Let’s be real: People who can afford craft beer ain’t poor. They can afford the luxury of fresh and fancy brews, and they use that dollar-power to support local businesses. This fall, a new local charity is hoping to leverage that same dollar-power to support feel-good causes.
Dirtbag Charities is a nonprofit focused on providing ways for folks in the D-FW beer scene to give back through events, volunteering and donations. According to co-founder Danny Woods, "The North Texas beer community is full of people who are willing to give, but may not have that charity that speaks to them."
He's so right; thousands of people support the local scene, and that tight knit community is composed of talented brewers, perceptive sales folks and bartenders, and thirsty fans looking for ways to give back. So how exactly will Woods go about this?
Dirtbag Charities' first fundraising project is a sexy "boylesque" calendar featuring local beer-scene celebrities. (Beerlebrities? Celebrewties?) Look for well known beards such as Sam Wynne from BrainDead Brewing, Jeff Dietzman from LUCK at Trinity Groves, Chris Rigoulot from Noble Rey Brewing Co., and the infamous Ice Cole from Martin House Brewing Co., among others.
"I got the inspiration from seeing some of the shameless bearded guys doing photo shoots get a little traction on Facebook," Woods says. "I realized that we have an entire selfless and amazing community of good-humored, bearded guys that make up our North Texas beer scene."
"I figured if we could get their sexiness and silliness to shine through in the pictures, coupled with our commitment to our amazing causes, that we should be able to get the very loyal local beer drinkers to buy the calendars when they come out," Woods says.
Here are the deets:
What: A calendar featuring your favorite bearded brewers and buds, for local craft beer lovers, by craft beer lovers.
Where: You can purchase the calendars at various meet-and-greet signing events at most of the breweries and bars that participated in and sponsored the calendar, and online after these events. Check the Dirtbag Charities Facebook page or website for specifics.
When: The calendar launch will coincide with North Texas Beer Week, which runs Nov. 11-20. Specific dates have yet to be nailed down.
Why: Support local breweries and charities, while staring at glorious visage of our local celeb-brew-ties. Most funds benefit the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, while 10 percent of proceeds goes to Bodhi's Buddies, a scholarship charity that supports families with developmentally-disabled children.
How much: $20 per calendar
What else: The sexy brewers calendar is Dirtbag Charities' debut initiative, which it hopes to make an annual fundraiser. The organization is also planning other events, such as a beer mile and 5K, a crawfish boil, and a multi-brewery block party, for the coming years.
About Dirtbag Charities:
The name screams Wheatus (listen to Iron Maiden, baby, with me, ooooh), but it's a nod to Yvon Chouinard, the founder of Patagonia, Inc., whose philosophy is "a person who is committed to a given lifestyle to the point of abandoning employment and other societal norms in order to pursue said lifestyle." Co-founder Danny Woods explains that while he doesn't quite follow Chouinard's philosophy in his work life, the basis of the name and direction of the charity is all about it.
"We certainly love the idea as a charity that we do what we have to do to donate to the causes we love," he says.
Those interested in getting involved through volunteering, sponsorship or donations, contact Dirtbag Charities through their Facebook page or website.
Booze News Insider Mae Rock is a craft beer enthusiast, and local brewery groupie.
