If we call a beer made by adding hops to the conditioning tank “dry hopped” does that mean we should call a beer made instead by adding maple baseball bats “dry batted”?
However you describe Homefront IPA, all proceeds from the beer will be donated to Operation Homefront, a national group that provides emergency financial assistance to military families.
Nine different brewers collaborated to create Homefront IPA, all using the same recipe, complete with orange peel and unfinished maple Louisville Sluggers. Participating breweries include Cigar City Brewing in Tampa, Fla., Sly Fox Brewing Co. in Pottstown, Pa., Perennial Artisan Ales in St. Louis, 21st Amendment Brewery in San Francisco, the Phoenix Ale Brewery in Phoenix, Left Hand Brewing Co. in Longmont, Colo., and Stone Brewing Co., in Escondido, Calif. The official release date is Memorial Day. The breweries will sell the beer in bottles and kegs in their areas, with all proceeds being donated to local chapters of the charity.
The Hops for Heroes project began in 2011 when Chris Ray, who since founded his own brewery, was pitching for the Seattle Mariners. A home brewer at the time, Ray wanted to partner with a local brewery to create a charity beer. Together with Fremont Brewing Co. in Seattle and his brother, Phil, they developed the recipe and chose the charity Operation Homefront.
Last year, the project helped raise $165,000. After the beer is brewed, the bats are dried and auctioned off.