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Strategy

Big Game Leads To Big Bet For Brewers

You’ve heard of mayors having a friendly Super Bowl wager, but how about breweries?

Philadelphia’s Yards Brewing Co. has challenged Boston’s Harpoon Brewery as the Philadelphia Eagles take on the New England Patriots for the Vince Lombardi Trophy. The losing brewery will have to pour the winning brewery’s beer in its taproom for a day and staff will be required to wear the opponent’s branded gear.

“To our friends at Harpoon: Get ready to wear some Green, a very dynamic and blue-collar kind of color – and it looks great on everyone, from casual fans to pretty-boy quarterbacks,” said Tom Kehoe, Yards’ founder and brewmaster, as well as a longtime Eagles season ticketholder.

“The last time we moved our brewery, the Phillies won the World Series, and we handed out free Philly Pale Ale to fans celebrating in the streets. Now, after once again opening a new facility, we are hoping some of that Yards good luck will rub off on our high-flying NFC champs. Let’s go Birds!”

Both breweries have agreed to make the bet for a good cause: Yards will donate $1 from each pint of Philly Pale Ale sold in its taproom from Jan. 24 through Feb. 4 to Prevention Point, an organization working on the opioid crisis in Philadelphia. Yards will also donate $10 from every keg of Philly Pale Ale sold in the Philadelphia region during the same timeframe to Prevention Point.

“The opioid epidemic has affected numerous members of the Yards family just like our greater community,” said Trevor Prichett, chief operating officer of Yards. “Addiction is a terrible disease and we are grateful to have incredible organizations like Prevention Point working to prevent these tragic and unnecessary deaths.”

Harpoon will donate $1 for every pint of Harpoon Fresh Tracks sold in its Beer Hall and $10 for every keg of Fresh Tracks sold in Boston to The Gillian Reny Stepping Strong Center for Trauma Innovation at Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Founded in the aftermath of the 2013 Boston Marathon bombings, the organization is committed to trauma research and recovery.

The winning brewery will be announced on social media following the outcome of the game.

Whether the Philly underdogs win their first Super Bowl or Tom Brady leads New England to a record-tying sixth championship, at least the losing brewery will sing the blues with some delicious booze.