A beer for the season, by Two Beers Brewing and Beer Church

About a month ago Kim and I sat down with Joel Vandenbrink of Two Beers Brewing and Dave Richter of Briess Malt & Ingredients Company to formulate a recipe. We wanted to create a wintery version of a Northwest Pale Ale. Once we’d determined how the beer would look, and how we anticipated it would taste, we named it Beer Church Midnight Mass Holiday Ale. On Saturday, November 5th we brewed the beer at Two Beers Brewing.

The beer’s unofficial release took place at Beer Church Turkey Bowl on Saturday, November 19th. It was very well received. Midnight Mass turned out just about exactly as we hoped. It has an interesting and contemplative malt character, balanced out by a very nice punch of hops that bites you on the nose. It is an extremely drinkable winter beer that never forgets it is a hoppy Northwest ale at the core.

As of today, the beer is available for distribution. You can look forward to seeing it at better beer bars around the Seattle area in the coming weeks and through the season. Best of all, you can feel good about drinking Midnight Mass Holiday Ale. Proceeds from the sale of the beer will be donated to the Northwest Chapter of the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).


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We want to extend our gratitude to Briess Malt & Ingredients Company, Puterbaugh Farms Hops Direct, and Taphandles, Inc for their generous donations. And of course we want to thank Two Beers Brewing for helping us bring this idea to life.


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Here is the official press release with more information.

Announcing the release of Beer Church Midnight Mass Holiday Ale by Two Beers Brewing Company

Contact:
Beer Church
Kendall Jones
www.beerchurch.com

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For Immediate Release
November 28, 2011

A beer for the holidays benefitting the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America

(Seattle, WA) Beer Church Midnight Mass Holiday Ale, Brewed by Two Beers Brewing, will be released for distribution on Monday, November 28th. Expect to see it on tap around the Seattle area in the coming months. It will also be available at the Two Beers Brewery taproom in Seattle’s SoDo neighborhood.

This is the third in a series of beers conceived and promoted by Beer Church, a Seattle-based organization dedicated to creating ways for beer drinkers to contribute to charitable causes. Proceeds from the sale of Beer Church Midnight Mass Holiday Ale benefit the Northwest Chapter of the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).

“With the help of Two Beers Brewing and our sponsors we were able to create a beer reminiscent of a traditional Winter Warmer but with an unmistakable Northwestern twist,” says Kendall Jones, Director of Beer Church. “We wanted to brew a beer to help people enjoy the holiday season and also celebrate the spirit of giving. With the support of Briess Malt & Ingredients Company, Puterbaugh Farms Hops Direct, and Taphandles, Inc we were able to create a beer that started raising funds for the CCFA the minute we fired up the brew kettle.”

The Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America is a non-profit, volunteer-driven organization dedicated to finding the cure for Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis. The organization also works to increase awareness of the diseases and improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by the diseases.

“Doctors diagnosed me with Crohn’s almost three years ago,” says Joel Vandenbrink, owner and Brewmaster at Two Beers Brewing. “Since then I have learned that the average person with Crohn’s goes 11 years without the proper diagnosis. People need to be educated about Crohn’s and the CCFA is one of the best sources for this to happen.”

About the Beer

A northwest-style Winter Warmer, Beer Church Midnight Mass weighs in at 6.8 percent alcohol by volume. A complex and rich malt backbone gives the beer a dark mahogany hue. A variety of different Washington-grown hops provide a spicy aroma and an unmistakable northwest character.

To give the beer a hearty quality befitting the season, the grain bill featured a number of different malts donated by Briess Malt & Ingredients Company. Among the specialty grains used were Carapils® Malt, Rye Flakes and Briess Aromatic® Malt. The hop schedule included liberal portions of four Washington-grown hop varietals donated by Puterbaugh Farms Hops Direct. Taphandles, Inc generously donated the tap handles.

“Midnight Mass Holiday Ale is a sessionable Winter Warmer that is perfect if you want to sit down and drink a few while staying warm by a fire,” says Vandenbrink, who was excited to be involved in a project benefitting the CCFA Northwest Chapter. “I was amazed at how everyone we asked so easily came onboard for the project. From the grains to the hops, from to the tap handles to CCFA Northwest Chapter, it is fun to partner with good people at good companies.”

Each bar that pours Midnight Mass Holiday Ale has agreed to make a donation to the CCFA Northwest Chapter.

About the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America

The Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America’s mission is to cure Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, and to improve the quality of life of children and adults affected by these diseases. The Foundation ranks third among leading health non-profits in the percentage of expense devoted to research toward a cure, with more than 80 cents of every dollar the Foundation spends going to mission-critical programs. http://www.ccfa.org/chapters/northwest/

About Beer Church

Beer Church is a Seattle-based organization dedicated to one simple principle: make the world a better place one beer at a time. To that end, Beer Church organizes fundraisers and creates other opportunities for beer lovers to contribute to the community. http://www.beerchurch.com

About Two Beers Brewing

Two Beers Brewing Company began in a small Seattle garage in 2007. Today, Two Beers Brewing produces twelve beers including five year-round, seven seasonal and a host of intricate infusions in its 4,800-square-foot SoDo brewery and tasting room. With a strong belief in supporting the local economy, Two Beers Brewing takes pride in using Washington ingredients to create all of its handcrafted beers. http://www.twobeersbrewery.com

More Information

Briess Malt and Ingredients Company – http://www.brewingwithbriess.com

Puterbaugh Farms Hops Direct – http://www.hopsdirect.com

Taphandles, Inc. – http://www.taphandles.com

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