#584 And A Soapbax

Two nights ago, I sampled my 584th beer. It was from the The Firehouse Brewing Company in San Diego, California. I bought a six-pack at my local grocery store.

I was all ready to write, with a chuckle, how little I thought of the beer. It was a hefewiezen with unfortunately no head, no taste, no finish and an aroma that was akin to either nothing or light citrusy feet (or something like that). I was prepared to tell you not to buy this beer because there is better stuff out that there...blah blah blah.

Well, when I was cleaning up around my kitchen tonight, something caught my eye on the bottle: "World-class beer for a world-wide cause".

After checking their website, I feel like a total schmucko.

It turns out the Firehouse is not named after the building the brewery once occupied (an approach, by the way, which always scores points in my beer world - local connections and local names). No, it turns out the Firehouse Brewing Company was started by firefighters, brewed by firefighters for fallen firefighters and their families.

A passage from their site reads as follows:

Founded by third generation firefighters and the tragic events of 9/11, the Firehouse Brewing Company is dedicated to providing great beer for a great cause. A portion of the proceeds go to support local firefighter widow and orphan funds and to local fire departments to buy safety equipment.

So, lets be honest. Was the beer good? No. Would I buy it again. Quite possibly. First, I can't rule out the possibility that the pack was a bad pack. There is room for mistakes between bottling and consumption. I need to consider the fact the beer was tainted and I should probably re-evaluate it.

Second, my purchase helps them helps others. I looked over their website. It goes way beyond the "fill the boot" drives. They do golf outings , concerts, and all that jazz all in the name of raising money. They co-sponsor mega events with mega groups like the Make A Wish Foundation, the MDA, and the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation. The money apparently goes to the Firehouse Foundation, the 501(C)3 non-profit organization who distributes the money to families of firefighters seriously injured or killed in the line of duty.

We have to remember who these people are. They cut you out of car after a serious wreck. They run into your burning house when you are running out of it. Ultimately, they may be called upon to do a lot more than just make sure their firetruck is polished.

My very cool baseball cap will on its way shortly. I'm doing a small part. Do yours.