A couple of awesome autism events coming up

April is Autism Awareness Month and there's a couple of great looking beer related fundraisers coming up for to support those with autism.

Lagunitas Craft Beer Tasting and Beer Writer's Summit for #BeerAutismHope
This April 16th, join beer historian with autism Lance Rice, Lance's Brewery Tour and some of California's best beer writers at Lagunitas Brewing Co for an exclusive night of celebrating craft beer and #BeerAutismHope! 

Lance and Lance's Brewery Tour director Aaron Rice will be speaking withKim's Bay Brews, Jay Brooks and other notable beer writers at Lagunitas in a one-of-a-kind craft beer lover's event. The event will include and bottomless beer tasting, hors d' oeuvres and raffles for incredible #beer prizes. 

You can buy tickets at this link.

3rd Annual Ales For Autism Summer Beer Release Party
When: Saturday, April 26 from 1:00pm-4:00pm
Where: Pyramid Alehouse, 901 Gilman Street, Berkeley, CA.
What: April is Autism Awareness Month and Pyramid is releasing several new brews so we are throwing a party to fundraise and celebrate. One hundred percent of the event ticket sales benefit Ales for Autism, a local North Bay organization supporting autism research.

·         Tickets are $20 in advance and include: Five beers for unlimited tasting during the event, food pairings by our chef, live music from the Smokin’ J’s, a photobooth & more.  You can buy tickets here.

·         Beers being released: Curve Ball Blonde Ale, Pyramid Wheaten Ale, Oregon Honey Beer, Imperial Mac’s Amber Ale, H7 Imperial IPA, and India Pale Lager. *

·         Sample food pairings: *

Sesame crusted ahi tuna, avocado, sprouts, scallion oil paired with Curve Ball

Spinach and goat cheese frittata paired with Wheaten Ale

Bananas Flambe paired with Oregon Honey Beer

2nd Annual Summer Pyramid Beer Release Party, Benefitting Ales 4 Autism

Pyramid's Brewpub summer release party to benefit Ales for Autism was a fun event last year and the good news is, they're doing it again.   They'll be lots of interesting beers and tasty finger foods and it's only 20 bucks.  It's a great way to celebrate Autism Awareness Month this April. Here are the details of this years event:

 

When: Saturday, April 13 from 3:00 – 6:00 p.m.

Where: Pyramid Alehouse, 901 Gilman Street, Berkeley, CA.

What: April is Autism Awareness Month and Pyramid is releasing seven new brews so Pyramid is throwing a party to fundraise and celebrate. One hundred percent of the event ticket sales benefit Ales for Autism, a local North Bay organization supporting autism research.

 

· Tickets are $20 in advance and include: Seven beers for unlimited tasting during the event, food pairings by our award-winning chef, Roxy Photo Booth, live music and more.

· Beers being released: Imperial Pils, Gold IPA (only available on draft locally!), Full Bloom Craft Lager, Zig Zag River Lager, PBC India Pale Lager, Curve Ball Blonde; PBC Helles.

 

 

Sample food pairings:

 Marjoram spiced German Rostbratwurst served with a medley of roasted vegetables and lager quinoa salad. Paired with Helles.

Szechwan pepper-crusted pork belly with Japanese yuzu glaze and Amarillo hop broth. Paired with PBC India Pale Lager.

Oven-baked French toasts with cinnamon anglaise. Paired with Zig Zag River Lager.

 

 

Take public transit! AC Transit Bus #25 stops in front of Pyramid Alehouse and the North Berkeley BART Station is a 20 minute walk.

For more information, visit: www.facebook.com/#!/events/324254587678026/

About Pyramid Brewing Co.

Pyramid Brewing Co. is a leading brewer of specialty, full-flavored craft beers produced under the Pyramid family of ales and lagers since 1984. Pyramid beers continue to be honored by beer drinkers and judges having received 22 medals at the Great American Beer Festival (GABF), including a gold medal awarded to Haywire Hefeweizen in 2009 as well as the honor of Mid-size Brewery of the Year in 2008. The brewery has also been awarded seven medals in international competition at the World Beer Cup.

With breweries in Seattle, WA, Portland, OR, and Berkeley, CA, the Company owns Alehouses at all three locations as well as two additional Pyramid Alehouses in Walnut Creek and Sacramento, CA.

Visit www.pyramidbrew.com for more information.

About Ales for Autism

Ales for Autism is a non-profit organization that has been founded on a principal love for beer with a cause of utmost importance during this generation. There has been a spike in autistic children that now reaches 1 out of every 110, with males about 4 times more likely to be diagnosed. Recent studies have estimated that the lifetime cost to care for an individual with ASD is $3.2 million. We are just trying to ease that cost for as many people as possible.

Visit www.Ales4Autism.org for more information.

 

The Ales for Autism Black and White Beer Ball February 15th

There's lots of events going on during the upcoming SF Beer Week but one I definitely want to alert you all to is the Black and White Beer Beer this coming February 15th hosted by Ales for Autism up in Santa Rosa.  It's a night a music, food, and of course beer from a great list of Northern California breweries.

The proceeds benefit Anova Education, a provider of educational, behavioral, and therapy services for children and adults with disabilities.   They have a pretty impressive line-up of breweries, and of course, last year they scored some Pliny the Younger, so who knows what surprises they'll have in store for this year?  As a father of an autistic child, I wish the event much success.

Celebrate July 4th Early with an Ales for Autism Fundraiser and Iron Springs

Ales for Autism is at it once again, this time with a fundraiser at Iron Springs Pub and Brewery this July 3rd as part of their Give Back Tuesdays series of community fundraisers.  You can find more details here as well as checking out the event's Facebook page. 

So why not celebrate our countries independence a day early, enjoy some great beer, and raise money to support families struggling with autism?

Ales for Autism is at it again....Mini Golf Mania!!!

Anyone can play miniature golf.   Unlike regular golf, there are no clubs you have to join and you don't need to develop the difficult skill of driving that little golf ball off a tee and keeping it out of the rough or sandtraps.  My son Brandon, who has autism and some motor skill limitations, has enjoyed the sport of miniature golf. 

So perhaps it is fitting that the next Ales for Autism  fundraiser is Mini Golf Mania!!!  (Don't forget all three exclamation points.) this coming April 27th at the Scandia Fun Center in Rohnert Park.  You can find all the details out here.  Start practicing your putting!!!

New Discoveries from Pyramid Brewing at the latest Ales for Autism Event

Last Saturday, Pyramid Brewing teamed up with Ales for Autism to highlight some of their new releases and reoccurring seasonals to help raise money to support families struggling to raise children on the autistic spectrum.  The concept was simple.  For a mere 20 bucks, all of it going to Ales for Autism, you got to enter a loft space in Pyramid's Brewpub where they had a bunch of their new beers on tap, each paired with an hors d'oeuvre or dessert item.  So you just go around and taste all the new beers, and snack on the pairings, until you're done.  (To check out the full details, go here.) 

My wife and I found it to be one of those low key casual events, highly underrated if you ask us, where it's easy to strike up a conversation with the strangers sitting next to us, and the beers can be enjoyed and savored without loud interference from the crowd.  So what's new from Pyramid?  Plenty judging for the event.  Here were our favorites:

McTarnahan's Full Bloom Lager From Pyramid's McTanahan's label based in Portland.  We loved this unique off-beat lager with highly floral hop profile, with a sturdy, bready malt backbone. 

Little mini-velvet cakes awaiting to be eaten with McTarnahan's Full Bloom Lager

Wheaten IPA The controversial beer of the afternoon.  Wheat IPA's are an up and coming style, but I have to admit I just don't get these beers.  They taste like over-hopped wheat beers, and I find the underlying wheat tartness clashes with the hops.  For what it's worth, I found this to be one of the better ones.  Linda, a much bigger hop-head than I, really enjoyed all hop aromas and really liked how the wheat malt gave this IPA an extra dimension.

And while it wasn't poured at this event, you should check out Pyramid's Thunderhead IPA, a very drinkable and balanced IPA, that celebrates the hops without hitting you over the head with them.


Uproar Imperial Red Our favorite of the afternoon, full of lots of roasty flavors with a nice herbal, earthly hop finish.  Very smooth and drinkable for an Imperial Red.

Pyramid stepped up to the plate to help support families raising children with autism, with Ales for Autism raising $2,400 from the event.   As the father of an autistic child, that means I'm going to buy more Pyramid beer, and hope you will too.

Ales for Autism Pyramid Beer Tasting April 7th

Someone you know is probably dealing with autism in their family.  Recent reports indicate 1 out of 88 children are being diagnosed on the autistic spectrum, as autism has reached epidemic levels.  What can you do about this?  You can drink some beer.

Specifically, beer at the Pyramid Brewery New Release Tasting this April 7th, the latest fundraiser held by Ales for Autism.   Pyramid Brewing is expanding their line-up in a big way, and for just $20, you can sample their new beers and reoccurring seasonals, along with food pairings.  All proceeds go towards Ales for Autism and their mission to support families struggling to raise an autistic child.

It's being held at Pyramid Brewhouse, located at 901 Gilman Street in
Berkeley, CA.  You can buy tickets here and check out the intriguing line-up below:

New Beers
•Wit: A light white beer of Belgian origin brewed with chamomile, coriander, curacao (bitter orange peel) and sweet orange peel.
ABV: 5.1% IBU: 13         To be paired with:  Portuguese Churrasco Chicken

•Dunkel: A Pyramid twist on the German Dunkel Weisse.
ABV: 5.6% IBU: 24         To be paired with: Bourbon Vanilla Walnut Cake 

•Wheaten IPA: A boldly hopped IPA designed to provide a pleasant citrus and aromatic hop experience.
ABV: 6.5% IBU: 66         To be paired with:  Citrus Peel Creme Brulee


•Pale Ale: Stylistically more in line with a traditional English pale, the sweet and malty flavor compliments its floral hop aromas.
ABV: 5.4% IBU: 38         To be paired with:  Chipotle Corn Focaccia Grilled Cheese

Returning Seasonals
•Uproar Imperial Red Ale: A complex, ruby-hued ale. Punctuated with notes of citrus and herbs, Uproar has a velvet texture with pleasing hints of roasty chocolate.
ABV: 7.3% IBU: 60          To be paired with:  Smoked Salmon & Brown Rice Arancini

•Curve Ball Blonde Ale: A deliciously drinkable golden summer seasonal.
ABV: 5% IBU: 18             To be paired with:   Tomato Bacon Panzanella

•Full Bloom, MacTarnahan’s: A notably Northwest spin on a Bohemian Pilsner with a refreshing hop aroma and a gloriously smooth bite.
ABV: 6.3% IBU: 40

•Grifter IPA, MacTarnahan’s: A criminally delicious surprise that’ll steal your allegiance and con your thirst into leavin’ town.
ABV: 6.2% IBU: 54

I got my tickets, and will see you there!

Ales for Autism's First Event a Success Despite a Big "Problem"

So just how did things go with Ales of Autism's first event, their Black and White Beer Ball held last February 17th?  Well, they had a small problem when one of the participating breweries submitted a beer that wasn't black or white, and thus didn't fit the event's format.  That was quickly overlooked since this denoted beer was none other than the legendary Pliny the Younger!

Given this was the biggest "problem"  of the evening, it's no surprise that Ale's for Autism first event was a rousing success.  "I don't have a final number, but we raised about $3,000!", recounted an enthusiastic Greg Coll, founder of Ales for Autism.   "There were around 300 people and it was a great success. Almost everyone dressed up and they could not stop talking about how they wanted to go to the next (Ales for Autism) event."

And just what is the next Ales for Autism event?   Why it is a release/tasting party at Pyramid Brewery in Berkeley on April 7th from 1-4pm for $20. Unlimited tastings and 100% of the proceeds go to Ales for Autism.

As over 1 in 150 children diagnosed with autism, someone you know is probably struggling with this affliction in their family.  So let's thank Ales for Autism and all those who attended last Friday's Black and White Beer Ball, who all got together to support those struggling with the autism.

Proudly Introducing Ales for Autism

As a father of an autistic child, I can assure you that beer and autism go together.  And while sometimes a beer or two is needed to get through the stress and strain of raising a child with autism, what families with an autistic child really need is a support structure they can depend on to help them navigate the difficult moments.  And since over 1 out of 150 children born in this country are eventually diagnosed with autism, someone you know is probably dealing with this.

Which is why Greg Coll recently founded Ales for Autism, a non-profit organization based in Sonoma County to raises money for autism care centers, schools, and research facilities.  With his niece and nephew both diagnosed with autism, Greg saw firsthand the serious challenges autism creates for young families.  Greg once belonged to an informal organization that provided DJ services for parties and events and currently works for a beer distributorship in Sonoma County.  Coupling his DJ experiences with his beer connections, Greg found a way to create events that show case the best West Coast breweries while benefiting families dealing with autism.

"At the end of DJ'ing a party, people would come up tell me what a great evening they had, and it felt really satisfying," explains Greg.  "I wanted to create something like that while helping those dealing with autism."  Ales for Autism's inaugural event will be the Black and White Beer Ball held February 17th in Winsor, CA as part of San Francisco Beer Week. The event features both dark and white beers from leading West Coast breweries including Russian River, Lagunitas and Ninkasi Brewing.  So while you won't find any brown, amber, red, or green beer their that evening, you will first a tasty variety of stouts, black IPAs, black lagers, wit beers, lagers, and other beers fitting the unique format.

"The brewing community has been really supportive," adds Greg.  "Craft breweries have enjoyed a lot of success lately, and have been great about giving back to the community."  Santa Rosa's BBQ Spot will be serving food while The Nate Lopez Trio will provide the music.

So what's next for Ales for Autism?  With April being Autism Awareness month, Greg has a couple events in the works he's not ready to discuss yet.  But when he is, you can be sure I'll let you know about it here.