s igloos, which are reminiscent of the aforementioned Trubble Bubbles, hold anywhere from six to 14 guests. “Without having to build another tasting room, we saw these igloos and thought they would be a great addition for our guests to enjoy the view and beer with a little more privacy,” says Chris Suarez, general manager.

The igloos, introduced last winter to appreciative guests, enhance the brewery’s existing outdoor space. When the chill sets in, Bear Chase has also been walling in its covered patio, adding heaters to keep guests warm. It also maintains seven fire pits in its front yard, along with a heated, tented area with TVs and a private bar. Called the Bear Cave, the event space is open to the public on weekends when it’s not being used for groups.

Giving dogs their space

Beer and dogs are a natural pairing, something Sound2Summit Brewery in Snohomish, Wash., has long realized. Yet its dog-friendly patio was only open in the summer, and because of state laws, dogs aren’t allowed inside the brewery. Local pooches have the pandemic to thank, though, because the brewery just introduced its standalone, dog-friendly year-round patio.

Truth be told, the patio wasn’t built specifically for dogs. The brewery started with two large tents, but they didn’t pair well with windstorms. The new patio not only serves as a formal walkway into the brewery, it also offers lighted, heated outdoor seating. “It provides a well-aerated facility for those who are at risk and don’t want to be inside a public facility,” says co-owner Doug Milnor. “It also provides a warm and comfortable environment for people who want to bring their pets.”

The patio houses a small portable firepit. Even during recent heavy snows, people were enjoying the warmth while sipping their beers with their dogs in tow—“just like at many of the ski resorts,” Milnor added.

Milnor anticipates that COVID fears will continue to drive people outside for the next couple of years, and of course, dog lovers will always be eager to put down a pint with their pup nearby. Milnor envisions the patio as a long-term addition to Sound2Summit, but he shares one tip: “Keep a couple of blankets in the car for your legs and have a blanket for your dog so they’re not lying on the cold ground.”

Pints on the patio, anybody? At these four breweries, the answer can now be yes, no matter what month it is.

The post Pints & Patios: The New Winter Pairing appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Probably never, but it’s time to give malt the respect it deserves. With the number of craft maltsters increasing in this country — there are currently 67 members in the North American Craft Maltsters Guild — malt may finally be getting its day.

That’s something Phil Neumann, CEO and co-founder of Mainstem Malt (with his wife Alyssa Martinez Neumann) in Walla Walla, Wash., has been predicting since 2016. “The focus remains on hops, and breweries aren’t paying enough attention to malt,” he says. “But I believe that’s changing rapidly, and 2021 is the year for craft malt.”

Whether his prediction is accurate remains to be seen, but what is clear is that there are numerous advantages for breweries to choose craft maltsters over what’s often referred to as big malt. Chief among them? Sustainability.

“Craft malt at its core is about relocalizing supply chains and getting people to rethink where malt comes from,” says Jesse Bussard, executive director of the North American Craft Maltsters Guild, adding that the impact on local economies is huge. The Guild defines a craft maltster as small (production is between five and 10,000 metric tons per year), local (over 50 percent of grains are sourced from fields within a 500-mile radius) and independent. “It’s about reconnecting craft beverages to the place and land that produces the ingredients and helping push innovation and spur creativity among brewers.”

Partnering Up for the Earth

Breweries are keenly aware of the dire warnings about the future of this planet, many initiating measures to make their beer more environmentally friendly. Cue craft maltsters who are helping breweries increase the sustainability of every pint they make.

Take, for instance, Maintstem which started as a way to help put water back into streams too dry to support salmon. Yet Mainstem also needed a more comprehensive framework for assessing agricultural practices than it could provide, and a non-profit called Salmon-Safe with its focus on wild salmon was already doing that.

Instead, Mainstem, the first maltster to achieve Certified B Corps status, pivoted and now works with growers who are Salmon-Safe certified, meaning that they’re taking into account things like erosion control and habitat enhancement on salmon-bearing waterways. Mainstem also helps its growers implement other sustainable farming practices. “We envision having organic and regenerative organic lines to support this kind of movement, something that will become possible as brewers, distillers and consumers are willing to pay more for their malt,” Neumann says.

Meanwhile, in Durham, N.C., Epiphany Craft Malt is so keyed in on the brewing industry’s impact on the climate that’s it’s committed to lowering its carbon footprint via regional farming connected credits through Indigo Ag. “Almost 70 percent of our footprint is in the farming practices,” says Sebastian Wolfrum, founder and director of malting and roasting operations.

Through Indigo, Epiphany incentivizes its farmers to practice sustainable growing — for instance, its partner farmers are using an alternative version of nitrogen fertilizer — and get paid through credits that Epiphany receives. As a result, Epiphany was able to achieve a carbon neutral designation in 2020, mitigating 105 percent of its carbon footprint and pulling 421 metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) out of the atmosphere (about a pound of CO2 per pound of finished malt). That caught the attention of Dogfish Head, which used Epiphany’s malt to brew a carbon neutral beer called Re-Gen-Ale.

Carbon emissions is just one of the metrics that Epiphany tracks, something it’s outlined in its Three-Year Climate Resilience Plan. Other metrics include electricity and water use and waste, all of which translates to a lower carbon footprint.

Less impact on the earth, in fact, was what encouraged Carol Cochran, co-founder of Horse & Dragon Brewing Co. in Fort Collins, Colo., to start working with local craft maltsters. “Between transport and growing techniques, we feel confident that for every pound of malt we use that’s grown and malted in northern Colorado, we’re putting fewer greenhouse gas emissions in the atmosphere when making our beer,” she says.

The farmers supplying the two local malthouses Horse & Dragon uses the most are also forward-thinking in their approaches to land prep, crop rotation, fertilizing and watering, Cochran says. That crop rotation, by the way, is key for the earth. “Crop rotation is a foundational principle of farming that’s important for soil health and disease and pest management,” Bussard says.

For Big aLICe Brewing in Long Island City and Queens, N.Y., sustainability has been a primary focus, one reason it’s been using craft malt since 2013. “The identity and mission of our brewery has been about sustainability and doing what’s right, even if it comes at the expense of profitability,” says Jon Kielty, head brewer and production manager at Big aLICe. “Using locally sourced and sustainably grown grains is just one area where we work toward this.”

In fact, since 2013, Big aLICe has always used at least 20 percent New York grown and malted grains in all of its beers. Last year, that number increased to 32 percent, and with the brewery’s expansion to Finger Lakes, N.Y., Kielty anticipates that to be significantly higher this year. Six beers in its line-up use 100 percent grains from New York.

What Craft Malt Does for Beer That Big Malt Won’t

As important as sustainability is, it’s only one reason driving breweries to choose craft malt. Taste is also crucial, especially given that malt is often called the soul of beer. “It provides all of the sugars and most of the flavor,” Neumann says. “While hops are awesome, malt will always be a more important ingredient, and pretty much everything that has excited consumers about hops can be matched, if not exceeded, by craft maltsters.” There are even signs that barley will experience the kind of directional breeding that will result in accentuated flavor profiles, what Neumann calls the “party trick” that earned hops their current place in the market.

The craft malts Horse & Dragon is using, for instance, absorb what Cochran calls the Northern Colorado goodness. “They’re responding to our water and soil in a way that’s unique to right here, and we love imbuing that in the beer we make,” she says.

Kielty echoes that sentiment, saying that there’s a terroir in some of the local grains he works with. “That helps contribute some unique character to some of our beers, including our 100 percent NY Pilsner,” he says.

That taste is further influenced by the freshness of the malt, which increases its aromas, another unique aspect of craft malt. “Within a month of malting the barley, there are subtle aromas that will disappear if you get the malt eight to12 months later, which is often what happens with big malt,” Wolfrum says. “Because we roast our malts, there’s a night and day difference when you open a bag of our malt versus one that’s traveled for months and over a long distance.”

That’s one characteristic Reed Odeneal, co-founder and director of brewing of Perfect Plain in Pensacola, Fla., has found with the craft malt he uses. “While big malt might focus on consistency, craft malt gives you nuances you can’t get in big malt,” he says. Perfect Plain is in on track to source 50 to 75 percent of its malt from craft maltsters this year. “You have so much more variety with craft malt.”

Plus, because breweries have a relationship with maltsters and can connect directly with the farmers, brewers can take control of their beer in a way they can’t with big malt. “Craft malt offers a closer relationship with your maltster,” Bussard says. “You can work directly with the person creating your malt to customize and create your own.” Odeneal, for instance, was involved in the entire malting process from germination to kilning when a malthouse created malts exclusive to Perfect Plain that were then turned a special release of five beers.

Of course, all of this adds up to a bigger cost for craft malt versus big malt. But it winds up being only about a nickel extra per pint, Bussard says, quoting a “maltifesto” written by the co-owner of an Indiana malthouse who suggests raising pint prices from, say, $5 to $5.25 or $5.50 and explaining how this will help the local economy.

Encouraging Breweries to Form “Maltmanships”

In the end, craft malt translates into a better product for craft beer lovers – and a unique way to leverage the beer. In a similar fashion as the Brewers Association’s Independent Craft Brewer Seal, the North American Craft Maltsters Guild offers a Certified Craft Malt Seal program either for the brewery itself if it uses at least 10 percent craft malt every year or a single beer if it’s produced with at least 10 percent craft malt.

The program, which launched in 2019, requires registration and a small fee; after which, breweries can display the logo and seal, even receive wood certification plaque for their taproom. There are currently 120 brewery members, a number Bussard hopes increases.

One of the unspoken benefits of this certification? “It offers an amazing marketing opportunity for a brewery to tell a story about their beer,” Odeneal says. The certification always sparks conversations among Perfect Plain’s guests.

The future of craft malt indeed looks bright, but getting brewers to rethink their malt will still require work. “Brewers need to think about malt as you would a wine grape or coffee beans,” Bussard says. Malt, after all, isn’t just malt, something perhaps you’ll think about next time you sip a craft beer.

The post Why Craft Beer Is Turning to Craft Malt appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Although the Center for Disease Control and Prevention says that the United States has one of the safest public drinking water supplies, there are emerging issues with Americans’ water. These concerns prompted the National Resources Defense Council (NRDC) to create Brewers for Clean Water in 2013. Since then, the initiative has been gaining ground. The fight for clean water is on.

Brewers for Clean Water Gets its Start

In 2013, NRDC began working with several organizations in the environmental community to push the Environmental Protection Agency to clarify which waterways were protected by the Clean Water Act (CWA). “This was – and still is – a subject of great confusion,” says Becky Hammer, senior attorney and deputy director of Federal Water Policy for NRDC.

To aid their efforts, NRDC began investigating what other voices they could partner with to make sure water sources were protected. Breweries were a natural fit. “No matter the size, breweries intuitively understand that they need to have clean water,” Hammer says.

NRDC first began reaching out to breweries in the Midwest. As word got out, big-name breweries like Allagash and Sierra Nevada joined its movement. And their efforts paid off. In 2015, the Congress passed the rule they’d been pushing for limiting water pollution.

In 2016, everything changed when the new administration took over. Since then, the NRDC has been playing defense in response to a multi-phased rollback by the government that will undo CWA. “They put out their own rule that redefines protected waterways in ways that are worse than how it was in 2015,” Hammer says.

As a result, fewer waterways are protected under these new rules. The threat is a problem everywhere, but certain parts of the country will be hit hardest. In Arizona, for instance, 80 percent of its waterways will no longer be protected under the CWA. Breweries are paying attention, and it’s safe to say that many are worried.

The cause for concern

If you’ve ever brewed beer, you know that mineral content matters. “How hard or soft water is in the area can be problematic,” says Layne Carter, local brand and sustainability manager at Aslan Brewing Company in Bellingham, Wash. “Depending on where you live, the mineral content might be a lot for a brewer to work around.”

In Bellingham, for instance, water is drawn from Lake Whatcom and, occasionally, the middle fork of the Nooksack River. Because the water is soft, it’s perfect for brewing beer. “We’re basically starting with a blank canvass, and we can add minerals if we want,” says Frank Trosset, Aslan’s head brewer.

For Cahaba Brewing Company in Birmingham, Ala. “The water in Birmingham has always been among the top-rated across the country,” says Eric Meyer, Cahaba’s co-founder and brewer. “Yet because there could always be a change in the water chemistry with heavy rains or changes in the water treatment plant, we have charcoal filters and constantly check our water.”

Cahaba has a full lab to test the water, which generally takes about 15 minutes. Cahaba brews two days a week, and on the first day of every brewing cycle, the brewery tests the water. It doesn’t usually get tested the second day, as Meyer assumes the water will be the same.

While these breweries and others haven’t yet encountered issues with water quality, there is growing concern. “There’s absolutely a sense of urgency,” Carter says. “Whether or not it be in our area, we know that advocating for clean water is important, especially considering recent changes in environmental protection and water supply safeguarding.”

Enter Brewers for Clean Water, which currently consists of over 100 breweries. It costs nothing to join – filling out a simple form is the only step to becoming a member, outside of having the brewery’s name listed on the web site as a supporter.

Once breweries are registered, they can decide what actions by the NRDC they want to endorse. For instance, when NRDC composed a letter to the administration opposing some of its clean water rollbacks, breweries could choose whether or not they wanted to add their signature. The situation was the same when NRDC sent letters to oppose the administration’s attempts to weaken water standards for coal-fired plants.

Becoming Part of the Clean Water Movement

It seems like every brewery should want to be part of this movement. But Hammer suspects there are a few reasons that may be holding breweries back.

For starters, capacity issues are an obstacle for some. “Some breweries are so small that the only person reading the emails is the owner who’s also trying to run the business,” Hammer says. While it requires only a minimal time commitment to participate, brewery owners do have to read emails and letters to decide if they want to sign on. “For some small breweries, they just don’t have time to do this.”

Some breweries also cite political reasons. “Some believe that advocating policy issues would be perceived by customers as a political move,” Hammer says. “They don’t think it’s worth losing business if customers who support the Trump administration get mad.”

Yet outside of those two reasons, there’s little reason not to join. Hammer also admits constraints by time limits in getting the word out to breweries. “With over 8,000 breweries in the country, I don’t have time to email each one of them,” she says. Fortunately, breweries that want to participate don’t need to wait for Hammer to contact them. They can fill out a form online  and wait for confirmation of their registration.

Joining was a no-brainer for Bent Paddle Brewing Company in Duluth, Minnesota. “We had already been putting out statements about how important water is for us,” says Laura Mullen, co-founder and VP of marketing and outreach. Bent Paddle sources its water from Lake Superior, which is renowned for its quality. “We have such neutral water here that it can mimic any water table in the world, and clean water matters to our bottom line.”

Aslan Brewing also didn’t hesitate. “Our team at Aslan takes a lot of pride in our sustainability efforts,” Carter says. “Being a large brewery in a small town, we strive to do as much advocacy for the environment as possible, and we welcome any chance to be a voice in the craft beer industry when it comes to protecting our planet.”

While Meyer understands why breweries might be skeptical at first, he believes the benefits outweigh any negatives. “The biggest benefit is that as breweries, we’re united as one voice under an organization that knows how to word things the right way,” he says, adding that having a voice will be vital when the government lessens restrictions on water quality, which could then add more impurities to the water. “Any changes in water quality will have a big impact on the craft beer industry.”

The post Craft Brewers Band Together for Clean Water appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

When Trouble Began Brewing

When news about the coronavirus got more serious in March, Trubble started seeing a slip in sales. But the brewery, which has two locations in Fort Wayne, both of which serve food (although its main location has a more extensive menu), was already taking measures. There were signs posted about hand washing and they were doing regular updates about sanitation with its employees.

“We had come up with about two to three contingency plans when the governor suspended dine-in services,” says Keli Hankee, co-owner with her brewmaster husband, Chad.

That order, which has since allowed for carry-out and delivery from restaurants, began on March 24. In a proactive move, Trubble had already laid off its 18 employees so they could start collecting unemployment. “We told them that if sales justified it, we would begin hiring them back,” says Hankee.

Still Selling Beer, Filling Growlers

With sales now down at the brewery, which in pre-virus times had regularly scheduled events from trivia to live music several times a week at its main location with numerous outdoor events on its pet-approved patios, Trubble decided to sell beer during limited hours Monday through Sunday. For a while, it was still filling growlers, and after a temporary halt at the end of April — “we were concerned about the number of COVID-19 cases expected to hit Indiana,” Hankee says —  started doing this again May 1. The brewery has been spraying customers’ growlers with a bleach solution for 30 seconds and rinsing them before refilling them.

The brewery also sells crowlers and crowler cans, and although it doesn’t have a canning machine, it’s using twist-off crowler cans, which Hankee calls a lifesaver. Trubble is charging customers $2 per can (on top of the beer), which covers its costs.

Adding Family Meals

Food sales then shifted to the weekends, as customers were allowed to carry out food or have it delivered Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays. In addition to its regular menu of rice bowls, loaded fries and burgers, Trubble added family meals like meatloaf, mac and cheese, and lasagna to give people a better value per meal cost and reduce their contact when ordering out. The meals have been a hit.

Orders come in through the Toast app, but Trubble recently halted carry-out temporarily for the same reason it stopped filling growlers, although it’s offering select delivery with no charge to those who live within a 2-mile radius.

Giving back and going forward

So how has Trubble adjusted to these constant pivots? Surprisingly well, says Hankee, who even admits that at times it feels “relatively easy.” Before the virus she had to worry about promoting beer and food specials, beer releases and nightly events. Her biggest focus now is promoting online ordering through social media and other channels. Through its Facebook page, Hankee has started a vlog to keep customers up to date on Trubble’s happenings, and the brewery is hosting live music events where musicians play to a virtual audience, encouraging customers to buy its beers so they can sip to the beats at home.

Although the message is more streamlined and the community has been supportive, Trubble has had to slow its beer production, and its food and beer sales have taken a major hit.

“Like other breweries, our biggest cash flow is April through September, and we have to bank money in the summer to keep paying our bills in the winter,” she says. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, sales have been cut by 75 to 85 percent.

Staying As Positive As Possible

But they’re getting by and giving back to their employees and the community. Hankee set up a GoFundMe account for her employees and has already distributed funds to its employees. And recently, Trubble started its Pans for a Pandemic. Every week, 5 percent of its revenues is donated toward food ingredients, and the Trubble culinary team creates a hot meal for those on the front lines. The community can nominate a group for these free meals.

As of press time, nine employees have been rehired, and Trubble is looking to increase that number in the next two weeks. Until then, Hankee is continuing to explore new ways to find business and stay as positive as possible.

“I’m just trying to stay focused on what we can do and not worry about the future – too much,” she says.

The post Trubble Brewing Faces Trouble Head On appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

“Bowling and beer have always gone hand-in-hand, and if you’re drinking beer, it should be fresh, local craft,” says Brian Bailey, accounts manager at Southern Brewing Company in Athens, Georgia.

From the South to the Rockies to the Great Lakes, we found a handful of bowling alleys who are offering a notable selection of beers from small and independent craft breweries. In fact, a few are even brewery/bowling alley combos!

Showtime Bowl | Athens, GA

With 32 lanes, Showtime doesn’t mess around when it comes to bowling. Not only is this a bowler’s paradise, it’s also a treasure for beer lovers. It offers libations from the 11^th Pin, a restaurant inside the bowling alley, which boasts an extensive craft beer menu, including those from local breweries like Southern Brewing Co. and Creature Comforts Brewing Co. From Southern Brewing’s perspective, being available at the bowling alley has been an effective way to introduce its beer to people in the community who haven’t heard of the brewery, Bailey says. Meanwhile, “We believe our beers should be enjoyed anywhere folks are wanting to deepen their experience or their connection to one another through beer,” says Dan Reingold, director of field marketing for Creature Comforts, adding that its Classic City Lager is always a huge hit with the bowling crowd.

(More: How Art Helped Convince Post-WWII America That ‘Beer Belongs’)

Town Hall Lanes | Minneapolis

Town Hall Brewery prides itself on being the most winning brewery in Minnesota, picking up more medals at the Great American Beer Festival than any other brewery in the state. Sip one of its beers and perhaps that luck will rub off on you when you take to its 10-lane bowling alley. “The brewery’s owner was an avid bowler and saw things he believed he could do better, especially with service at a bowling alley, and decided to buy one when it was the right place,” says Mehtab Taylor, Town Hall Lanes’ general manager. Along with 11 guest taps, Town Hall features 14 of its own taps, including the Super Strike Lager, created specifically for bowlers and the only beer at the alley served in pitchers (with its own special glass).

Stardust Lanes | Saginaw, MI

Cosmic bowling, anyone? With its black lights and light show, not to mention jumbo projection screens for its music videos, Stardust delivers a high-energy bowling experience. Suffice to say that its 31 lanes aren’t the only thing that will blow you away. So, too, will its tap list with more than 40 craft beers on the menu, most of them from Michigan.

(More: Superstar Craft Brewing Founders Talk Shared Memories at Smithsonian’s ‘Last Call’)

URGE | San Marcos, CA

When you get the urge for beer, burgers and bowling, there’s only one place to go in San Marcos. While bowling is the main attraction here, URGE also houses Mason Ale Works. The beer list features five of the brewery’s creations, as well as six guest beers on draft.

Enix Beer | Homestead, PA

Enix Beer is a brewpub and bowling alley combo in the Pittsburgh area. You can sip beer at the brewery four days a week and its eight-lane bowling alley is open only on Fridays and Saturdays.

Southport Lanes & Billiards | Chicago

This bowling alley may not be a brewery itself, but it’s housed in a building that Schlitz Brewing erected around 1900, and it has a colorful history. This popular entertainment venue features four hand-set lanes — that means there are two pin-setters in back putting the pins back up every turn  — and 30 draft taps with favorite Chicago breweries like Half Acre Beer Co. and Burnt City Brewing. “Southport Lanes isn’t just a great vintage bowling alley but also a neighborhood bar,” says Amy Jones, marketing director for Burnt City. “If people discover our beer at Southport and then buy in their corner store or visit the beer hall, that’s fantastic.”

Snow Bowl Steamboat | Steamboat Springs, CO

There’s no better reward after a day on the slopes than a beer. Why not make it a unique experience and pair it with bowling? Since the mid 1970s, Snow Bowl has been a Steamboat Springs favorite, but it’s been recently renovated and features 12 new lanes, outdoor beer garden, large screen TVs (including Steamboat’s biggest at 180 inches) and happy hour. Its draft beer list includes two beers each from Butcherknife Brewing and Storm Peak Brewing, two breweries less than a mile away. “Because of these renovations and the great new menu that pairs well with locally crafted beer, it was a no brainer to be part of Snow Bowl,” says Zach Patterson, co-owner of Storm Peak. One of the favorites there? Storm Peak’s Maestro IPA.

Craft beer and bowling? It sounds like a winning combination to us, especially if you’re a brewery looking to expand your reach.

The post Pin Pals: Bowling Alleys Keep Rolling with Beer from Craft Brewers appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

While Indiana may not be known for its sunshine, Sun King is certainly a bright spot.

The Start of Sun King

Passion for beer first united the founders of Sun King, Clay Robinson and Dave Colt. They met when Robinson was buying kegs as a college student from a brewery where Colt worked. The two stayed in touch as they began working at different breweries, chatting frequently about life, music and beer.

When they decided to open a brewery together – “We just wanted to open a small brewery to make beer we loved, pay our bills and be our own boss,” Robinson says — it was based on their friendship, and it’s been a driving force for Sun King’s success. “Our friendship is really the core of the brewery, and after being together for 10 years, we’re like an old married couple,” he says.

(More: Busy Bees: Breweries Experiment with Beekeeping)

The two brewed their first beer under the Sun King label in July of 2009, and they chose an unusual introductory beer, a barley wine named “Johan” after a man who was instrumental in their brewing careers.

“We intentionally didn’t go traditional with our first beer,” Robinson says. “We wanted to make something for our first batch that we might never recreate in case we needed to change any variables.”

They released it on their first anniversary–and most recently, their 10th–and Johan has since won several medals at the Great American Beer Festival.

Sun King Brewing Grows

Success came quickly for Sun King. Although the original business plan called for the brewery to make 5,000 barrels of beer a year by the fifth year, they achieved that goal during their first full year of operation.

With a 30-barrel system as well as a 3.5-barrel brewhouse for its small batch beers, Sun King cranks out 60 to 75 beers a year. Five beers make up its core, the most popular being the Sunlight Cream Ale. Others include Wee Mac Scottish-style ale, Osiris Pale Ale, SKB IPA, and Pachanga, a Mexican-style lager.

“We work hard to make really high-quality, consistent, well-balanced beer,” Robinson says.

Creating dozens of beers a year that match their quality standards, Sun King employs two full-time scientists and maintains an intensive quality control program.

(Recipe: Sun King’s Ring of Dingle Irish Stout Chocolate Pie)

In 2019, Sun King is on course to brew 30,000 barrels. It’s distributed in all of the states that touch Indiana, as well as in Florida, where Hoosiers flock during winter.

If you want to visit, there are several locations to sip Sun King’s creations. You can try the main taproom in downtown Indianapolis. There’s a small batch brewery and tap room in Fishers, which is moving to a new location in Fishers in fall 2019. You can also check out the location in Carmel, Indiana, which  is also a distillery that offers Sun King spirits.

You Have to Pay Your Dues

Don’t let Sun King’s growth fool you into thinking owning a craft brewery is easy. Robinson jokes that there are two things you should know: “You need to be willing to get a lobotomy and take a pay cut.”

He attributes their success to paying their dues, and has that same advice for anyone who considers starting a brewery: “It pays to spend time working in the craft brewing industry before you open your own.”

(Find: A Brewery Near Me)

So what about that name? It’s a nod to the gods of beer, so to speak. “Quoting my partner, the sun is at the center of the solar system, which gives us everything we love, including beer, which makes the sun our king,” Robinson says.

By all accounts, this brewery’s future continues to look bright.

The post Sun King Brewing Lights up the Palates of Midwestern Beer Lovers appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

New Glarus Brewing Co. at Timber Ridge Lodge & Waterpark | Lake Geneva, WI

You can’t buy New Glarus anywhere but in Wisconsin, and the one beer you shouldn’t miss is the Spotted Cow, an American cream ale that many refer to as the state’s beer. This is one reason Timber Ridge made it the main craft beer it carries. “We’re always looking to support local businesses, and it’s a win-win for us, as our guests love the ‘only sold in Wisconsin’ Spotted Cow,” says Jesse Kearns, resort manager of Timber Ridge. But that’s not your only choice here. After a long day at the Moose Mountain Falls Waterpark, you can also kick back with a Bits & Pieces Mosaic IPA from Public Craft Brewing Co. or a Fresh Haze IPA from Deschutes Brewery.

Grove Roots Brewing Co. at LEGOLAND Florida Resort | Winter Haven, FL

Travelers are always looking for local connections in food, drinks and activities, which is why LEGOLAND, a major Florida tourism destination, reached out to Grove Roots. “They wanted to partner with their hometown brewery, and we’re excited to bring in artisanal beers inspired by central Florida,” says Joe Dunham, owner and founder of Grove Roots. Three areas of the park currently offer its beers – the Water Park, Fun Town Pizza and Pasta Buffet, and Dragon’s Den in the Lego Kingdoms – and among those locations, guests can always find three flagship beers (Wakes of Grain American Amber Ale, Slanted Ladders White Pale Ale and Rind & Shine Citrus Witbier) and one seasonal. Since September 2018, Grove Roots’ beer has been well received by beer-loving guests who not only get a local experience but a tasty one at that. “Because the brewery is right down the road, the beer is always fresh,” Dunham adds.

Yuengling Brewery at Hersheypark | Hershey, PA

Pennsylvania takes a lot of pride in Yuengling, one of America’s oldest breweries, and one that’s still independently operated by the family today. Ten years ago when Hersheypark–another name synonymous with Pennsylvania–began selling Yuengling Traditional Lager on draft, the relationship couldn’t have been any more ideal. “As two iconic Pennsylvania brands, it felt like a natural fit to partner with Hersheypark,” say Debbie and Wendy Yuengling, sixth-generation family members at the brewery. In 2018, the park opened its 182 Pavilion in Pioneer Frontier that now offers a wider selection of Yuengling beers, including the Traditional Lager, Light Lager, Black & Tan, and Golden Pilsner.

Yee-Haw Brewing Co. at The Island | Pigeon Forge, TN

Yee-Haw opened its location on The Island in June of 2018, and business hasn’t slowed down since then. “This location generates high traffic flow, which is great for getting our brands exposed to consumers and allowing sampling opportunities,” says Steve Montano, vice president of sales and marketing at Yee-Haw. The brewery has five core brands, including a dunkel, IPA, Kolsch, pale ale, and its Eighty Shilling Scottish Ale, which are always available. You’ll also find the brewery’s seasonal and high-gravity beers on tap, giving you plenty of reasons to say yee-haw.

Sycamore Brewing at Carowinds | Charlotte, NC

When an amusement park opens a new roller coaster, it often wants to do so with a bang – or in this case, a beer. “The Copperhead Strike is a cool, unique ride and the park wanted to find a way to get the word out in a new and unique way,” says Archie Gleason, vice president of sales with Sycamore Brewing. Because Carowinds’ guests were becoming more interested in craft beer, the park decided to create a special beer and went looking for a Carolina-born partner, hence the connection to Sycamore. The brewery crafted the Copperhead Strike IPA, which is available at all three of the park’s restaurants and its general market. Although this is the first season for the coaster and its accompanying beer, all signs are pointing to this beer flying high.

Of course, these five amusement and entertainment parks aren’t the only ones in the country where you can find craft brews. They’re just the ones that popped up on our beer radar first. The good news from all this? Craft beer lovers now have another venue where they can sip – and support – local.

The post What a Thrill! Finding Craft Beer at Amusement Parks appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Each of these dairy farm breweries has its own backstory — from a married couple trying to save the farm they love to a retired U.S. Air Force pilot restoring a landmark that’s been part of the community for generations. All three of these breweries are witnessing how craft beer brings new energy to America’s farming roots.

Craft Beer Rescues Couple’s Dairy Farm

The U.S. dairy milk industry is seeing declining sales. So what do you do if you’re a dairy farmer who’s trying to maintain that way of life? If you’re Sean DuBois and his wife, Molly Stevens DuBois, you open a brewery.

About 10 years ago, Sean and Molly fell hard for the craft beer scene. It started as a hobby until they learned that the large-animal veterinarian who works for them brews beer.

The vet invited the DuBoises to sample and brew with her, and they were hooked. The seed was planted to start their own brewery.

“At every brewery tour we took, they talked about the great relationship they had with dairy farms to get rid of spent grains,” DuBois says. “Although we had always bought spent grains from breweries to feed our herd, not until we saw other breweries did we realize that we could be a one-stop shop, brewing beer and using the grain for our cows.”

In 2016, the couple introduced the community in Barre, Massachusetts, to Stone Cow Brewing.

“We believe we’re the only working dairy farm that’s also a brewery,” DuBois says. And it’s not just him and his wife but also other members of his wife’s family who run the farm. It’s the largest pasture-raised dairy farm in Massachusetts. There are 200 cows in their herd, 100 of which are milked.

Although the couple were craft beer fans and longed to be part of the Northeast independent beer scene, there was an underlying motive: rescuing their dairy farm.

(VISIT: Find a U.S. Craft Brewery)

“We Love Our Way of Life”

“We opened the brewery so that we could continue milking cows, as we love our way of life,” he says.

The dairy industry has slumped so much, he says, that it’s tough to break even. Most years, they lose money. The family sought new ways to generate income, starting with a farm stand to sell their products, including maple syrup, vegetables and ice cream. They also opened a seasonal barbecue restaurant — June through September. It’s become so popular they recently expanded to serve lunch in addition to dinner. Then came the brewery.

Sean and Molly have turned Stone Cow Brewery into a local experience. The brewery is inside a 250-year-old barn they got (for free) from their neighbors after the original barn they wanted to use on their property burned down.

They source all beer ingredients locally, including blueberries (for the blueberry sour) and hand-foraged dandelions and nettles for a beer called Spring Sting.

They also grow hops and host a hop-picking party late August. That beer, Can’t Stop Wet Hop IPA, is released a few weeks later and people come from other states to sample it.

“That beer really connects with our local movement,” DuBois says.

“The brewery has saved the farm.” Sean DeBois, Stone Cow Brewery

Since opening, Stone Cow has expanded from eight to 42 employees. The brewery has become not just a beer destination but a family one, too. There is a sledding hill in winter, a playground for warmer months and ice cream all the time.

The brewing has paid off. “The brewery has saved the dairy farm,” DuBois says.

(READ: In New York State, ‘Farm Breweries’ Aren’t About Location)

Reviving a Retired Dairy Barn

Jack Waite traveled the world as an Air Force pilot. A beer lover, he was able to try a lot of styles, especially in Germany, Japan and Korea. He also took a course about the chemistry behind brewing. So when he decided to retire in Coldwater, Ohio, he opened a brewery in a dairy barn built in 1933. What once was Coldwater Dairy is now home to Tailspin Brewing.

Coldwater Dairy was once a thriving business. It’s one reason the barn with an old stone silo — something you don’t find much anymore — has become a local icon. Although it stopped being an active farm with dairy cattle in the early 1980s, it continued selling milk wholesale well into the 2000s. Then it sat idle for years.

As luck would have it, Jack Waite was looking at property with a real estate agent who showed him a picture of the barn. Waite knew it was meant to be.

“Because my wife was from Coldwater, we already knew the barn and had a natural affinity for it,” he says.

“Part of Our Identity”

The farmer’s family agreed to sell it to them, and the brewery was born, officially opening its doors in 2016. The former owners had taken such great care of the barn that Waite had little work to do to revamp it. Today, the barn serves the brewery well.

“It’s as much a part of our identity as the beer,” Waite says.

Locals often come in to talk about their memories of being at the barn when it was a dairy farm. Having local roots has also made the brewery more attractive to guests.

“Everyone loves to shop local when they can, and you can’t get any more local than what we are,” Waite says. “When you tie the history of the barn to the history of the town, we’re really their brewery.”

That’s one reason you might find locals veering toward the Guernsey Gold Cream Ale, which pays homage to the brewery’s history. The farm’s now-deceased original owner used to call the milk from his Guernsey cattle “Guernsey Gold,” and his daughters say he’d no doubt be greeting folks at the brewery if he were alive today.

(TRAVEL: New England Breweries Off the Beaten Path)

Serving Farmhouse Ales from the Farm

It’s only fitting that Fox Farm Brewery in Salem, Connecticut, specializes in farmhouse beers. The 15-barrel brewery opened on a former 1960s dairy farm, and the brewery is now rewriting its history.

Zack Adams had started homebrewing more than 12 years ago and became enamored enough to consider a brewery. But the big question: Where to open one?

The barn is relatively young, but it shares the same story as other dairy farms. It was an active farm for about 25 years. Then the former owner passed away and the barn then fell into a state of neglect. That’s when it caught the eye of Zack and his wife, Laura.

They heard that the farm’s owner had passed away and they decided to put in an offer. Laura’s parents not only have a vineyard down the street, she also grew up in the area and has fond memories of driving by this dilapidated barn.

“I don’t think we would have opened a brewery if this wasn’t the space,” Zack Adams says. “It just spoke to us.”

Barn Takes Shape

Although the barn had suffered significant deterioration, it was still structurally sound. The biggest renovation involved removing the old dairy barn floor and raising the ceilings. After doing that, the brewery began to take shape — literally.

“It’s linear with a natural flow, making the space warm and welcoming,” Adams says.

(RECIPE: Grilled Cheese & Beer Sandwich)

There were challenges, namely not having city sewer or water or natural gas. But the brewery brings guests into a bucolic setting. Greenery and food plants, like blueberries and cherries that serve an important purpose, surround the guests.

“We’re dedicated to mixed culture fermentation and farmhouse beers that highlight local ingredients and have our own yeast character or fermentation profile,” Adams says. “It reminds people that beer is an agricultural product and brings an increased awareness about the beer.”

As Zack and the other founders of these dairy farm breweries have witnessed firsthand, craft beer really can breathe new life into old places. Yet they’re not only rewriting history for these old farms, they’re also preserving a way of life and local landmarks for generations to come, and that’s worth raising a glass for.

The post Craft Breweries Bring New Energy to Old Dairy Farms appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

Creating a sanctuary of their own

If you don’t get from Sanctuary Brewing Company’s name that they’re on a mission for animals, you will the minute you step in. Pictures of the brewery’s sanctuary animals — from Ollie the pig to Charlotte the chicken — hang everywhere, and the logo and tap handles feature a pig, dog and chicken. Just recently, the brewery also earned non-profit status for its own animal sanctuary, a dream of the two owners, one of whom is a brewer who laid down his brewing roots at Wicked Weed Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina.

“We wanted to open a brewery to make really good beer, but also make enough money to open an animal sanctuary,” says Lisa McDonald, co-owner of the Hendersonville, North Carolina-based brewery and avid animal rescue advocate. McDonald, along with her partner, Joe Dinan, figured it would be years before they could reach that dream. Yet in just a little over two years after opening the brewery in August 2015, they opened their sanctuary, which currently has 23 animals.

The fact that they’ve been able to do this so quickly speaks to their solid beer creations. “Joe brews the beer that he wants to drink, which means we don’t get pigeonholed into one thing,” McDonald says. Their flagship — and one that if they ever stopped carrying, “people would come to the brewery with torches and pitchforks,” McDonald jokes — is the Hop Pig IPA, named after one of their most beloved farm animals, Ollie. Now 250 pounds, this pot-bellied pig used to be a regular guest at the brewery when he was a little. (Ollie, by the way, also inspired the name behind a double IPA called Ollie the Destroyer, largely because when Ollie gets his snout into some beer, which he loves, he turns into a lunatic.)

Before the sanctuary, though, Sanctuary Brewing was advocating for animals in other ways. They earned fame for hosting a weekly yoga class with animals, usually featuring cats and bunnies. They also frequently partnered with animal rescue organizations to do things like host events at the brewery, donate a certain portion of the proceeds of sales of specific beers to organizations, and provide free beer to animal-oriented fundraising events.

While they’ve since stopped doing the yoga, largely because they now serve food at the brewery and animals are no longer allowed inside because of health code reasons (although guests can bring their dogs to the pup-friendly patio) and their farm animals can’t patronize the brewery, they still work with a select handful of animal rescue organizations to support their mission. They also do special community pet events like food drives and free vet checks for pets. And they invite guests to tour their sanctuary for free, although donations are encouraged. “If you love beer and you’re curious about our animals, we want to get you out there,” McDonald says, adding that she’s hoping to sell beer at the sanctuary soon.

But there’s an even bigger way Sanctuary is advocating for animals: It’s a vegan brewery (McDonald and Dinan are vegan), and while this is something they don’t hit patrons over the head with, the mission is reflected in their menu, which serves only vegan fare. “We just want to provide a comfortable space where people can drink really good beer and eat really good food — oh, and by the way, you’re helping animals,” she says, , adding that non-vegan beer drinkers have been pleasantly surprised that this type of fare can be so delicious and dense. The brewery’s compassionate nature extends, by the way, into other ventures, as it hosts a free dinner every Sunday (although it’s donation-based, if you can afford it) and hosts a kindness wall, which has bags filled with essential items like toothpaste, deodorant and sunscreen, available for free for people in need.

In the future, the dream is to open a location with at least 80 acres where they could place the brewery, animal sanctuary, yoga studio and more. Until then, Sanctuary will continue coming up with new ways to be animal advocates. “We’re down with the wackier the idea, the better,” McDonald says. “We want to do things that sound fun and maybe change people’s hearts and minds about farm animals.”

Doing good for animals with every pint

Whether you want to kick back on the patio or enjoy a pint inside, everybody’s welcome — including four-legged friends — at Metazoa Brewing Company in Indianapolis, where you’re doing good the second you pay for a beer. The brewery donates 5 percent of its profits to 10 animal and wildlife organizations, something it’s done religiously since its opening in April 2016.

The brewery cuts checks to each of these organizations every quarter, sometimes sooner, if one of the organizations has a particular need. “We’re so committed to that 5-percent promise that our owner has dug into his pockets at times to make it happen,” says Lauren Frederick, Metazoa’s director of sales and marketing.

The brewery also holds numerous events for animal organizations every month in its taproom. For instance, it recently hosted a Mardi Cause Fast Hounds and Fast Horses event to raise money for retired racing greyhounds and horses. They also recently hosted a music festival titled Pints Against Poachers with four bands to help raise money for the African Wildlife Foundation’s Canines for Conservation program.

And any of its beers made with chocolate — there were three on tap as of press time — use Endangered Species Chocolate, an Indianapolis-based chocolate company that donates 10 percent of its net profits to its nonprofit conservation partners. “Endangered Species has taken us under their wing and agreed to be our exclusive chocolate partner,” Frederick says.

Why such a strong focus for a brewery whose name is the scientific term for the animal kingdom? Credit its owner Dave Worthington, whose two kids loved giving money to animal causes when they were growing up. When Worthington decided to open a brewery, he decided to combine two of the things that were most important to him and his family: beer and animals.

Metazoa hopes to send $100,000 to its various animal and wildlife partner organizations in 2018, a mission that they’ve helped by quadrupling their brewing capacity and increasing their distribution around the state of Indiana. They’re also currently exploring the option of a second location.

While the animal mission was a big driver for attracting customers during their initial start-up, Frederick believes the brewery now has a one-two punch that’s making it so successful. “Our beer is really good — we recently picked up some medals at the Great American Beer Festival, for instance — and people also feel really good when drinking our beer, which sets us apart from other breweries that, although they might have good beer, may not have a mission,” she says. In the future, Frederick hopes Metazoa can host bus trips to some of their partner organizations so customers can see where their money is going.

A spirited foster home for dogs

No doubt you’ve heard of cat cafés. But a taphouse for dogs?

The idea is the brainchild of Scott Porter, who recently opened I Love Fido’s in Tigard, Oregon, which features 40 taps, including 30 for beers that regularly showcase independent breweries like Boneyard Brew Co and Occidental Brewing. Yet Porter didn’t want to have just another beer bar. He wanted to set himself apart, and it was a visit with his son to a coffee shop that featured adoptable cats that sparked the idea.

Porter had read several Yelp reviews in which the patrons were complaining that the cats didn’t want to play with them. “My son commented that if they have dogs, this wouldn’t be a problem,” he says. “It came to me then that if I could get adoptable dogs in a tap room, I’d open a bar,” he says.

Three years later in February 2018, I Love Fido’s officially opened to the public. long with being a beer bar, it also serves as a corporate foster for adoptable dogs. Roughly four to six dogs live full-time (until they find their forever home) in a separate room that you enter from outside the taproom, where patrons are encouraged to visit them (and yes, you can place your beer outside a window, open the window and take a sip while you visit the dogs). There is a small fee — $4 per half hour for individuals 13 years and up and $2 per half hour for anybody 12 or younger, although minors do have to be accompanied by a parent — but the fees go toward all of the expenses Porter and his family have in serving as a foster family for these dogs. Since opening, 34 dogs have been adopted, and Porter hopes that number increases.

The taproom also does special events with rescue organizations and will often put up a featured pint where a certain percentage of proceeds are donated to a rescue.

Although Porter is working hard to earn a reputation as a great beer bar (with a dog-friendly patio), the dogs have been the big draw. “People do care about dogs, and that’s what has set us apart,” he says.

Crafting for animals

Holding special events for animals is another way breweries are putting their best paw forward, and at Hop River Brewing Company in Fort Wayne, Indiana, there’s now a new addition to the activity menu: Making enrichment toys and other accessories for a local animal shelter. On the third Thursday of every month, animal lovers gather to craft items for the shelter’s animals out of common household items like paper towel rolls, cardboard and paper tissue.

“One of our foundations is community,” says Mary Corinne Lowenstein, Hop River’s director of marketing. “By partnering with other socially active organizations that are locally minded, we’re able to connect with people who are interested in getting involved in the community while enjoying something to eat or having a pint of craft beer made onsite.”

Being at a brewery has helped attract more animal lovers. “It can be scary or intimidating to go to an animal shelter if you’ve never been to one,” says Holly Eggelston with Fort Wayne Animal Care and Control (ACC). When these events have been held at ACC’s facility, turnout has been low, but at the brewery, numbers are up. “Adding the fun, laid-back element of a brewery has been a better way to get people to volunteer their time.”

Adopting an animal-driven business model

Feel like joining the pack? Know that anything you do for animals will be welcomed, not just by animal organizations you partner with, but also your animal-loving beer guests.

First, if you’re looking for partner organizations, Frederick suggests finding one that fits your passions. “Do your research and know the reasons why you picked the organizations you want to support,” she says, adding that the more obscure ones that often don’t get much attention can be super cool.

Also, make sure you’re keeping your promise. Whether you’re donating so much from each pint each month or cutting a portion of your proceeds to an organization, communicate with your customers. “That way, you’ll make everybody feel good about supporting you,” Frederick says.

Another option? Consider hosting vegan events like dinners and other fun occasions. “People get upset when you’re trying to save one animal, and you put another one on the plate,” McDonald says. “Plus, vegan events are big money makers and fun to do.”

Coming together for good is something the beer industry is famous for doing. Yet by adding animal lovers to the mix, that do-good mission has the potential to reach an even wider audience, namely the 84.6 million American households that share their home with a cat or dog or both. While it’s a win-win for everybody involved, the real winner is the animals.

The post Pet Projects: A New Breed of Beer Activism appeared first on CraftBeer.com.

[newsletter_signup_box]

Beer has always been part of the onboard experience, but a decade ago, you would never have thought of enjoying a beer from a small and independent craft brewer at 30,000 feet. But several airlines are answering the call to please palates of craft beer lovers by offering superior suds. Virgin America, for instance, introduced 21st Amendment Brewery’s Brew Free or Die! IPA on its Airbus jets in the fall of 2009. The partnership was the result of a tweet.

(MORE: Style Spotlight: American IPA)

After taking a flight on the airline, Shaun O’Sullivan, co-founder and brewmaster of San Francisco’s 21st Amendment Brewery, commented to @VirginAmerica about the great experience. Virgin wasn’t offering craft beer at the time so Sullivan also asked who makes its beer selections. That landed him a meeting with the person in charge of Virgin’s in-flight experience, who happened to be a fan of the brewery, and they made a deal. Virgin America wanted to expand its beer menu, and 21st Amendment made it easy.

“Our craft beer comes in cans, and that was attractive to Virgin for weight reasons, as cans weigh less than glass bottles,” O’Sullivan says. The IPA is still being served, but in the past, the airline has also carried the Hell or High Watermelon Wheat and the Sneak Attack, a Belgian-style saison. (As an aside, the Virgin America brand was recently absorbed by Alaska Airlines and will soon be phased out. O’Sullivan is hopeful that 21st Amendment will be part of Alaska’s new onboard beer program.)

Delta Air Lines, on the other hand, launched its elevated beer offerings in 2014 and has since expanded its beer menu, something everybody who books first class or a Delta Comfort+ seat (on select flights) can enjoy at no charge.

“Delta has always taken the initiative to think differently, and offering craft beer aligns with our culinary strategy to offer people food and beverages they would enjoy at their favorite restaurants or at home,” says Lisa Bauer, vice president of onboard services with Delta.

Airlines Know Customers Want Local Beer

With the growing trend on the ground of going local, airlines are paying attention, and having beer from independent breweries on board dovetails with the movement.

“It’s our nod to the local economy,” Bauer says.

Delta, for instance, serves SweetWater Brewing Company’s flagship 420 Extra Pale Ale, which is based in Delta’s hometown of Atlanta. In fact, it was because of the Delta partnership that SweetWater began canning its beer.

(MORE: American Pale Ale: A Style that Changed Everything)

“We saw the potential and wanted to partner with them, which required our beer to be in cans, so we invested in a canning line,” says Tucker Berta Sarkisian, SweetWater’s spokesperson.

That local angle also cemented Frontier’s partnership with New Belgium Brewing Company and Oskar Blues Brewery.

“The airline (which is headquartered in Denver) saw this as an opportunity to highlight Colorado companies, especially considering that Colorado is so well known for its craft beer,” says Richard Oliver, spokesperson for Frontier.

From the brewery’s perspective, partnering with an airline is a no-brainer.

“It’s great exposure for our brand,” says Jesse Claeys, public relations coordinator for New Belgium in Fort Collins, Colorado, whose beers are on board Frontier and Southwest. In a way, it’s a big sampling opportunity that’s tough to match.”

That’s especially true when the consumers are sampling the beer for the first time. SweetWater, for example, has found that passengers tweet or message them about how much they enjoyed their beer, even asking where they can find it in their hometown. Passengers also seek out 420 at SweetWater’s new Last Cast Bar & Grill at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (concourse B if you’re interested) and at the brewery if they’re staying in Atlanta.

The Logistics of Flying with Craft Beer

Providing craft beer on airlines doesn’t come without obstacles, though, and experienced flyers have no doubt gotten a taste of this at some point. Case in point: You’ve planned to knock out some work while sipping that craft beer only to be told that the airline is out of the beer you were looking forward to.

Shortages like this do happen, namely because supplying the beer can present challenges. For starters, there’s the issue of getting the beer to the airline, which is why Claeys says having a national distribution footprint is key. Managing inventory levels can also be difficult, namely because flying has busy and slow times.

“Making sure we manage inventory as demand increases and decreases is a challenge but one we excel at meeting,” she adds.

Of course, all of this begs the obvious question: Does serving the beer at altitude change its taste or texture? Not necessarily, according to brewers.

“Due to cabin pressurization, there are no noticeable changes in the physics and chemistry of the beer at high altitude,” Sarkisian says.

O’Sullivan even argues that the beer tastes better at higher altitude. His rationale? “For the simple reason that for a long time, bland beer, not craft beer, was the norm, and craft beer on a plane is incredible,” he says, adding that he was blown away when he took his first sip at altitude.

(MORE: A Beer Geek’s Travel Checklist)

There is, however, one change you might notice in the beer. Because of the lower pressure on a jet, it’s possible your beer could have a frothier head. “But that’s not a bad thing,” O’Sullivan adds.

When it comes to making that flight more enjoyable, there’s no better way to do it than with a craft beer. As Sarkisian says, “We say that even if your flight isn’t for a vacation, SweetWater can provide a vacation for your taste buds.”

No matter which craft beer you’re sipping, truer words have never been spoken.

The post Craft Beers Get a Boost on Major Airlines appeared first on CraftBeer.com.