Press Release

Partnership aims to raise $50,000 for Mission: St. Louis, building on success of last year’s Women Who Whisky™ collaboration

ST. LOUIS (November 13, 2019) – Today, Major Brands, 4 Hands Brewing Co. and Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. kicked off the season of giving with the announcement of their first-of-its-kind charitable beer collaboration, Beer 4 Good, to benefit local nonprofit Mission: St. Louis.

The Beer 4 Good partnership builds upon last year’s groundbreaking Women Who Whisky™, a collaboration led by Sue McCollum, Major Brands chairman and CEO, that brought together seven St. Louis-based female business, civic and nonprofit leaders to create a limited-edition Maker’s Mark Private Select Bourbon aged in a custom-made barrel, the sales of which raised more than $300,000 for four St. Louis nonprofits.

“We are proud of the success we saw with last year’s Women Who Whisky collaboration, which supported four St. Louis-area nonprofits with the first limited-edition bourbon in a barrel aging process created by all women. With such a unique barrel in both flavor and history, we knew we wanted to pass it forward to continue giving back to our community,” said McCollum, who leads the largest woman-operated and owned wine and spirits distributor in the U.S. “We approached Urban Chestnut and 4 Hands Brewing Co. to help us create Beer 4 Good because of their dedication to the St. Louis region. Together, we created a unique brew that’s infused with our combined passion for moving the region forward.”

Beer 4 Good is a blend of two ales – an English Barleywine created by Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. and an Imperial Milk Stout created by 4 Hands Brewing Co. – that has been aged for more than a year in the custom Makers Mark 46 barrel that McCollum and the team behind Women Who Whisky created. The result is a rich and decadent brew with notes of bourbon, chocolate, sweet caramel, and vanilla.

“From our inception we have always aimed to be much more than a brewery, but a pillar of our community,” said Kevin Lemp, president and CEO of 4 Hands Brewing Co. “Beer 4 Good is another opportunity for us to work in collaboration with amazing local St. Louis organizations to better our community. We have had the pleasure of working with the team at Mission: St. Louis over the last few years. We can’t wait to see the results from Beer 4 Good.”

The group will unveil the limited-edition stout barley wine hybrid ale at a celebratory “Tap the Barrel” event on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 6 p.m. at 4 Hands Brewing Co. Taproom, with all event proceeds going to Mission: St. Louis to help empower families to break the cycle of poverty. Through the “Tap the Barrel” event and sales of the Beer 4 Good ale, the group hopes to raise $50,000 for the local nonprofit. To reserve a bottle and secure tickets for the event, visit Beer4GoodSTL.org.

“St. Louis has a history of making great beer, and a history of making a difference. Urban Chestnut is proud to be a part of the Beer 4 Good collaboration, coming together with other amazing St. Louis organizations to help give back and create a better future for our city,” said David Wolfe, co-founder, Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. “We can’t wait to see how St. Louis rallies around this effort, and we look forward to celebrating with the community as we tap the barrel in December.”

Both STLMade breweries have been longtime supporters of Mission: St. Louis. In addition to donating proceeds from its 2019 City Wide American Pale Ale to Mission: St. Louis, 4 Hands Brewing Co. has participated in the nonprofit’s JLT Internship Program, with one of the participants joining the 4 Hands Brewing Co. team permanently. Since opening its Grove Brewery, Urban Chestnut has also employed and supported individuals and families of Mission: St. Louis.

“St. Louis is a place full of opportunity, and at Mission: St. Louis we’re working to help local families find these opportunities to transform their lives. The Beer 4 Good partnership will provide us with valuable funding to empower even more St. Louis families to break through the cycle of poverty through education, job training and employment,” Said Josh Wilson, president and executive director of Mission: St. Louis. “We are so excited to be a part of this groundbreaking partnership, which will allow us to help the St. Louis region become even stronger.”

Donor and event sponsorship opportunities start at $250, which includes one bottle of Beer 4 Good ale and two event tickets. To learn more about donor opportunities and to reserve a bottle of the limited-edition ale, visit: Beer4GoodSTL.org.