Update – Nov. 21, 2012 – Midnight Mass is now out for distribution. Bar owners interested in pouring the beer should contact Two Beers Brewing. For the latest info on where to find it on tap, follow the Beer Church Facebook page.
Original Post –
Get ready, Seattle. Beer Church Midnight Mass Holiday Pale Ale is about to hit the streets. The beer debuts on Saturday night in West Seattle at the 14th Annual Turkey Bowl. Everyone is welcome at the event (details below). Brewed by Two Beers Brewing Company, the beer will soon be available at pubs and bars around town. Joel VandenBrink (owner, brewmaster at Two Beers) sat down with representatives from Beer Church (me and Kim) to formulate Midnight Mass. Proceeds from the sale of the beer benefit the Crohn’s and Colitis Foundation of America (CCFA).
It’s all about partnership. Great Western Malting donated the malt. Loftus Ranches and Hop Union donated the hops. Two Beers Brewing donated the time, equipment, and effort. I paddled the mash and raked the tun. Each location selling Beer Church Midnight Mass generously donates to the cause. It all adds up to one simple thing – you can feel good about tipping a pint. Every sip you take helps support the cause. The CCFA is doing amazing work and we are happy to help in any small way we can. We thank all of our partners for their support.
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The Debut
Midnight Mass makes its debut Saturday night at the 14th Annual Beer Church Turkey Bowl. The event takes place at West Seattle Bowl. The event sold out but everyone is welcome to come sample the beer, donate non-perishable food items, and participate in our raffle for an outstanding array of prizes. At its core, Turkey Bowl is just a big raucous party at the bowling alley. The actual bowling is incidental.
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Thereafter, look for Beer Church Midnight Mass Pale Ale on tap at some of the area’s better-known beer bars. Follow Beer Church on Facebook where we will keep an updated list of where you can find the beer.
About the Beer
We would be lying if we said that it was anything but IPA-ish. Midnight Mass Holiday Pale Ale certainly leans in that direction in terms of its strength and its basic profile, but we twisted things up a bit. It is bright and golden, refreshingly dry on the palate, and offers a monsoon of citrusy, hoppy sunshine in a glass.
Our goal was to create something dry and tropical. It’s a slightly different approach to a winter beer. Let’s face it, winter around here is cold, wet and a bit depressing at times. To combat the blahs, most breweries make winter seasonal beers that are dark, strong and bodacious. Instead of embracing the cold darkness, Beer Church wanted to create a beer to combat seasonal affective disorder. Are you familiar with the Jimmy Buffett song Christmas on Christmas Island? If so, you’re getting the idea. It’s like Santa in Bermuda shorts and a Tommy Bahama shirt. We might dream of a white Christmas, but we yearn for a tropical getaway.
About Beer Church
Since 1998, I have been running an organization called Beer Church. For about the past nine years, Kim has been at my side doing more than her share of the heavy lifting. Actually, calling Beer Church an organization is probably inappropriate. Beer Church proudly proclaims to be the largest unorganized religion in the world; an assertion that is, by its very nature, impossible to refute.
Beer Church is kitschy and it is fun. We do not deny that the name was designed to grab your attention and provides a little bit of shock value for certain people. Beer Church is also a serious philanthropic endeavor. The stated mission is to use beer to create easy and fun ways for beer lovers to contribute to the community. To date, Beer Church has raised more than $100,000 for charity. How? By drinking beer and having fun.
These days, there are two ways Beer Church raises funds for charitable causes: bowling and beer. Each year we host the Beer Church Turkey Bowl – a bowling party, food drive and fundraiser for the West Seattle Food Bank. We’ve been doing that for the past 14 years. For the past three years, we have been brewing beer. Beer Church teams up with a local brewery, brews a batch of beer and then sells it to local pubs and bars. Proceeds from the sale of the beer are donated to the chosen cause. Because of the kind people who donate ingredients, the cost of producing the beer is greatly diminished, which translates to more money for the cause. We also ask that each bar pouring Midnight Mass make a contribution to the cause.
Join us at West Seattle Bowl on Saturday night to sample some of this year’s Beer Church Midnight Mass Holiday Pale Ale or look for it on tap around town soon. Follow Beer Church on Facebook to find the beer.
