People will be able to raise a glass of beer to your health and really mean it during September, thanks to a cooperative effort between
Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales of Michigan,
The Rare Beer of the Month Club, which ships unique craft beers nationwide, and
Shelton Brothers, one of the leading craft beer distributors and importers.
Biere de Goord, a saison brewed with kale, pumpkin seeds, pumpkin and green tea, was made by Jolly Pumpkin to help raise awareness about prostate cancer and generate funds for the
Pints for Prostates campaign. The Rare Beer of the Month Club has joined the effort by making the beer one of its selections during National Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in September. Shelton Brothers, which handles Jolly Pumpkin, is donating its services to the effort.
The beer will feature the Pints for Prostates logo on its label, which includes the blue ribbon to remind people of the ongoing search for a cure to prostate cancer, a leading cause of death among American men. A donation of $3 from every 750 milliliter bottle of Biere de Goord sold will be made to the Pints for Prostates campaign.
“Pints for Prostates is reaching men through the universal language of beer and now for the first time we are doing it with a special beer that carries a message urging men to get regular prostate health screenings,” said Rick Lyke, a prostate cancer survivor who founded Pints for Prostates after successful prostate cancer surgery in April 2008. “We’re thrilled that Jolly Pumpkin, The Rare Beer Club and Shelton Brothers have joined our campaign in a way that will catch the attention of men needing to hear our message.”
When this very limited batch of Biere de Goord is gone, it is gone. There are only three ways for beer lovers to try the unique farmhouse-style ale:
-- Join The Rare Beer Club online or 800-625-8238 and be sure to start your membership by Sept. 1;
-- Attend the Denver Rare Beer Tasting II in Colorado on Sept. 17, where Jolly Pumpkin will be pouring samples of the brew alongside more than 20 other great craft brewers offering extremely rare and exotic beers;
-- Visit a Jolly Pumpkin location in Ann Arbor or Traverse City, Mich., where a limited amount of Biere de Goord will go on sale Sept. 18.
“At Jolly Pumpkin we are super excited to be involved in this project. We were flattered and honored when we were asked to come up with a special beer to help raise awareness of the Pints for Prostates campaign,” said Ron Jeffries, President of Jolly Pumpkin. “It gave us the chance to stretch our collective imaginations and come up with a saison that not only tastes fantastic, but is full of ingredients rich in lycopene. While we can make no health claims about Biere de Goord, we wanted to use the project to do a little education for men about some of the foods that contain lycopene, which many researchers point to as being essential for prostate health.”
“When Rick first approached us for this project, I immediately felt that it was a perfect fit for The Rare Beer Club. The beer that Ron created for us at Jolly Pumpkin defines the essence of what we’re striving to bring to our members each month, creative, limited release, rare and outstanding craft brewed beers. The cause is a noble one. A little education and early detection goes a long way to save lives and we’re proud to be a part of this effort,” said Kris Calef, President of the Rare Beer Club.
“Shelton Brothers is proud to be associated with this project and get the chance to bring a Pints for Prostates beer to life,” said Ron Extract, Vice President of Shelton Brothers. “We’re quite pleased to be working with one of our brands, Jolly Pumpkin, and The Rare Beer Club on this project. The beer fits perfectly with our mission to bring consumers exceptional brews from great brewers. In this case the beer even comes with a message to men about protecting their health so they can enjoy great beer for years to come.”
Prostate cancer kills more than 27,000 men in America each year. Few people realize there are roughly as many prostate cancer cases diagnosed annually in this country as there are new breast cancer cases. With early detection and proper treatment, prostate cancer has a survival rate of nearly 100 percent.
Since launching in late 2008, Pints for Prostates has reached approximately 100 million people through a combination of donated advertising, publicity, appearances at beer festivals, and coverage on websites, blogs and social media outlets. In 2009, the program was featured at the Livestrong Global Cancer Summit in Dublin, Ireland, and profiled on CNN’s Vital Signs hosted by Dr. Sanjay Gupta. During the 2010 NHRA season Bob Yonke and the Yonke Motorsports Pro Stock ran several races with Pints for Prostates as the primary sponsor on the hood of its car. In April, a team of athletes from Columbus, Ohio, ran with prostate cancer survivor Patrick Grubbe in the Boston Marathon wearing uniforms with the Pints for Prostates logo.
About Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales
Welcome to a land of open fermentation, oak barrel aging and bottle conditioning. At Jolly Pumpkin Artisan Ales we are dedicated to more than the traditions of old world craftsmanship. Everything we do is designed to create ales of outstanding art and flavor. Focusing on traditional rustic country style beers brought to life through labor and love, we strive to create beers to lighten the spirit and soothe the soul. Sharing our joy to the betterment of mankind is the most that we could hope for. Few pleasures accompany an inspired ale more agreeably than an equally inspired menu of hearth baked pizzas and gourmet salads topped with native meats, cheeses, and vegetarian suited alternatives. Whether it's the satisfaction of a quick snack or the fulfillment of an entire meal, an assortment of delectable dishes acknowledges the distinct qualities of both our Traverse City and Ann Arbor restaurants. Preserving local culture by cultivating our appreciation for fresh, seasonal, and regional resources allows Jolly Pumpkin to fulfill our vision for humanity.
About The Rare Beer Club
The Microbrewed Beer of the Month Club offers four different options for consumers. From the very inception of our original domestic beer of the month club in 1994, we've focused on consistently providing three primary product characteristics: Quality, Variety & Freshness. And in that spirit, we now offer you four outstanding beer club options, each dedicated to those same principles. Our owner's favorite club features the finest the world of beer has to offer in limited-release, celebratory, artisanal beers from some of Michael Jackson's favorite breweries. Two different selections are presented each month in 750 ml bottles, often cork finished, and some individually tissue wrapped. Members experience bold U.S. and imported interpretations of Farmhouse Ales, Russian Imperial Stouts, Barley Wines, Belgian Abbey Ales, varied Imperial, Extreme, Strong Ale and Grand Cru offerings, oak-aged ales imparting bourbon and vanilla notes, and much more. Many selections are pushing the envelope of creativity, are not yet distributed in the U.S., and brewed such that they can be cellared and aged.
About Shelton Brothers
The best beers...imported by hand. What exactly does that mean, and how do we do it? The best beers are brewed with a sense of place, a distinctive house character, and an appreciation for tradition, value, and/or the natural art of beer-making. Beer should have depth, texture, and nuance – it should sometimes even be a little rough around the edges. There are a few (very few) exceptions to every rule, but generally speaking, that means the following about a brewery’s beers: brewed in small batches using traditional methods; unsweetened; unpasteurized; unfiltered/bottle-conditioned; little to no use of spices or adjuncts; slow-fermented; distinctive house yeast or yeasts; and dry as opposed to sweet. There’s no miracle to importing good beer – just hard work and a lot of travel. We specifically seek out unmanipulated beer, generally looking to small breweries with craftsmen taking seriously their passion for a natural, traditionally-made product. Shelton Brothers is the only beer importer with these specific criteria for hand-selecting what we offer to our customers. We’ve turned down offers from large European breweries, and we’ll do it again. We’re only interested in bringing you the very best.
About Pints for Prostates
Pints for Prostates, a 501(c)3 campaign that uses the universal language of beer to encourage men to take charge of their health, was founded by prostate cancer survivor Rick Lyke in 2008. The grassroots effort raises awareness among men of the importance of regular prostate health screenings and PSA testing by making appearances at beer festivals, social networking and pro bono advertising. Pints for Prostates supports the Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, a 501(c)3 charity that works to support, educate and advocate for men with prostate cancer and their families. More information is available at www.pintsforprostates.org. Pints for Prostates also has a presence on Facebook and Twitter (@pints4prostates).
