Harpoon Brewing, a Massachusetts mainstay of the craft beer industry, is ready to reintroduce its seasonal Grateful Harvest Ale, a New England Cranberry Ale brewed with community spirit and charitable giving in mind.
Harpoon has brewed this special release ale each year and it has been met with praise from craft beer fans and others, not just for its taste, but also for Harpoon’s philanthropic resolve. Each six- pack sale of Grateful Harvest Ale will result in a $1 donation to local food banks. The donation will be made to local food banks in the area in which the beer was purchased by consumers. This is a nice touch, for it ensures that local sales translate into local support for non- profit organizations struggling to feed the hungry.
At Harpoon’s main brewing operation in Boston and its sister location in Windsor, Vermont, Grateful Harvest will be available on tap and, as with the six packs, Harpoon will donate $1 of the sale from each pint to local food banks. Harpoon will also sell pumpkin spice pretzels at the breweries and, again, will donate $1 from each sale to food bank operatives.
Grateful Harvest Ale is brewed using fresh cranberries donated by A.D. Makepeace, a local Massachusetts farm. Generous amounts of Munich and Vienna malts, combined with CaraMunich and Dehusked Carafa III malts give the beer a more reddish color. Northern Brewer hops finish off the brew with a slight bitterness. The finished product has 5.8 percent alcohol by volume and 30 IBU of hop bitterness. Its flavor has been described as mildly sweet and with an obvious yet subdued cranberry flavor that, naturally, would match up very nicely with a full Thanksgiving meal.
Grateful Harvest Ale has been brewed each year since 2010 and since that time, Harpoon has raised more than $84,000 for local food banks across the USA. Harpoon’s other charitable works have also contributed impressive sums of cash to local causes. Its Harpoon Helps program alone has donated more than $445,000 in 2013 to non- profit organizations and other causes, furthering Harpoon’s mission to not just brew great beer, but also serve as a good neighbor.
Harpoon Grateful Harvest Ale will be available from October through early December and will be sold in some but not all of Harpoon’s distribution markets. Grab a pint or six pack if you can, and support your local community during this season of giving and sharing.
That $445,000 number is fantastic. Good for them. Harpoon just became my favorite brand of brew.