You can help aid in the fight against breast cancer all this month just by ordering a glass or cracking an ice cold can of Thin Man Brewery’s beloved house sour ale, Minkey Boodle Raspberry Sour. The brewery has announced that in honor of National Breast Cancer Month, they are donating a portion of proceeds from all sales of the favorite pink beer in October to the Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

If you have read my any of my writing before, there is a good chance you know I am a huge proponent of using craft beer for a good cause. Any time a brewery donates money from beer sales to charity, I want to help spread the word. And this time is especially personal for me, as breast cancer research, and a possible cure, is something very near and dear to my heart. I have lost more friends and family members to this disease than I really care to count, and I don’t want to see that number rise in the future.

“We believe breast cancer is UNACCEPTABLE,” the brewery says. “Help us with this mission by enjoying our beloved raspberry sour ale and drink for a cause!”

The idea first came about when the thought entered the mind of local developer Rocco Termini (and husband of Thin Man co-owner Bridget Termini) as he was attending a Pink Tie Dinner. His family has also been affected by breast cancer, which made the decision to do this that much easier.

“Warren [Coville] from the Buffalo News invited me to a pink tie dinner and at that event I thought it would be a good idea to use our pink beer as a promotional fundraiser seeing how pink are their colors. A portion of the proceeds of cans and kegs will be donated to Susan G. Komen for the Cure and we hope it will raise about $10,000. Breast cancer has effected many people in my family and what better way to honor them but by helping fight breast cancer.”

Thin Man Owner Suzanne Shatzel adds that her family hasn’t been immune to the effects of breast cancer either, but she has something most don’t – a true platform to help spread awareness via great beer.

“Our family, like so many others in Western New York and beyond, has been personally affected by breast cancer. We are honored to have a platform at Thin Man to raise awareness for breast cancer and contribute to continued research and care for the brave women and men who fight this battle on a daily basis. We are hopeful for a day when breast cancer is no longer a fear that we face as individuals and as a community. We would like to thank everyone who is so devoted to taking a stand towards this life changing cause, especially the hardworking dedicated members and volunteers at Susan G. Komen.”

Minkey Boodle, one Thin Man’s true core brands, was the third in a rotating series of fruited sours, following Myrna, an apricot sour, and Juicemaster, a mango and passionfruit sour. Head Brewer Rudy Watkins says that the beer was inspired by world-renowned Toronto brewery Bellwoods, as well as Thin Man’s own customers.

“Minkey grew out of what was supposed to be a rotating, 100% Brett fruited kettle sour series,” he says. “It started with Myrna, an Apricot sour, and moved on to Juicemaster, a Mango/Passionfruit sour.  Minkey was third in the series, and the first one we fermented with Sacch, as opposed to Brett. American fruited kettle sours were still few and far between at that point in time, but I certainly took inspiration from the beers that the folks up at Bellwoods were making.  They were kind enough to share some tips & techniques. The series was originally a bit more restrained in terms of fruit, but as we brewed & tweaked the recipe we found that we (and our customers!) like it more with higher and higher fruiting levels. So, inspired by what we wanted to drink. And Bellwoods. And our customers.”

Find Minkey on draft and in cans wherever great beer is sold. Get more information on Thin Man Brewery at https://thinmanbrewery.com.

Brian Campbell is a co-founder/Brand Manager of the BNBA’s enthusiast arm, Buffalo Beer League, and writes the weekly Buffalo Beer Buzz column for Step Out Buffalo. If you have beer news that should be included in the Beer Buzz, Brian can be reached at buffalobeerleague@aol.com, on Twitter (@buffbeerleague), Instagram (@buffalobeerleague) and Facebook (@thebuffalobeerleague).