PAUSED: Big Beer Blowout

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Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co.

It’s hard to say what’s more painful to a Wisconsinite, seeing farmers dump milk or brewers dump beer. The Great Dane needs to unload barrels of craft beer pretty soon. It was made before the pandemic hit. Starting May 14, until the supply is gone, the Dane is discounting crowlers, growlers and kegs, with all profits donated to Briarpatch Youth Services. Crowlers (32 ounces) will sell for $3, growlers (64 ounces) for $5 while supplies last. And not that you can have a party, but one-sixth barrels are $19, while half barrels are $39. Each location has different beers available depending on what is currently on tap. To order online and check beer availability, see GreatDanePub.com. Crowlers and growlers will be prefilled and waiting for you at your pickup time; ID and digital order receipt are necessary at pickup. Rob LoBreglio, brewmaster and co-owner of the Great Dane, did not want to go the route of dumping the beer, and the Briarpatch donation makes this a worthwhile endeavor, even if a sad one.

Noon update from Facebook: Thanks, everyone, for supporting The Big Beer Blowout! We need to pause operations today to fulfill orders that have already been placed, and will not accept new orders.

We may not be able to answer our phones right now, but will answer as many questions as possible online. Check back for details.

press release: The Great Dane has big plans for barrels and barrels of craft beer made before the pandemic hit: They’re selling deeply discounted crowlers, growlers and kegs – and donating all profits to Briarpatch Youth Services.

For the Dane’s Big Beer Blowout, crowlers (32 ounces) will sell for $3, while growlers (64 ounces) will cost $5 each starting this Thursday and running through May (or while supplies last). Customers can also choose to donate more to Briarpatch. The Dane is only covering the cost of its containers. 

“Supporting the community has been at the core of the Great Dane since we opened more than 25 years ago,” said co-owner and president, Eliot Butler. “This is our way of trying to help as much as we can during this time, and to ensure youth have access to the vital services Briarpatch provides.”

Beer, like food, has a “use by” date. Because of the pandemic, sales have slowed significantly, leaving the Dane’s brewing team with thousands of gallons of beer set to expire if they didn’t act.

“Rather than dump the beer, I wanted to do something worthwhile – that benefits our neighbors,” said Rob LoBreglio, brewmaster and co-owner of the Great Dane. “We’ve never sold our beer this cheap, but this is for a cause we truly believe in.”

Each Dane location will offer different beers depending on what each currently has available on tap. To check beer availability, visit GreatDanePub.com and find your preferred location through our online ordering. Along with crowlers and growlers, the Dane will sell kegs at never-before-seen prices. One-sixth barrels are $19, while half barrels are $39. The cost covers keg cleaning.

Here’s how it works:

1. Place your order online: https://bit.ly/2VG33Bq
2. Arrive at your preferred Dane location to pick up your prefilled crowlers, growlers and kegs. You’ll need your ID and digital order receipt.
3. Enjoy your beer.

Note: Social distancing guidelines remain in effect, and if 10 people are in the pub, Dane employees may ask customers to wait in their vehicles or outside.

“We’re so thankful to our customers, who have helped keep us going since the stay-at-home order was put into place, and we hope this is a small way of saying ‘thank you’ to them, too,” LoBreglio said.

About The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co. 

Since 1994, The Great Dane Pub & Brewing Co. has served up its award-winning craft beers alongside local and global pub fare prepared from scratch. The Dane, with three Madison locations and brewpubs in Fitchburg and Wausau, has a mission to make the community a great place to live, work and play. To find a location, learn more about the Great Dane’s beer and to view upcoming events, visit greatdanepub.com.