Beer Society, Proof and Ology team up to help Elder Care
We have a motto here at the Tallahassee Beer Society:
"Drink Beer. Do good."
And we stayed true to that recently by donating over $1,000 worth of hand sanitizer on Dec. 23 — with the help of our friends at Proof Brewing Company and Ology Brewing Company — to our friends at Elder Care Services, Inc.
Just in time for Christmas!
We hope it went a long way to helping countless local caregivers of vulnerable seniors in our community.
But first, a lil' back story on how this collaboration happened as a result of the pandemic.
One of the TLHBS' year-round goals is to, of course, promote and raise the visibility of our area craft beer scene, while another goal is to use that platform to give back when we can. So we started holding charity bottle shares 2 years ago — which we've written about several times — and have since raised almost $30,000 for local nonprofits.
But then, obviously, the coronavirus pandemic happened.
When the world started imploding around mid-March, we actually had a charity bottle share at Deep Brewing — benefiting the Down Syndrome Association of Tallahassee — scheduled for 2 weeks after the first cases started to crop up around Florida.
That bottle share obviously never took place.
We postponed it at first, then eventually canceled it as it became apparent large gatherings could be the worst possible thing we should be doing at that time.
Months went by with no end in sight. In fact, as the days and weeks dragged on, it became even MORE unsafe to be in large crowds as cases spiked. And just like that, we lost our charity outlet.
Or so we thought.
Enter Tallahassee's Burke Buchanan of locally owned Vernon Graphics & Promotions.
And when Burke told us he could hook us up with a great deal on TLH Beer Society pint glasses and masks, we thought: "Ok then, here is our shot to give back."
So we sold over 100 black & white TLH Beer Society-logo'd masks and the same number of pint glasses, and donated all proceeds to Elder Care, whose huge Oktoberfest fundraiser — their biggest of every year — was canceled in October. But rather than write the traditional check, we made the donation in the form of hand sanitizer, which was purchased from our two local breweries that have been producing them: Ology and Proof.
A true win-win for everyone involved. Here's why:
In fact, the announcement on our next fundraiser is coming soon. Be sure to follow us on social media at Facebook, Twitter and/or Instagram so you don't miss what we come up with next!
Proof moves in new direction with restaurant
When Proof moved to its new location two years ago, a new restaurant concept debuted at the same time within the brewery, Proper Brew Pub at Proof, which was owned by the same local restaurant group that started Canopy Roads Cafe.
But as of this week, the two entities have parted ways.
Both Proof and Proper announced the split in different social media posts, with Proof adding in their post that they are now taking over the kitchen and will be opening a new concept in-house in early February.
- TLH Beer Society members snagged some cool swag and contributed to a great cause
- We found a way to raise money for charity during a really challenging time for everyone
- Proof and Ology sold a LOT of sanitizer
- And Elder Care was the ultimate winner by receiving a ton of product that is in high demand, but still in short supply
Then, believe it or not, things actually got better.
When we knew what we had to spend following the fundraiser, we asked both breweries if they would match our donation. And guess what? They said yes.
We truly can't thank Proof and Ology enough. Such an amazing gesture.
Also, we must take a second to say "Thank you!" to all who bought glasses or masks - we appreciate you so much! We were able to raise as much as we did because of you. And until it's safe to hold our charity bottle shares again, look for more initiatives like this.
"Hey, Tallahassee! The tasting room is open this weekend as usual, but we have an exciting update to share with the new year!" Proof wrote late last week on Facebook. "We're opening up a brand-new, on-site brewpub! So there will not be any food available on-site this weekend. Details to come, so be sure to check back soon! Thank you for your understanding and support. We have an exciting year planned ahead and we can't wait to share all the news shortly."
We are sad to see Proper go — those bratwurst potstickers and cheese curds were terrific, among other menu items — but we are also excited for what Proof is planning. Stay tuned.
Deep's double-gold medal-winning IPA returns this weekend
Deep Brewing's two-time Best Florida Beer gold medal winner, "REEFraction Double Red IPA," is returning to cans and on tap this weekend. And if you miss out, you're gonna regret it.
This beer has made a huge splash on the Florida craft beer scene since it was first brewed 3 years ago. It won gold the first time it was ever submitted, then bronze a year later and then returned to gold again in 2020. It's a dark, rich, hop-bomb that usually clocks in around 9%, but drinks like a smooth 6%.
Deep will release cans Saturday when they open at noon and the stationary food truck on site, The Slide Hustle, will be debuting a new burger slider with REEFraction as part of the recipe.