Facebook Twitter Reddit

As I do every spring, last May I posted a story asking people to support Georgetown Brewing’s annual efforts to raise funds for the Ronald McDonald House of Washington and Alaska. They don’t like to toot their own horn, so I’ll do it for them.

Georgetown Brewing just announced that in 2015 Bob’s Brown Ale raised more than $108,000 for the cause. Last year was the tenth year that the brewery released Bob’s Brown Ale, a beer designed to give back. To date, Georgetown Brewing and Bob’s Brown Ale have raised nearly $600,000 for the Ronald McDonald House of Washington and Alaska. The actual number is $595,576. If you’re unfamiliar with the Bob’s Brown Ale story, you can read about it here.

Another great accomplishment is the beer itself. To give this beer its unique character, they hop the crap out of an otherwise fairly pedestrian brown ale. The result is a delightfully hoppy, complex yet easy drinkin’ brown ale. Bob’s Brown Ale is rich and malty, though not overly sweet or cloying, and is hoppy enough that it even appeals to hop junkies.

The whole thing began many years ago when Georgetown Brewing’s co-founder, Manny Chao, was working as a camp counselor. Long before Manny’s Pale Ale became Seattle’s most-ubiquitous beer, Manny met a young man named Bob Hirsch while working at a camp for kids with cancer. The two struck up a friendship that endured beyond that summer. Some years later, when Bob eventually succumbed to the disease, Manny wanted to do something in his friend’s honor. So they made a beer. Bob liked beer.

I know it’s only January, but it’s never too early to start dreaming of the spring. With spring comes another batch of Bob’s Brown Ale.

To reiterate the main point here, Bob’s Brown Ale has now raised over one-half million dollars for Ronald McDonald House.

Cheers to Georgetown Brewing!