Community is everything.
At the end of the day, this is what it’s always been about.
When COVID-19 hit we were all affected. For many folks in the hospitality and brewing industries and the small businesses they work for, COVID-19 has been a tough pill to swallow. But in times of hardship it is said to look for the helpers. Enter Other Half Brewing and the All Together project #AllTogetherBeer
What is the All Together project?
All Together is a worldwide, open-ended beer collaboration spearheaded by Other Half Brewing, out of New York, to raise support for these industries we love so much. More than 800 breweries from over 50 countries have jumped on board in support of hospitality and brewing professionals. The idea being for each participating brewery to take the same base recipe, provided by Other Half, and put their own unique spin on it.
The project is an effort to raise awareness and provide relief, even in the smallest way, to those who are struggling. All Together is an open invitation to any brewer, from any corner of the world. The recipe is open source, the artwork is public (label artwork has been contributed by Stout Collective for anyone to use), and the name is available for any brewery to use. The goal is to provide breweries with the tools to make the beer at the lowest possible cost so that they can use this beer to raise support for themselves and their communities.
How does it help?
Other Half Brewing have asked that a portion of the proceeds go to supporting hospitality professionals in the brewery’s community—some breweries are donating to local organizations, while others have set up a fund for their furloughed staff. The rest of the profits go back to the brewery so that they can continue to stay in business and weather this storm.
The Recipe
The base recipe has been contributed by Other Half Brewing. It was designed to be easily brewed with fairly common ingredients most brewers can obtain but each brewery is encouraged to add their own twist. Interested to see what the recipe looks like? Click here!
Tasting Notes
I wanted to shoutout Bellwoods Brewery—their take on the All Together brew was my first taste of the project. Bellwoods opted for a slightly higher dry-hopping rate which resulted in a supremely hazy and aromatic IPA, with bold notes of apricot, blueberry, and cedar. On the fundraising side, the brewery donated $1 from each can to their employees who are currently out-of-work due to the pandemic.
Spotlight on Black Lab Brewing
We chatted with Anne Madden, one of the co-owners of Black Lab Brewing! (ps. very dog friendly!) about their experience participating in the All Together initiative.
“When we heard Other Half Brewing launched an initiative to bring our community together and support hospitality professionals during these trying times, we had to participate. COVID-19’s impact on the hospitality industry weighs heavily on us so we were excited for the opportunity to brew a great beer and have proceeds go toward supporting our servers who have suffered from our Tap Room closure. As always, the craft beer community has been incredibly supportive, quickly selling us out of our version of the All Together IPA, but also collecting versions from other breweries across Ontario.”
Black is Beautiful initiative
When we were chatting to Anne she mentioned Black is Beautiful, another great initiative Black Lab will be participating to support BIPOC communities with proceeds going to the Black Legal Action Centre.
Weathered Souls Brewing in Texas has started the Black is Beautiful initiative as a collaborative effort among breweries to brew a stout with proceeds going to local foundations that support police brutality reform and legal defence. Similar to All Together, they have released a recipe, label and marketing for breweries around the world to take part.
More to come on this exciting initiative soon!
Participating breweries in Ontario
Note that some of the breweries may have sold out by the time of writing.
Still Available
Wild Card Brewing Co
Block Three Brewing Co
Fenelon Falls Brewing Co.
Sons of Kent Brewing Company
Whitewater Brewing Company
Red Circle Brewing & Coffee
Third Moon Brewing Co
Four Fathers Brewing Co
Prince Eddy’s Brewing Co
Black Bellows
Cold Break Brewing
Elora Brewing Co
Coming Soon
TBC and/or Sold Out
Black Lab Brewing
Collective Arts
Counterpart Brewing
Short Finger Brewing Co.
Sleeping Giant Brewing Co
Badlands Brewing Company
Barncat Artisan Ales
Bellwoods Brewery
Black Swan Brewing Co.
Town Brewery
Willibald Farm Distillery & Brewery
Wood Brothers Brewing
Eastbound Brewing Co
Rainhard Brewing
Stone City Ales
Have you tried one of these collaboration brews yet? Let us know in the comments on social!
