The 2012 Great American Beer Festival was a milestone for us. Our flagship Pluff Mud Porter brought home the Gold in the Brown Porter category, leaving us shocked, thrilled, and humbled. Throngs of brewers were in attendance, including a few of our friends from closer-to-home, like Charlotte, NC’s NoDa Brewing.

After accepting the medal for Pluff Mud, the next category was Robust Porter, and they ended up landing the Silver (the highest award for the category that year) for their Coco Loco porter, made with toasted coconut. Here was little old us, leaving the stage with a medal, passing little old them on the way to accept theirs.

For one of our Brewvival 2014 beers, we wanted to collaborate with NoDa and honor that most excellent moment. Shades of Grace is a blend of the “imperial” version of each of our winning porters – for us, that means Graveyard Shiftee, and for them, that means Imperial Coco Loco. While you’re sipping this 10% beauty, think about the little moments that make life special.

(single tear)