When I tell people I am from Colorado, I get one of two reactions:
- “Oh you must be a professional snowboarder then huh?”
- “Do you all ride your horses to work and school?”
Skiing and snowboarding are a huge attraction to our state, but no, we are not all professionals. I am actually pretty horrible at it myself. And although Colorado was home to many wild west scenes back in the day, we have since become a booming economic state—we drive cars just like everyone else.
When I think of Colorado, I also tend to think of a few stand out things, but for me they are more personal. I think of the obvious, the majestic mountains, the breathtaking views and the 300+ days of sunshine a year. But to me, Colorado also means community. Colorado is home to many different communities: rock climbers who find a sense of community at the gym, fishermen who share tips on what lure to use and bikers who wave to other riders on the way to work.
A large community in Colorado is the craft beer community, and it is gaining members daily. The craft beer community in Colorado is an amazing thing to witness. People come together to make great beer, help the environment and lend a hand to their neighbors.
In September 2013, the city of Lyons (and Northern Colorado) was affected by devastating flooding. Oskar Blues was right in the middle of the action and witnessed firsthand the devastation created by a severe natural disaster. Through the fundraising efforts of their CAN’d Aid Foundation, Oskar Blues went to work raising money for their community.
It has been over a year since the flood, and the CAN’d Aid Foundation has donated more than $700,000 for flood recovery efforts and the city of Lyons. Because of his dedication, Oskar Blues founder Dale Katechis was recently awarded an E-Chievement Award from eTown.
The craft beer community is an amazing one to be a part of, in large part to the members who go out of their way to help their neighbors. Check out the Oskar Blues blog post “Dale Katechis Wins E-Chievement Award for CAN’d Aid Foundation” to read more about how Oskar Blues is paying it forward.
Atalie Rhodes is the current Craft Beer Program intern at the Brewers Association. Her love of craft beer lead her to becoming a trainer at Yard House Restaurants, but she is constantly seeking more beer knowledge. If she is not at a brewery asking a plethora of questions about their beer, she is probably out fishing, playing volleyball or reading one of her favorite books.
CraftBeer.com is fully dedicated to small and independent U.S. breweries. We are published by the Brewers Association, the not-for-profit trade group dedicated to promoting and protecting America’s small and independent craft brewers. Stories and opinions shared on CraftBeer.com do not imply endorsement by or positions taken by the Brewers Association or its members.
Share Post