A slew of North Carolina breweries sign up to sell anti-HB 2 beers

Hey North Carolinians, put down the Natty Ice and the PBRs and pick up a beer with a mission. Erik Lars Myers the CEO and head brewer of Mystery Brewing Co. has teamed up with the owner and brewmaster of Ponysaurus Brewing Co., Keil Jansen, and created a new beer: the Don’t Be Mean to People: A Golden Rule Saison.

So far, more than 40 companies have signed on to sell the beer on their draft tabs. But they aren’t stopping there. The minds behind the kind beer also set up a Generosity campaign to raise money for Equality NC, a statewide organization dedicated to securing equality and justice for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people, and QORDS, an organization that hosts overnight summer camps for queer and trans youth or youth of LGBTQ families, with special focus on youth in the South.

Erik wrote about why he was inclined to react to HB 2 on the campaign page…

When Keil and I talked shortly after the passage of North Carolina’s now infamous HB2, we were angry.  We didn’t feel like the law that was passed represented us as constituents, entrepreneurs, or business owners.  We wanted to do something in response.  But what?  What do two brewers talk about doing when faced with a world in which they want to make a change?

They talk about making beer.  So, “Don’t Be Mean to People: a golden rule (saison)” was born: A bright farmhouse ale made with 100% North Carolina grown and malted grain, and North Carolina sorghum molasses.

We see this beer as a means to an end and a social statement.  We’ve seen businesses, municipalities, and even rock legends from around the country punish North Carolina for passing this law.  We’ve seen business expansions and job opportunities pull out of the state.  We see that our communities are being harmed by this action.

But we can’t do that with our businesses.  This is our home, where we’re trying to establish roots and grow.  We can’t leave; we are left to deal with the consequences created by our General Assembly.

But we can do this: empower.

The campaign has already surpassed their initial goal of $1,500 by more than 2,000 percent. To date, they have raised $33,558 in a short 4 days. Now, if that isn’t a sign of support for the queer community, we aren’t sure what would be.

Although you can’t get the beer unless you are in North Carolina, you can still donate and receive a compliment, a glass, or a T-shirt by donating to the cause.