Greenville Philanthropy

from Carolina Brew Scene - Summer 2018

Seaside Silk

Tapped for charity, local breweries give back

By Christina Ruotolo

Greenville is now home to a large number of local-spun breweries that provide us with a multitude of beers from oak-fermented amber ales, sour ales, Saisons, hard ciders to awardwinning stouts.

Beer brings people together. Friends gather at bar stools and tables alongside gleaming silver vats and unwind after a hard days work. Tese Eastern North Carolina breweries have only been open for a few years, but through local and statewide philanthropic events, they have each partnered with charities and nonprofit organizations and given back to their community in a multitude of ways. Tousands of dollars have been brewed and donated in order to benefit and grow Eastern North Carolina efforts with much success.

Let’s start with the widely popular Uptown Brewing Company located at 418 Evans Street in Uptown Greenville, just a short walk from the ECU campus.

With soaring ceilings, walls piled high with board games, your childhood and adulthood can live in the same land. With over 10 beers on tap, Uptown is brewing classic and unique flavors from a new sour ale, pale ales, lagers, cider and even a nitro American coffee Porter utilizing locally sourced coffee.

Since their opening in 2016, they have partnered with dozens of organizations and donated beer often to local charity events. Recently, they hosted a Ainsley Angels event and donated 25 percent of the sales from a two-hour period back to that organization. Tey are happy to partner with charitable and non-profit events throughout the year.

Tis past spring, they hosted a “Friends Night out” to raise money for the Ronald McDonald House of Eastern North Carolina. One of the philanthropic events that has created a huge beer buzz is their charity event benefiting veterans. Tey collaborated with the Beer Army restaurant in New Bern, wich donated the funds for Uptown to brew 20 barrels (600 gallons) of a Saison beer called “Hoist the Colors.” Te beer is available at both locations and the proceeds go toward a scholarship to benefit a local veteran.

Uptown is also one of many breweries that donates its spent grain. On average, they donate between 1,800-2,000 pounds per month to the Nooherooka Natural Farm in Snow Hill to be used for feed for the animals. For more information on Uptown Brewing Company, go to www. uptownbrewingcompany.com.

Right down the road from Uptown is another local brewery that has been open less than a year but has already won awards for its beer, Pitt Street Brewing Company at 630 S Pitt St. Walking in the open air industrial space, you are greeted by large silver gleaming fermenters that are housed right next to an expansive bar. It’s open and inviting.

Tey brew seven different types of beers that vary in style from light to dark to flavored with multiple choices from their award-winning stout, ales and as well as offering two ciders on tap at all times — a Noble Cider standard and Noble chai, both from Ashville. Tey recently won the NC Brewers’ Cup 2017 Gold medal for best Irish beer for their Dapple Dog Dry Stout.

Pitt Street holds a cat during an event in February where Duck Rabbit teamed up with 15 other #ncbeer breweries to raise funds for our local animal shelters. 100 percent of the donations received will go to Saving Graces 4 Felines, a nonprofit, no kill cat shelter in Greenville.

52 | Carolina Brew Scene | Summer 2018

From left; International Taste of Greenville food event that was held at the Hilton in Greenville on April 19th. Uptown Brewing Co. donated beer for the event to help raise money for the James & Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle Network. Paddle and Pints is an event hosted annually by Duck Rabbit.

Being the new brewery in town, it did not take long for them to start partnering with local organizations to start giving back. Tey have partnered with Uptown Greenville, Te Humane Society of Eastern Carolina and they also donate all spent grain to a local farm.

Within the last year, they have hosted several ALS Chili Cook-off events, hosted a fundraiser for Saving Graces 4 Felines where they raised over $500 for cat rescue efforts in Pitt County. Tey also partnered with the Food Bank’s “Smoke in the Pitt” Fundraiser and donated a “Brew School” to a local school for their silent auction item.

Tis is just the beginning for Pitt Street Brewing,and their brewing and philanthropic events. For more information visit their Facebook page at www.facebook. com/PittStreetBrewing/ .

Across the street, just a stone’s throw from Pitt Street is the hip Trollingwood Taproom & Brewery. It is one of a handful of small breweries that brew beer the “old school union set way” by fermenting their beer in barrels. Tis allows the beer to impart the oak flavor making the yeast happy giving you an American-made flavor. Tey have between five to eight beers on tap at all times.

Trollingwood has been open since December 2015 and has found lots of ways to give back to not only the community but the environment as well. It hosts the yearly river clean-up event that occurs at the beginning of April at the Town Commons. Over 80 people attended this event, which is designed to help clean up the trash that fills our waterways. Participants get in kayaks and pick up trash along their route. At the end, they get a free beer and awards are given for the most unique trash items found and so on.

Other ways Trollingwood gives back is by selling products with the proceeds benefiting local charitable efforts. It sells nuts for a good cause. Tere is a display of various bagged nuts made by Frank with Farrell Farms in Goldsboro. Bags cost only $5, and 100 percent of the proceeds are given to help orphans from Bolivia.

Trollingwood has donated beer to the Reeling for Research event, which is the second-largest fishing tournament in North Carolina, donated to the Pitt County Food Drive, Pitt County Animal Shelter the food bank and are one of the handful of animalfriendly establishments in Pitt County. Tey love partnering with charities that give back to animals and hosted a Pints and Paws event. Tey donate silent auction items to various events throughout the year and donate beer at various Emerge Art Gallery and Greenville Museum of Art charity events.

Trollingwood will be one of the beer distributors taking part in the annual International Taste of Greenville, which benefits the James and Connie Maynard Children’s Hospital and Children’s Miracle Network. For more information on Trollingwood Taproom & Brewery, visit trollingwoodbrewery.com.

Hop in your car and take the scenic route to Farmville for another stop on the philanthropic beer express. Giving back to the community is at the core of the Duck-Rabbit Brewery. Tey started brewing beer 14 years ago by donating to Farmville’s St. Patrick’s Day parade before they had even sold a single drop of beer. Tey are a microbrewery, have four taps and serve a variety of dark beers. Choose from a Milk Stout, amber and brown ales, Scotch Ale just to name a few.

Duck-Rabbit gives back in a multitude of ways. In addition to one-time events that crop up every so often in and around the community of Farmville, there is a number of charitable events in which they give back and participate in each year.

Duck-Rabbit donates and pours beer every year at the “Derby Dash Bash” that benefits the Rocking Horse Ranch in Greenville. Tey also donate and pour beer at the Sound Rivers (formerly the Pamlico-Tar River Foundation) Oyster Roast every year. Duck-Rabbit also donates its spent grain to local farmers, who use it as high-quality cattle feed. Last year, Duck-Rabbit donated almost 1 million pounds of free cattle feed.

Duck-Rabbit’s tasting room is open every Tursday, Friday and Saturday from 3-10 p.m. For more information on Duck-Rabbit Craft Brewery, visit www.theduckrabbitbrewery.com.

From recycling spent grain to feed farm animals, caring for dogs and cats at animal shelters, donating to charities and nonprofit organizations, helping clean up our waterways and even sending money abroad to help orphans in other countries, philanthropy and beer go hand in hand — and these faithful brew crews will continue to build up their communities.

Make sure to thank them the next time you see them.

Summer 2018 | Carolina Brew Scene | 53