Today on a National Beer Day like no other, nations across the globe are on lockdown. Meaning no after-work pints at the pub or beers in the sun with mates.
Sad, but still, it’s the perfect time to responsibly sip a solitary brew or share virtual cheers with pals over video chat. And why not support some good causes while you’re at it.
Check out five beer brands that taste good, look great, and do wonders for society.
Toast Ale
Photo on Toast Ale’s LinkedIn
Toast Ale is a brand that brews beer from surplus bread. When he set up the company, Tristam Stuart challenged the market to put him out of business by eliminating food waste.
Toast Ale collects leftover bread from businesses, restaurants and hotels in the UK and incorporates it into the brewing process with hops, water, yeast and barley.
The social enterprise then donates all of its profits to FeedBack, a British charity (also founded by Stuart) committed to combating food poverty and wastage at each end of the food production process.
This month, Toast Ale announced that it would be donating all profits from its online shop to support community feeding projects for the next 12 weeks.
“To put it simply, 1 beer = 1 meal,” Toast Ale said.
Brewdog
Photo by Brewdog
Punk IPA. Elvis Juice. Clockwork Tangerine. Brewdog’s beers are so well-known, the Queen of England has even begun coordinating her outfits with her favourite brews.**
Since 2007, the company has also donated a donation of its profits to charities chosen by employees through the Brewdog Foundation.
Last month, to combat COVID-19, Brewdog announced it would make hand sanitiser in its distillery and give it away for free to charities and hospitals in the local Aberdeen area.
Founder James Watt said 100,000 bottles had been distributed to local and major charities and children’s charities in Aberlour.
The company is working with a local hospital to ensure its gel meets necessary medical standards.
**A royal, but fun, lie. We think.
Brewgooder
Photo by Brewgooder
Brewgooder is “the craft beer on a mission to bring clean water to 1 million people.” Since being set up in 2016, the company has helped to fund over 132+ projects for 64,748+ people in Malawi by donating 100 percent of its profits to clean water charities.
Brewgooder is helped out by Brewdog, who brews its beer at zero margin.
The company also recently launched ‘One on Us’, an initiative to donate a round of drinks and a message of support to an NHS champion. Each £6 ($7.40) donation covers the cost of brewing, packing and delivering a 4 pack of beer or Karma Cola, with a message included, to an NHS employee.
It has so far reached 3,000 NHS employees through the campaign.
Metazoa Brewing Co.
Photo by Metazoa Brewing Co.
Metzoa beers are for animal lovers. Their tap room and brewery are pet-friendly. They put on dog yoga classes every week.
And 5% of all profits go to animal and wildlife organisations.
The Indianapolis Brewery recently hit $100,000 in donations, less than four years after opening, by selling brews like “Puppy Slumber Party” and “Off the Leash”.
Supported charities include Red Wolf Sanctuary, Save the Chimps, and Prison Greyhounds.
“Drink beer. Help Animals,” the company says. “Every day is a fundraiser for us.”
Finnegans
Photo by Finnegans
Minneapolis brewery Finnegans has always been about great Irish beers and giving back.
Company head Jacquie Berglund has spent two decades distributing 100% of the profits from the beer business to projects that tackle poverty and hunger.
Their flagship programme? The Reverse Food Truck, which punters can call, just like any other food truck, and ‘order’ monetary or food donations to local families in need.
It also runs the Finnovation Lab, which supports local business — like Junita’s Jar, which uses cookies to eradicate domestic violence.
“I’m a basic needs gal,” Berglund tells Freethink magazine, “We live in the wealthiest country in the world. It’s a crime that people can’t meet their basic needs.”
