The most altruistic brewery you know

Ex Novo brewing in Portland. They are a non-profit and split all their proceeds among various charities. http://exnovobrew.com

 

I get it...but that's not what I was after. Free...no strings attached. Charity is a great thing, but FREE is not with a form for a tax write-off. In the end, that is trying to get something back (In a roundabout way from Uncle Sam...I.e., not altruism). That doesn't count in my book.

 

That's dope! But it isn't altruism, because it isn't entirely selfless. Altruism is nothing back in return...not even a review on BA. I love me some Sixpoint though!

 

The picture wasn't meant to illustrate altruism ... as I say in the first post, altruism is hard to find. I've known some incredibly selfless people, but even they weren't 100% altruistic. No business could be altruistic and be a business -- seems like an oxymoron. And I know why Sixpoint sent me this care package ... obviously, marketing and altruism are not synonyms.

All the picture was meant to show was that at least one brewery does give away free stuff -- or relatively free. "Free" here is debatable, but all things considered, it feels to me like I stole something.

 

New Belgium does quite a bit for it's employees. Has many charities it helps. Does tours in support of local causes. NB is pretty progressive.

 

Sixpoint, Sixpoint, Sixpoint! They not only make sure that all of their beers are kept and pulled fresh on the shelves, but they've even given free beer shipments to justifiably disgruntled customers. They even made sure that my particular favorite beer store, in a backwoods town in upstate NY, got a shipment of Hi-Res, because I told them I was sad I didn't get any yet. Truly a fantastic brewery and second-to-none in customer service.

Obligatory secondary mention: Stone does a really good job of keep fresh IPAs in rotation. I give them major props for that.

 

Any and all of the Trappist breweries.

 

I believe Uncle Sam has, or threatend to put a stop to that.

 

But I am sure, like most "not for profits" people draw salaries. If not, someone must be wealthy.

 

Cooler heads prevailed.
http://www.beerinstitute.org/policy-issues/food-safety-modernization-act

Larger breweries sell the spent grains.
https://www.brewersassociation.org/staff-voices/fda-spent-grain-update/

 

Real altruism would be a senior discount.

 

...and it is cheaper for the brewer to give it to farmers for "free" who then haul it away themselves, rather than pay a disposal company to truck it and, in some cases, another fee to a landfill to dump it (at least, that was typically the economics of the matter before the new FDA rules noted above by Hopfenunmatlz...).

 

Some really interesting interpretations of the word "altruistic" in this thread.

I'll mention two breweries that seem to have gotten little or no mention, perhaps because they are so big, Sierra Nevada and Boston Brewing.

They are each companies, which in their own way make contributions of resources to others for little in direct return.

For example, there is Beer Camp which has grown into a national thing that brings together established brewers for collaborative relationships with each other and not coincidentally so they can learn from each other. As near as I can tell this grew out of their original brew camp that brought lots of amateur brewers to Chico to collaborate.

There is the Longshot competition in which amateur brewers get a chance at national recognition for having produced carefully judged competition and the annual awards program which recognizes a small brewery with potential by providing them with access to resources (skilled experts) they otherwise would not have in developing their business. Some go on to be successes.

Each of these brewerys have, in different ways, contributed to the well being of some of their smaller colleagues through such things as during the hop shortage some years back, arranging to make available their surplus hops to brewers who would have otherwise gone without and possibly gone out of business.

etc.

 

Word on the street in Asheville is that SN is the ultimate neighbor.

I have never had anything but the utmost respect for them.

 

Haven't been to Asheville in years, but that's what I'd expect given all the other stuff I've heard about them over the years.

 

Worth a trip in summer or early fall--really not overstating to say that one of (if not the) best east coast beer scenes. Really small city but so many breweries and the SN brewery is just unbelievable. Plus so much to do in the mountains. OK--not the craze of the Vermont chase but so many great places so close together and the town/region has a lot to offer.

little local piece--

 

Love that bar.

 

We used to visit Asheville at least once a year (well Hendersonville mostly) before my in-laws passed away. Love that area of the country. Unbeatable scenery and the addition of breweries and the growth of the brewery scene has to have helped improve the general area socially, etc.

 

Save the World Brewery near Austin, Texas. Check out their website.

 

I volunteer with the Wildlands Restoration Volunteers here in Colorado, and Odells has been wonderful in providing funds for restoration projects, giving us tons of free beer and behind-the-scenes access to events, and even letting us take over their taproom during the evening for social events.