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I attended a charity event to raise funds for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society for cancer research tonight. The event, hosted at Boston Beer Works on Canal Street in downtown Boston, was a beer sampling of Beer Works’ custom brews. The night started with a cocktail hour and a compelling speech from a Leukemia survivor who opened with the joke, “beer cures Leukemia.”

Well, maybe not “cures,” but a beer night is a nice way to raise money and awareness and funds for an important cause. And small donations by each guest work together towards the greater good. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is the main charity that I support, in part because its mission includes outreach to people diagnosed with leukemia and lymphoma to provide current information and a support network, as well as funding for drug research.

The beers of the night were served light to dark. The first set of 8 ounce samples were the Haymarket Hefe-weizen and Kenmöre Kölsch. Boston Beer Works names all of its custom brews for local areas in the metro region. The Hefe-weizen was heavy on a clover flavor, which immediately made me think I was drinking MSG. The taste was nothing compared to the smell though, which was the brilliant aroma of tire rubber. Fortunately for as bad as that was, the tangy Kölsch made up for it. The flavor was smooth and pleasant and the beer actually got better as I got to the bottom of the glass.

After a refresher of oyster crackers, we went on to round 2. The fruit ales were paired together, the Bunker Hill Blueberry Ale and the Watermelon Ale. Golden beers garnished with actual fruit (blueberries and watermelon as you would expect) the two were touted as the best selling beer (1 in 4 beers served) and the best selling summer beer (1 in 4 beers served in the summer). The blueberry was initially enjoyable but the fragrance was too little beer and too much nail polish. I ate a blueberry, apparently expecting it to go down like boba. It did not. The Watermelon Ale was smooth and tasty but the lipstick smell was a turn off.

Getting to the portion of the night I knew I was going to enjoy, we were served the Fenway American Pale Ale and the Victory Red, a copper- and ruby-colored ale respectively. I have had both before. The spice note on both was quite sharp, but not in a bad way, and no off-putting smells from either glass.

We ended the night with a lager and a deep brown stout. By now, I was deep in my cups (6 of them if you’re keeping track) but in the spirit of the night, I downed the dark and dirty 9 Alarm Amber Lager which I was also familiar with. By far the favorite of the night for me with its toffee, caramel flavors. The last of the night, Curley’s Irish Stout put (more) hair on my chest. It was served with a thick head and we were told there were notes of coffee (or maybe he was comparing the body to the thickness of coffee) and it was a wicked thick brew. Both were highly enjoyable, though I probably would have enjoyed them more if I hadn’t just had dropped six other beers before them.

The night ended on a bittersweet note because as enjoyable as it was, it also served as a purposeful reminder of great tragedy that cancer brings to so many lives. The Leukemia and Lymphoma Society is a great organization to support if you are looking for a cause. No, beer will not cure cancer, but at least for one night, it may have helped.

You can support the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society through this link.

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