Draft beer

Black Pond Brews in Dayville has re-released its Connecticut Uncommon beer to help brewery workers across the country, according to its Facebook and Instagram pages. A portion of proceeds from the special release, posts say, will go toward employees of Anchor Brewing in San Francisco, who are hoping to buy back their brewery.

Anchor Brewing, founded in 1896 and known for its Anchor Steam beer, was bought by Sapporo Breweries in 2019. Earlier this year, Sapporo moved to liquidate Anchor. Employees formed a co-op with the hope of buying back the brand and carrying on as a worker-owned brewery. The co-op has created a GoFundMe page for public help and a WeFunder page for would-be investors.

Additionally, some breweries are donating a portion of proceeds from special releases to this cause, according to beer industry news site Brewbound. 

Black Pond announced the re-release of Connecticut Uncommon on Dec. 6, as stated on the brewery’s Facebook page. There was no immediate representative available to comment on the amount of proceeds to be donated. According to the Facebook page, it’s the first time in five years that the beer is available. The beer is offered on draft and in cans featuring the Golden Gate Bridge of San Francisco on the label.

Black Pond’s social media pages mention that Anchor Steam is recognized as a “California Common” style of beer. As reported by Brewbound, Connecticut Uncommon is a twist on this style.

A post on Black Pond’s Facebook page declares, “What sets ours apart is that it’s brewed with rye, providing a unique, zesty, dry taste that ends crisply”.

Black Pond is among the four California breweries that have released beers for this cause. As per Brewbound, other participating breweries are Enterprise Brewing Co., Fox Tale Fermentation Project, Mad Pursuit Brewing Company, and Ruhstaller Farm.