Charity and wine have been one of the best pairings ever known. The beverage industry has always been very involved and a key part of virtually every charity fundraiser you could ever go to. The enticement of drinking well and doing good at the same time is too good to be true!
From the champagne toast at the high end dinner fetes to the great times had trying over 200 different wines at a big casual party, wine/liquor/beer always helps the cause!
But you can help a good cause virtually every time you enjoy a beverage. There are numerous purveyors who give a large portion of their proceeds to a charity or a good cause. A great local Minnesota option is the Finnegan’s Beer Company. This great beer gives 100% of its profits to local food shelves and needy people. They even have a Reverse Food truck. Where they bring the food truck to you and rather than eat, you give food to the needy. It is a great idea and impacts countless people. But the best thing is that the beer is good! Finnegan’s has three varieties. The original Finnegan’s Amber, Finnegan’s Blonde Ale and the new Dead Irish Poet Stout
Finnegan’s Irish Amber is full flavored amber ale with a nice smooth flavor. It is malty and creamy with slight hops added. It is the first beer developed by Finnegan’s, and really put them on the map. It carries the Irish theme into its clean straightforward packaging; which is Irish green and the ever-present four-leaf clover!
Finnegan’s Blonde Ale is the next entry which came out a few years ago. It is a crystal clean tasting blonde ale. A slight hop kick gives a satisfying finish to this beer. It is an easy quaffer that you can’t not enjoy! Every beer drinker from the Busch light guy to the hop crazed beer snob can enjoy this everyday brew.
The newest Entry to the Finnegan’s world is the Dead Irish Poet. A limited release extra Stout; this is a huge step away from the usual Finnegan’s flavors. It is a 7% alcohol bombshell. As Finnegan’s Proclaims proudly, it has deep dark brooding flavors that are homage to the greatest Irish poets of yesteryear like James Joyce, William Yeats and Oscar Wilde. I know nothing about Poetry, but I love good stout. This is a nice bracing stout that will satisfy your yearning for dark chocolate undertones and creamy finish to your beer. The Dead Irish Poet is available only in the Finnegan’s Variety pack. You can’t buy it as of now in individual packs. But by buying the Variety 12pk you can run the gauntlet of great Irish style beers and give a little back to charity!!
If wine is your passion there are countless good causes to help and still enjoy great pleasure. I love Cline Vineyards of California. The Cline Cashmere is one of my favorite California Red wines. It is a Rhone Style blend of Mouvedre, Syrah, and Grenache. The name says it all, like cashmere it is luxuriant and exclusive! Best of all the pink tones on the label foretell where many of the proceeds go! Over $270,000 has been donated to Breast Cancer Research and Living Beyond Breast Cancer. Cline also uses as much sustainable farming techniques as possible to produce some great wines. They are still a family owned vineyard that gives back and is not just some huge corporate behemoth with no soul!
Whiskey Lovers can still drink good and do good also. Numerous whiskey brands give a lot back to various organizations like Jack Daniels and their successful Pheasants forever limited releases. You can guess where a portion of Wild Turkey proceeds go!
As the Charity Benefit season approaches, we can all do good and drink good. There is no higher calling than to give a little back! Enjoy in Moderation and sleep well knowing you have helped someone along the way!
