Left Hand Brewing teams up on beer aiding military veterans

(Steven Freeman, The Denver Post)

Longmont-based Left Hand Brewing is collaborating with eight other U.S. craft brewers on a special beer to benefit military veterans, but a bad batch delayed a planned Memorial Day weekend release.

Homefront IPA is an American India Pale Ale brewed with orange zest and aged with a very American kind of wood ? Louisville Slugger maple bats, which are specially engraved and added to the tank.

All proceeds will go to Operation Homefront, a national nonprofit that provides emergency assistance to veterans and their families.

The swing and a miss on the first brewing attempt means Left Hand is now aiming for a release date the first week of June.

"Our first batch did not meet our quality standards, and in the interest of doing the right thing, especially for Operation Homefront, we are re-brewing and releasing at a later date," brewery spokeswoman Emily Armstrong said.

The collaboration originated in 2011 with Chris Ray, then a Seattle Mariners pitcher and co-founder of Center of the Universe Brewing Co. in Ashland, Va. Seattle-based Fremont Brewing Co. was on board, too.

This year the list of participating breweries includes Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Fla., Sly Fox Brewing Co. in Pottstown, Pa., Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis, 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco, the Phoenix Ale Brewery in Phoenix and Stone Brewing Co. in Escondido, Calif. All used the same recipe.

"It's all about putting egos aside and doing something that's good and right for your country," Armstrong said.

Left Hand will brew 55 barrels of the beer, and it will be available on draft and in 22-ounce bottles nationwide.

Source: http://feedproxy.google.com/~r/dp-business/~3/EqFFY3l0H44/left-hand-brewing-teams-up-beer-aiding-military

david decastro travis pastrana aj jenkins shea mcclellin