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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 17, 2016)
10 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Local breweries do their part to give back to the community By DAN HAAG There’s a lot of truth behind the old saying “beer is proof that God loves us and wants to be happy.” Beer has become a linchpin of North Coast economies, entire festivals are built around it and it sustains the soul on many a wet, windy winter evening. But for many of our local brewers, the beer economy goes way beyond fi lling and serving pints. It’s an opportuni- ty for them to give back to the coastal communities that have embraced and supported them. The Magnanimous Mug SUBMITTED PHOTO SUBMITTED PHOTO Astoria’s Fort George Jeff Daly won the Magnanimous Mug Award last year, raising Brewery and Public House’s $2,100 for Assistance League of the Columbia Pacifi c. reputation for community benefi ted North Coast Land involvement is just as fi rmly local giving. cemented as the pub’s brewing Conservancy. Brad Blaser, head of mar- In November, Fort George wizardry. keting at Fort George, says the On the last Tuesday of each will kick it up a notch by inaugural event raised nearly month, Fort George hosts a issuing a challenge for others $8,000 for six local charities, Benefi t Night. It’s an evening to raise money for their including Assistance League to support local charities and favorite organization. The top of the Columbia Pacifi c and nonprofi ts, such fund-raising person Clatsop Animal Assistance. as the North Coast is recognized with “It turned out to be a huge Watershed Asso- the Magnanimous night,” he says. ciation, Astoria Mug Award at the Here’s how it works: Fort For informa- Visual Arts and Nov. 28 benefi t George takes nominees of tion on this The Harbor. night. magnanimous individuals; years’ Mag- All the eve- Entering its willing honorees choose a lo- nanimous nings’ proceeds second year, the cal nonprofi t to represent; and Mug event from food and Magnanimous the individual who raises the or any of the beverage sales at Mug Award — most money by 8 p.m. Nov. Fort George’s the upstairs pub go named for the 28 receives the Magnanimous Benefi t toward supporting brewery’s Magnan- Mug Award. Nights, visit the month’s fea- imous IPA — has “Anyone in the community fortgeorge- tured organization. already proven to who is good at raising money brewery.com October’s event be a huge driver in and loves beer is eligible,” Fort George Brewery’s Magnanimous Mug Award is named after its Magnanimous IPA. Blaser says. The best part of the eve- ning? Fort George matches the largest donation of the night. Blaser adds that while the Fort George has always been an active community donor, the desire to establish a regular program to strengthen that giving has always been the ultimate goal. “It’s something more than just growing a big beard (for charity) or giving away gift certifi cates,” he says. “This is just a fun way to get everyone involved in giving.” Drink a beer, save a fi sh Sometimes helping a brew- ery give back is as simple as cracking open a cold one. Such is the case with Peli- can Brewing Company’s new release, Five Fin Pilsner. Released in October, Five Fin invites beer lovers to “drink a beer, save a fi sh.” A portion of proceeds from every barrel of Five Fun sold will be donated to the Salmon Superhighway, an effort to restore access for salmon and steelhead to almost 180 miles of blocked habitat on Oregon’s North Coast. “When we think about salmon, we think of the clean, cold, crisp fl owing rivers here and imagined Five Fin to mirror that,” says Jim Prinzing, Pelican Brewing’s CEO. The Salmon Superhighway project is an intensive effort across a six-river landscape to reconnect fi sh populations with the habitat they need to navigate and survive. Started in 2014, the $35.8 million campaign is expected to run through 2024 to improve the habitat for salmon in 93 different locations that feed Tillamook and Nestucca bays in Tillamook County. Hundreds of barriers in streams create bottlenecks in Oregon’s coastal watersheds — most are problem culverts at road crossings that con- tribute to fl ooding and road damage, along with small dams and tidegates. The best part: Five Fin can be found anywhere Pelican is sold and distributed, including Pelican’s Cannon Beach loca- tion at 1371 S. Hemlock St. Having been in the Oregon Coast brewing game for 20 years, Pelican knows the importance of impactful giving on the communities it serves, a fact not lost on Mary Jones, co-founder and co-owner of Pelican Brewing Company. “We know we are more than lucky to live and work in a place as beautiful as Tillamook County,” she says. “At Pelican, we don’t take our environment for granted.” The Giving Back Tap North Jetty Brewing owners Erik and Michelle Svendsen have been brewing in Seaview, Washington, Continued on Pg. 11
