With a goal of raising money for cancer research, two craft breweries have teamed up to brew a special collaboration beer that will be tapped at the Cancer Blows – Brews for a Cure fundraising events in Dallas and Denver. Community Beer Company in Dallas and Lone Tree Brewing Co in the Denver area joined forces to brew the Duke of Earl Black Wit for The Ryan Anthony Foundation that supports research for Multiple Myeloma, a terminal cancer of the bone marrow.
Both Lone Tree and Community are committed to philanthropic causes and came together when Christine and Josh West, a brewer at Lone Tree, spearheaded the initiative to support Cancer Blows/The Ryan Anthony Foundation. The breweries are supporting the Foundation by donating a portion of the Duke of Earl sales in their Taprooms throughout the month of December.
In Dallas, the first tapping of the beer will occur at 6 p.m. on December 2, and anyone donating more than $25 to the Ryan Anthony Foundation during the month of December will receive a special Brews for A Cure gift that can be redeemed at Community Beer Company.
“We at Community Beer Company love brewing high-quality beer,” added Kevin Carr, founder of Community Beer Company. “But we also love giving back to charitable causes through our ‘Greater Good’ initiative, and to know that two breweries from two different communities can collaborate to benefit a single Foundation really makes this even more special.”
The Belgian-style beer is dry hopped with bergamot essential oil, a spice commonly found in Earl Grey tea. Derived from citrus, the beer has a nice aroma and citrus finish. Lone Tree Brewing Co. is having a fundraising event on December 5 in conjunction with its 4th anniversary celebration.
“We wanted to support Ryan in any way we could and it’s exciting to collaborate with Community in Dallas to support such a great cause,” Josh West said. “We truly enjoyed the opportunity to have fun with the interpretation of this beer.”
Ryan Anthony was widely regarded as one of America’s premier brass musicians, when he was diagnosed in late 2012 with Multiple Myeloma at the age of 43, a terminal cancer of the bone marrow that most often appears in patients 70 and older. Multiple Myeloma was once considered a death sentence with a life span of three to five years. While the cancer is still considered incurable and terminal, recent, rapid advances in research have greatly extended the life span of newly diagnosed patients and hope for a cure is a real possibility.
Ryan received immediate treatment including a stem cell transplant performed in Spring 2013. He has responded so well to his treatment and is in complete remission, Ryan and his wife Niki launched The Ryan Anthony Foundation to raise awareness and money to further the research that helped give the family a hope for a future.
The Foundation held its first Cancer Blows fundraising concert featuring 25 of the world’s most famous trumpet players, including Doc Severinsen, Arturo Sandoval and Lee Loughnane, in March 2015 and will make an announcement in early 2016 about the next signature event.
“We are excited to share our cause with fans of craft beer and introduce a fun way to support cancer research,” Ryan Anthony said. “We appreciate that these two talented breweries are willing to designate the beer to support CancerBlows and help us in the fight against cancer.”
For more information about The Ryan Anthony Foundation and brewery events, please visit CancerBlows.com.