Last month marked the annual celebration of Women’s Equality Day, commemorating the Nineteenth Amendment and our right to vote. Four local and female beer enthusiasts decided to come together and create something special for this holiday — not only to celebrate this victory but draw attention to the work we have yet to do. The 82 Cents Chai Porter salutes this idea and was created through the teamwork and passion of four amazing breweries.
Holidaily Brewing Company became a reality in 2016 and Owner Karen Hertz opened this business with a special story in mind. “I’m a two-time cancer survivor. I had melanoma and then survived thyroid cancer as well as an autoimmune disease. I was then told I needed to be gluten-free,” Hertz said. “So, I took my beer experience, my education and my love for beer, but no ability to have it at that point. I put it all together and started Holidaily. All we brew is gluten-free beer.” This pattern of taking on projects with meaning in mind continued through her collaboration with Wah Gwaan Brewing, WeldWerks Brewing and the Colorado Brewers Guild.
When the idea swelled to create something in honor of Women’s Equality Day, Hertz began to reach out to other women-owned breweries to see if they would want to be a part of it. “Part of the collaboration really was that we did not have any idea on what we were going to brew. It was just ‘Hey, do you guys want to brew a beer? And we’ll do it for this holiday,’” Hertz remembered. “Then the collaboration piece was everything for the recipe development. So, we would get on calls and have meetings to talk about that and then a group of us got together and actually brewed it at Holidaily.”
The group brainstormed and landed on a hearty chai porter, complete with flavors of cloves, ginger, cardamom and darker malts — just in time for Denver’s cold autumn front. This favorite was made with an emphasis on locality. “We source all of our grain from a women-owned business named Grouse Malt House. We wanted this to be a gluten-free beer so that everybody could pour this beer, including us. Then we reached out to a couple of different chai companies within Denver. We landed on Sherpa Chai out of Boulder,” Hertz said. “It all just gave us an opportunity to highlight local companies, plus women-owned companies.”
The real meaning of this brew is in the name. 82 Cents Chai Porter was titled to shed light on the breakthroughs that still need to be made in honor of women’s equality. “Women’s Equality Day is centered around women getting the right to vote. We wanted to address, not only the progress that has already been made, but that we still have some work to do. So 82 Cents Chai Porter came up as a discussion piece and we loved that it highlights that there is a current wage gap — that women earn 82 cents for the dollar that every man earns. It’s just a unique way of reminding people,” Hertz explained. This lighthearted activism is highlighted within the delicious libation of 82 Cents Chai Porter.
This beer will most likely sell out fast, so get your hands on it while it’s still available. Visit any of the participating breweries’ tap rooms to grab a taste. Hertz predicts that she’ll keep this beer in stock until the middle of October. More collaborations are in the works, as Hertz loves to bring gluten-free beer to all who need it. “With us being the gluten-free brewery in our state, we love collaborating with other breweries and exposing them to our grains and our processes — as well as providing them with an option for their consumers,” Hertz said. In the meantime, drop into any of Holidaily’s locations and taste their gluten-free creations. Whether this is your dietary choice or not, Holidaily is passionate about creating great options for all types of beer lovers.
Holidaily’s Tap Rooms are located at 801 Brickyard Cir, Golden and 5370 Greenwood Plaza Blvd, Greenwood Village.