The Connecticut Brewers Guild is trying to help people affected by recent economic hardships by providing relief in the form of 16-ounce cans.
“Right now we’re really focused on making sure our Connecticut breweries and their families can survive during all this,” said Kat Manning of the Connecticut Brewers Guild.
Using a recipe conceived by nine members of the Brewers guild, a craft beer labeled “Guild Pills” was created. A portion of all sales will be donated to the Hospitality Employees Relief Fund.
The first batch of more than 3,000 cans was packaged at New Britain’s Alvarium Beer Company and the fundraising effort has been an intoxicating success.
Manning said they are sold out completely, offering only slight hope to those looking for the beer.
“You can still find a few packs here and there in package stores but it’s hard to come by," Manning said.
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While Alvarium has been churning out Guild Pills, there’s a larger collaborative effort going on as well. A beer called “All Together” is being brewed using one recipe shared by competing breweries to raise money for various relief funds.
“We have 16 breweries participating in that collaboration in Connecticut alone with 600 breweries participating globally,” Manning said.
The "All Together" beer concept invites all brewers around the world to share the recipe and branding, allowing them to raise money for hospitality workers and to keep breweries in business regardless of competition.
“It’s like two restaurants trying to work together to help a food share program,” Alvarium co-owner Michael Larson said.
Larson said sharing a recipe is something craft breweries are happy to do to help the cause.
“Yes, we are competitors but we collaborate on a lot of things for the better of the industry itself and the better of the Connecticut craft beer scene,” Larson said.
Manning agrees: “We’re all working to help each other and to make sure that we all survive.
That’s something beer drinkers can raise a glass to.
