Nearly 40 breweries and establishments have pledged to support Drinking In Another State, a collaboration project to raise money for an emergency health fund to provide access to abortion services to beverage-alcohol industry workers in need but live in states where the practice has been abolished.
The effort – led by Beer Is For Everyone, an advocacy group working to champion diverse voices in the beer industry – launched in the wake of the U.S. Supreme Court’s ruling on Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization in June, which overturned Roe v. Wade and triggered a domino effect that could limit access to abortion and other reproductive care procedures in nearly two dozen states.
“The nightmare scenario of Roe v. Wade unraveling has become very real. In response, Beer is for Everyone (BIFE) feels compelled to act,” the group wrote on its website. “BIFE recognizes that this is not a women’s rights issue but a human rights issue and we, as an organization, unequivocally support every individual’s right to bodily autonomy.”
Drinking in Another State draws its name from a meme that went viral in the days after the Dobbs ruling. It harkened to pre-Roe times when mutual aid networks helped women seeking abortions travel between states to access care. The meme featured a frothy, overflowing beer mug with the following copy:
“If you are a person who suddenly finds yourself with a need to go drinking in another state, a state friendly towards drinking, just know that I will happily drive you, support you and not talk about the drinking trip to anyone ever.”
Unlike past open-source collaboration beers – such as Resilience IPA, Black Is Beautiful and Brave Noise – Drinking In Another State does not include a shared beer recipe. Rather, participating breweries are invited to brew a beer of their choosing and donate proceeds to the BIFE Emergency Health Fund.
“We wanted to give people the freedom to participate in whatever way was best for their establishment,” BIFE founder and editor Lindsay Malu Kido told Brewbound.
The Emergency Health Fund will provide financial assistance to anyone who needs to travel to another state to seek abortion care, as well as money to seek mental healthcare.
“Additionally, in acknowledgment of the fact that the attack on bodily autonomy has widespread effects, the fund will also provide assistance with mental health services that may provide vital support during this fraught time,” BIFE wrote.
Because access to abortion in many states cannot be guaranteed until a future ruling overturns Dobbs or legislation passes to protect it federally, Kido realizes BIFE’s fund is in it for the long haul. Drinking in Another State is poised as an ongoing support effort to ensure funds are always available, until they’re no longer needed.
“We are not necessarily hoping to raise a specific amount – more that we are trying to consistently keep the fund maintained,” Kido wrote. “Since the need for this fund will change based on what is happening in our political climate, we have to be ready for periods of greater need.
“As more states enact laws restricting reproductive care, like most recently Indiana, there will be a larger influx of applications,” she continued. “We are hoping to be able to provide, at least, partial assistance to anyone who applies but that is directly dependent on the status of the funds.”
Missouri – Crane Brewing’s home state – has banned abortion with no exceptions for rape or incest, making the choice to join Drinking in Another State “not difficult at all,” co-founder and co-founder Chris Meyers told Brewbound.
“We fully believe in everyone’s reproductive rights and wanted to be there to support those in our industry,” Meyers said.
Raytown-based Crane selected a hazy IPA brewed with Sabro, Galaxy and Mosaic hops as its Drinking in Another State recipe and released its first batch on July 15. By late August, the beer had garnered $1,200 in donations and Crane announced its return on August 30.
In a state where the procedure was under legislative attack even before Roe was overturned, not all of Crane’s clientele agreed with the brewery’s fundraising to support abortion access, despite that Crane has “never been quiet regarding our beliefs on social and human rights issues,” Meyers said.
“We want everyone to know where we stand,” he continued. “We did lose some customers and even had to ban some over this, but part of creating a safe space is making sure patrons know what will and won’t be tolerated.”
In New York, where abortion remains legal until fetal viability, the team at Brooklyn-based Greenpoint Beer & Ale felt compelled to join BIFE’s collaboration as a way to channel the emotions that followed the Dobbs decision, head brewer Mike Nika told Brewbound.
“When Roe v. Wade was first overturned, we felt angry and powerless, as did countless others,” he said. “When we saw that Beer is for Everyone was working on a collaboration beer to support access to healthcare, we were excited to participate. It may be a small step, but we are grateful to be able to try and do something proactive in the face of feeling helpless.”
Like Crane, Greenpoint also opted to brew an IPA: a double dry-hopped New England IPA with Citra, Motueka and Mosaic Lupomax hops that check in at 7.2% ABV. Greenpoint released it on July 23 and has yet to sell out, as of press time. Similar to Greenpoint’s other IPA releases, Nika expects it to be a one-off, but said the brewery would gladly participate in Drinking in Another State again.
The project’s potential to upset anti-abortion customers was “definitely a concern,” but Greenpoint forged ahead regardless, Nika said.
“We have taken stances on divisive political/societal issues in the past,” he said. “Being based in NYC, we believe that the majority of our customers would support this cause. Regardless, we think the cause is just. No one has to buy our beer if they don’t want to.”
Knowing that publicly making stances on abortion could open a participating brewery up to abuse from abortion opponents, BIFE’s website urges potential collaborators to “evaluate [their] participation very carefully.”
“We foresee possible pushback from socio-political groups and individuals who wish to see the abolishment of protection for people’s bodily autonomy,” BIFE wrote. “Therefore, we encourage everyone to gauge the most appropriate approach while still engaging in this project.”
BIFE has also provided alternative paths to participation that are less visible than brewing and promoting a batch of Drinking in Another State, including:
- “Commit to donating a percentage of your brewery’s sales on a dedicated date;
- Commit to donating a percentage of your brewery’s sales on a recurring basis (ex. first Friday of every month);
- Do a weekend/night of $1/pour/proceeds donation. You could make it monthly;
- Peer-to-peer fundraising (figure out how to separate from general donation via Meta);
- Print off a QR code and hang it up around your brewery/add to menus.”
Other participating breweries include Equity Brewing Company (Norman, Oklahoma), Fishweir Brewing (Jacksonville, Florida), Anthem Brewing (Oklahoma City, Oklahoma) and Czig Meister Brewing (Hackettstown, New Jersey).