THE BEER NUT: Local breweries stir up Ales for ALS beer

Wormtown Brewery of Worcester, Medusa Brewing Company of Hudson and Idle Hands Craft Ales are all participating in this year's Ales for ALS program, and one Framingham brewery is hosting a party for its second anniversary.

There is no cure for Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ALS is a fatal, progressive neurological disease that attacks the body, robbing people of their ability to control and use their muscles.

Several local breweries are trying to raise money to help research a cure for ALS, often called Lou Gehrig’s Disease, by brewing beer for the Ales for ALS campaign.

The national campaign provides a special hop blend to breweries. In exchange, the participating breweries will each brew a beer with that hop blend and donate at least $1 for each pint of the beer that is sold.

On Saturday, Wormtown Brewery in Worcester will host an Ales for ALS party as they release their newest version of the beer. Cans and draft of the IPA will be available.

The party will be at the 72 Shrewsbury St. brewery from 2 to 8 p.m. There will be the Ice Bucket Challenge where attendees will get a chance to vote to decide which three employees get a bucket of ice cold water dumped on them. There will also be raffle tickets for sale for several prizes.

The goal is to raise at least $3,500 on Saturday for the program, which donates the money to the ALS Therapy Development Institute.

Also participating in the brewing is Medusa Brewing Company in Hudson. Their Ales for ALS IPA is currently available. Medusa has announced they will donate $2 for every 13- or 16-ounce beer that is poured in their Main Street taproom, $1 for every 5-ounce sample served and $1 per can sold.

They describe the new IPA as “lush and tropical ... brewed with soursop fruit and tangerine juice to complement a fruity, citrusy blend of hops.”

Idle Hands Craft Ales of Malden has also brewed a beer for Ales for ALS called Change up 13. It is available at their 89 Commericial St. brewery.

Idle Hands will donate $1 for every Change Up 13 poured at the brewery and $1.50 for every can they sell.

Other Massachusetts breweries that have, or will, release Ales for ALS beers in 2018 are Aernaught Brewing Company of Somerville, Boston Beer Company (Sam Adams) of Jamaica Plain, Cambridge Brewing Company, Democracy Brewing Company of Boston, Harpoon Brewery of Boston, Iron Duke Brewing Company of Ludlow, Notch Brewing of Salem and True North Ale Company of Ipswich.

Suds and sausages

In other beery news, Exhibit ‘A’ Brewing Company of Framingham is turning 2 years old and will be hosting a party to celebrate.

The party will be held at the 81 Morton St. brewery from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday, Aug. 25.

Entry is free, but VIP tickets will allow people to get in an hour early. They'll also get a four-pack of the new Anniversary IPA, an anniversary poster and other swag.

Food will be available to purchase from Spoko Polish Street Food from noon to 5 p.m. and Brato Brewhouse + Kitchen from 5 to 10 p.m. Folks can vote for their favorite sausage in a “No-holds barred sausage throwdown” between the two food trucks.

Several bands will perform, including Heirloom Seeds, Dub Apocalypse and the Macrotones. DJ J-Wall will also be on hand.

VIP tickets are $35 each and are available at https://www.facebook.com/events/1332609500174734/.

Norman Miller is a Daily News staff writer. Email him at nmiller@wickedlocal.com or call 508-626-3823. Check out the Beer Nut blog at http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/section/blogs01?taxid=646&start=2. Follow him on Twitter and Instagram @RealBeerNut and on Facebook at facebook.com/NormanMillerBeerNut.