So somewhere along the line of 2 or 3 heavy IPA’s, I (Chadd) got the idea that we should give some money away to support local breweries. (I woulda done it without the liquid courage, but I like beer).

The way it originally started was shortly after the pandemic hit. I knew people would be a bit concerned about spending money on beer since the economy took a dump. And on top of that with the annual Craft Brewers Conference being canceled, I knew we had a little bit of petty cash to spend. So what did I do? I hit up our Facebook group with a $500 offer for folks to grab some beer from local breweries:

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The contest came and went, and I didn’t think much more of it. I thought we did a good deed for those we care about. Then I gave some thought to providing support directly to breweries. So I donated a few hundred to various brewery virtual tip jars.

Soon after that I saw Locust Lane post about a beer they made to support front line workers. It was their traditional Game Day IPA, but with front line workers on the cans. I was so moved by the gesture I bought 10 four packs and gave them away to those workers.

Again, I didn’t think much about it and moved on. Then I saw a post in our Facebook group about someone debating going to a brewery. And thought “wow, I hope they go there. I like that brewery and really want them to be supported.” So what did I do? I told them I’d pay for $100 worth of their beer. Cause I really wanted them to go.

Then that happened again.

All the while I kept posting online about how we want to support the PA beer industry, even if that means going broke. (Which we were for a while there).

And since all that, it has kind of snowballed into this thing where others want to get involved. As of this writing, we have had folks from Black Forest Brewery, Fueled By Hops, Levante Brewing, Hello Brewtiful PGH, Might Be Brews Podcast and countless numbers of readers donate to this (unofficial cause). To date we have over $500 that has yet to be given away.

So why am I writing this? Primarily as a thank you to all those who have donated and who have supported us along the way. What started as a way to support an industry with a few bucks in our pocket has turned into a statewide movement, as small as it may be. To anyone who has donated or supported the cause we can’t say thank you enough. It proves why we love this industry so much and will keep doing everything to support it.