Do you think that beer can change the world? I do, albeit in small ways. It can’t end poverty or stop an unjust war. But it can bring people together and get them talking, which maybe – just maybe – might lead to some positive societal change. Obama tried it with his Beer Summit between the Harvard professor and the police officer. It didn’t end racism in the U.S. but it did calm a situation blown out of proportion.

I am talking about this because Howe Sound Brewing (home of the 1-litre flip top bottle) has launched their Ales for Change series of one-off beer. Actually they first announced it last November, but B.C. ain’t my beat and it took me a while to try the first beer (which in my defence only hit Alberta after Christmas). They have just announced a second beer in the line. The purpose of the series is to raise awareness for non-profit and environmental organizations. One dollar of every beer sold goes to the group in question. Not enough to change the world, but a noble thing to do.

I decided to write about the series, and review the first beer, in my Vue Weekly column which ran this week (which you can read here). The Boomer’s Red Ale proves to be an easy-t0-drink beer, reminding me a lot of the Unity Brew beer made last fall by Alberta brewers. I like its fruity caramel, vanilla and nutty character. It isn’t a beer that will make you fall off your chair, but that isn’t what it was designed to do. It succeeds admirably at being a pleasant glass among friends.

The money for Boomer’s goes to a fund in honour of a Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan that supports small scale projects in Afghan communities. I know the Afghanistan war is controversial, but at the very least we can spend some energy helping communities rebuild themselves after all the devastation they have endured. It is worth a buck or two out of my pocket.

Besides, the second beer supports the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society, so I imagine they will get around to supporting a wide array of good causes. I hope other brewers pick up on this idea. We can do with more random acts of beer kindness.