In the spirit of #GivingTuesday, we’d like to take a moment to talk about the inspiration behind 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗵𝘆’𝘀 𝗚𝗶𝗳𝘁, a beer we released last week that has a deeper connection to our St. Charles brewery family than most.
Many of you know our bartender and graphic designer, Reilly, either from behind the bar here in our taproom, or through his other gig selling beer for Windy City. Recently, his fiancé, Cassie, lost her mother to sarcoma, a particularly aggressive form of cancer that develops in bone and soft tissues of the body.
Kathy’s Gift is named in honor of 𝗞𝗮𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝗔𝗻𝗻𝗲 𝗗𝘂𝗹𝘀𝗸𝗶, who fiercely fought sarcoma for 17 years after her initial diagnosis. Her battle is a testament to her force of will and courage in the face of the unknown. Reilly had been planning his own beer for our #EmployeeBrewed series, a line of beers that we allow each of our taproom employees have a role in designing and brewing.
Upon Kathy’s passing, Reilly immediately dropped his original idea and came to us with Kathy’s Gift, a West Coast hopped double IPA with pink guava. The yellow color in the can label represents sarcoma awareness, and we hope to spread the word about not just this disease, but people like Kathy who continue to bravely fight it.
Please consider donating to the Sarcoma Foundation of America today using the donate button below. We’ll also be donating a portion of the proceeds from sales of Kathy’s Gift 4-packs, which is available to order online (store link: bit.ly/riverlands) and pick-up at our taproom as early as Wednesday at noon.