Georgetown Brewing's Annual Release of Bob's Beer

Tomorrow marks the annual release of Georgetown Brewing's Bob's Beer. The beer, a big, 6.3% brown ale, is a tribute to Charles "Bob" Hirsch, who died of leukemia just after his twenty-first birthday. Georgetown co-owner and brewer Manny Chao met Bob in 1999 when Chao was a counselor at a Vashon Island summer retreat for children with cancer. They kept in touch over the years and became close when Bob moved from Alaska to Seattle for treatment.

After Bob's death, his brother suggested that Manny brew a beer in his honor. When Georgetown first released the beer on Bob's birthday (May 14th) in 2005, they decided to donate 100% of the proceeds to the Ronald McDonald House in Bob's name. In 2007, Bob's Beer raised over $20,000, and Georgetown hopes to make it $30,000 this year.

If you'd like to have a pint of Bob's Brown Ale, you have some options. There's a release party at Nickerson St. Saloon tomorrow at 6pm, complete with raffle prizes and a limited release commemorative t-shirt. You can also head over to the brewery and get a growler of Bob's for $12. There's a two growler limit, and when I was at the brewery last month, they told me that supplies won't last for more than 24 hours. Finally, there will be a limited number of kegs of the beer in spots around Seattle. A full list can be found here.