Yes! The craft brewer embodies not only an entrepreneurial spirit, but a basic human kindness towards his or her fellow brewer, an infatuation with the art of brewing itself and a respect for its American consumers.  Expressing the vitality of today’s American brewing community, using ridiculous amounts of decadent ingredients and embracing radical beer styles and extensive travel, many of the top craft brewers are taking inspiration to the bottle, in the form of collaboration. Collaboration is all the craze these days.  Brewed usually in small batches, strictly for the love of brewing, it’s usually a treat to find these collaborative brews.

“Two to three inches of head is how they do it.” Travis tells his team in preparation. “It’s near blasphemy to pour it wrong.”

As the festive holidays arrive, let us not forget one of the most celebrated reasons of family gatherings, to drink. Let us count the ways… mulled wine, spiked eggnog, hot buttered rum….but don’t forget the awesome winter and Christmas ales.  No preparation needed.

In hard times where unemployment is at its highest in decades, natural disasters strike leaving thousands homeless, sick or dead, and wars continue to be waged, craft breweries and local and national charities have been teaming up to inspire donations  and help those in need, while beer drinkers can feel good about their purchases.