Best Way To Get Free Beer? Volunteer! // IPA Canning At Holidaily // Gluten Free & Natural

Admittedly, beer was not always one of my favorite beverages, but over time this has become one of my favorite ways to pass time. As a native San Franciscan I was raised on the fine wines coming from Napa Valley and that graduated to gourmet coffee.

Beer was a deterrent with weight gain and an allergic reaction to gluten, the taste never really fascinated me either. Well, one day while walking around town in Colorado there was talk of a new gluten free brewery opening up and it just was a must visit. So, on the following Happy Hour Friday, a trip to the new Holidaily was the location, and all I can say is that I was immediately hooked.

So hooked in fact, that I make it a point to volunteer periodically to help the crew out and take home the natural ingredient brew. The last time I volunteered, the staff allowed me to take photos so I could share their establishment with Steemit.

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Once a week, Holidaily opens their doors to the public during the day for volunteer canning. What better way to spend a few hours helping the local community Eagle Spirit grins happily, the brewery is small but makes the best brew around.

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The door is open as we walk in, but everyone is in the back and since this is Colorado and not NYC then we know we are safe.

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Even though I had been here many times it was a bit different after hours. The place is never so packed that you can't find a seat, but still it was a bit creepy.

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Since I knew I was going to be featuring the Holidaily Brewery on Steemit I took tons of photos of everything I noticed, like this cool sign made from a tree.

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As you first walk into the back part of the building a huge vat with my favorite brew has been fermenting for months. My eyes are on this one ... lovingly.

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I'm not sure what all of the vats hold but they are all brewing tasty beer for us all to enjoy.

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The Holiday philosophy:

The concept behind Holidaily Brewing Company is driven by a personal
understanding and a passion to provide those with celiac diagnosis, gluten
sensitivity or any interest in trying a tasty gluten-free craft beer, a guaranteed safe, delicious beer to enjoy.

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The Holidaily story:

Is the passion project of Karen Hertz, a craft beer enthusiast and lover of living life to the fullest. Karen survived melanoma and thyroid cancer in her early 30’s, leading to a treatment plan including a gluten-free diet. Along with beating cancer came the desire to focus on health, happiness and a commitment to celebrate life every single day.

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As soon as I looked straight ahead brew was being funneled into cans and they were working their way down the assembly line.

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But first, I had to sign a three page waiver that I would not steal or share any in-house secrets.

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My first assignment was to weight the cans to make sure the proper magic number came up, if the number was too low then we got to keep them ... for later. Yes, to drink!

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It was a bit confusing at first, but I managed to grab a pair of gloves since the cans were cold to the touch and we had to roll the cans to the next person to snap a plastic lid of four and box them up.

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Quite a bit of canning had been done already, but IPA Fat Randy's was our job for the day.

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What I liked was the cleanliness of the place and conscientious organization.

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As empty cans were placed on the conveyor belt from this forklift we all jammed out to Classic Rock tunes and got to know one another. There were about eight people altogether sharing in community giving and having a good time.

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Tons of tubes, lights, and beer was everywhere but thankfully I wore my water shoes and rolled up my pants. My clothes got pretty soaked but after being handed a beer at 11 AM, what else was there to do but sip and enjoy the moment.

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We finished canning two of these big vats of beer in approximately four hours. It was a proud moment.

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The people were so fun, even this really nice man was helping out and keeping the empty cans from falling all over the floor.

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I'm not sure what all of the gadgets were but I instinctively knew they were there to keep all the chemicals balanced and tasty.

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This was a view from the other side of the conveyor belt and where the tubes from the vat poured into the beer cans.

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There were a few guys keeping track of how much beer came out of the tubes and when to start a new vat. Of course they were drinking beer the entire time, I mean why not?

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Next up was the combining of four beers into a four-pack for selling in the local liquor stores.

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After each pallet was finished then it was plastic wrapped and put into a huge refrigerator. Some were left unwrapped because these were the less then satisfactory for sale items. These were the ones we could select to take home if we wanted too.

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Large shelves contained the grains used for different brews, this guy was hauling in a new shipment.

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The four grains primarily used in a gluten free mix are millet, buckwheat, and rice. The taste is unlike anything you have tried and if I could advertise worldwide for this beer I would. For a small fee ...

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This sign changes monthly and a new brew is created to keep the customers happy. My favorite just came back in, so ecstatic was a mild term I was feeling on that day.

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The awards have started to come in for this fairly new brewery and well deserved. A new brewery is being built and I cannot wait to somehow be a part of this new venture.

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This was the take home for the day of volunteer canning and what a special treat this was, per four-pack is typically $20 USD plus, depending on the brew.

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Complimentary lunch was served along with all you can drink beer. How is that for a few hours of one's day spending in helping the community? After that experience IPA Fat Randy's has become one of my all time favorites.

As always I love community engagement, so please leave a comment and I will be sure to reply.

Yours,

Thank you for stopping by to read my blog. I’m a Certified Indian Blood member of the Hopi & Apache Native American tribes, Reiki Master-Teacher, Medicine woman in-training, paralegal, researcher, and writer based in the mountains of Colorado, USA. I work closely with fellow planktons and minnows in a few groups by helping them adjust to Steemit and curate quality content. I’m especially interested in finding others who love natural medicine originating from ancient practices, gold and silver, and energy work. Additionally, I'm the creator of #MedicineCardMonday and #FreedomFriday, so if you are interested in receiving Native American Medicine stop by my blog every Monday to say hello!

A'OO, Eagle Spirit

Disclaimer: Permission by Holidaily was given to take these photos and share their story. If you are ever in this are, take some time to enjoy the best beer I have ever tasted.