"Kate the Great" Beer Proceeds Go to Land Trust

Anyone lucky enough to snag a bottle or chalice of Portsmouth Brewery’s world famous Kate the Great Russian Imperial Stout on Monday knows what it’s like to drink well.

Now, they all can rest assured that their money also went to doing genuine good.

Yesterday the Portsmouth staple announced it would donate $5000 each to four different nonprofit organizations – voted on by Brewery Staff – in and around the Seacoast: The Center for Wildlife, Great Works Regional Land Trust, Sexual Assault Support Services, and 3S Artspace.

The Southeast Land Trust, meanwhile, will receive $10,000.

“We’re thrilled to be honored and I think this is a really creative way for the Brewery to address the high demand for their wonderful product and support some local charities,” said Brian Hunt, Executive Director of the Southeast Land Trust of New Hampshire, “it’s really inventive and creative and we appreciate it.”

All told, the Brewery managed to sling 2,000 bottles of the limited-release libation, with 15,0000 lottery scratch tickets being given away in less than 20 hours.

Peter Egelston, owner of the Portsmouth Brewery, said the scratch tickets were introduced in order to prevent blocks-long lines inundating the Brewery’s Market Street corridor.

“We wanted to be less intrusive to our downtown neighbors,” said Egelston. “This community has been very supportive of us and we were fortunate to have this chance to return the goodwill.”

Kate the Great Day officially kicked off on Monday, with the Brewery’s doors being opened to an eager public at 11:00am.

In just over five hours, all 317 gallons of the high-gravity stout were gone.

For this year’s Kate the Great celebration, the Brewery chose a slew nonprofit groups the felt best encompassed its commitment to community and the environment.

“We wanted to start off with a group of organizations where no matter who won the employee vote, we’d feel good about it,” explained J.T. Thompson, Minister of Propaganda for Smuttynose Brewing. “All of these groups do incredible work, and we’re just happy to include them.”

Long committed to bolstering community-based initiatives, The Brewery also raises funds through its Community Pint Day event each Tuesday, where customers can donate money in the form of wooden tokens to local nonprofits and charities.

Learn more about the Portsmouth Brewery by going to www.portsmouthbrewery.com