Do Good, Drink Beer!

I just got back from spending a couple hours at the Mill City Farmer's Market "Oktoberfest" with my good friend Steve. While it was nothing like the celebration I'm used to in Red Lodge, this farmer's market located in the shadows of the new Guthrie Theater in downtown Minneapolis provided a fun start to the day. A handful of members from the local craft-brewers association were on hand sharing samples of their brews. Most everything we sampled was good, but one beer (the first we tried) had a special ingredient - social activism.

Finnegans Irish Amber is brewed by a non-profit organization that donates 100% of its profits to community programs. Regional brewer James Page Brewing is behind the initiative. Here's a quote from their website:

"Finnegans was created out of the belief that there are loads of fun and creative ways to make a difference in a community. So we at Finnegans decided if we sold a great tasting beer (Finnegans Irish Amber) and gave all of our profits to fund community programs assisting those in poverty – we would be doing our bit and just maybe, inspire others to get involved as well. We here at Finnegans believe that it takes a community to create and maintain healthy communities and healthy communities don’t leave folks behind."

I have to say it's ambitious, inspiring and tasty! And as a fan of innovative company models, I am also a big believer that if you want to attract customers to your product, your marketing campaign needs to be more clever than the other guys. Finnegans gets it. Go here to see more.

Malt, hops and humor are all gifts from God. It's nice to see somebody that is willing to stick their corporate neck out and use these gifts for all the right reasons.