Big Grove Launches First-of-Its-Kind Neighborhood Micro-Grant Program

"With Neighborhood Beer, we're putting our money where our beer is."

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IOWA CITY, Iowa, March 4, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Recognizing that sometimes smaller neighborhood projects make the biggest impact, today Big Grove Brewery launches The Neighborhood Beer and with it, a new micro-grant initiative created to support local projects that enhance and revitalize neighborhoods while also just doing good for those that live within them. This unique program, the first of its kind in the beer industry, offers direct funding to individuals and organizations, through the Big Grove for Good Foundation, for small-scale, high-impact community projects.

"Big Grove has always been about strengthening the neighborhoods where we operate," said Matt Swift, co-founder and CEO of Big Grove. "We intentionally build where we can contribute to revitalization efforts. Now, we're taking that commitment further—using our beer sales to directly fund neighborhood improvement projects led by the people who live there."

Big Grove For Good Foundation

To manage this innovative program, Big Grove has established the Big Grove For Good Foundation, a private 501(c)(3) foundation, responsible for the setup and operation of the program through reviewing applications, selecting recipients, and distributing the funds. The foundation operates separately from the brewery, ensuring transparency and focus on community impact. Doug Goettsch, Big Grove co-founder, will chair the foundation's board of directors. To kickstart the initiative, Big Grove is contributing $20,000 in seed money to start issuing micro-grants at the brand's launch. The foundation will also oversee Big Grove's other community-focused initiatives including in-kind donation requests, sponsorships, and grants to various nonprofit organizations.

The Neighborhood BeerBeer That Gives Back

Funding for the micro-grants comes directly from sales of The Neighborhood Beer, a new lager now available at all Big Grove taprooms and available at retail locations in Iowa, Nebraska, and Western Illinois starting March 10th. For every case sold, $1 goes directly to Big Grove For Good to fund the micro-grants and neighborhood betterment within Big Grove's distribution and taproom footprint.

"Adding a lager to our portfolio was always something we were looking to do, but we knew there had to be a differentiator in how we approached the market. What separates Big Grove is the good we do in the communities we are in, and that's where the idea for the micro-grants came from. We hope these micro-grants inspire individuals and organizations to take action in their neighborhoods," said Goettsch. "We're putting our money where our beer is and helping people create change—one person, one project at a time."

Building Stronger Communities, One Grant at a Time

Big Grove is committed to raising awareness for The Neighborhood Beer and its impact. Customers will see in-store promotions, QR codes linking to the micro-grant application, and advertising and social media campaigns showcasing funded projects.  While the first packaging showcases the Solon, Iowa community, upcoming packaging will begin to spotlight some of the micro-grants and individuals supported.  "The more we tell these stories, the more real it will be for everyone in our communities to know these micro-grants are available to them.  We want to give people a reason to believe," said Goettsch. 

Big Grove For Good Micro-Grants

  • Grant Amounts: $250–$1,000
  • Who Can Apply: Individuals and organizations in Iowa, Illinois, and Nebraska (with other Midwest states being added in 2025)
  • Eligible Projects: Initiatives that improve neighborhoods or better the lives of you and your neighbors, such as improving basketball courts, building lending libraries, planting trees, even purchasing a mixer to make baked goods for community events, and more.
  • How to Apply: Online at BigGroveForGood.com or via QR code on any Neighborhood Beer package.
  • Funding Process: Grants are awarded on a rolling basis. "The more beer we sell, the more we give back."

About Big Grove Brewery

Big Grove Brewery is among Iowa's top beer producers and is a Top 100 craft brewery nationally. In 2013, the brewery started as a 3.5-barrel brewhouse in Solon, Iowa, and focused on freshly made craft beer and elevated pub cuisine. The brewery opened an 8,000-square-foot production facility four years later, anchoring the Iowa City Riverfront Crossings redevelopment project with additional concepts opening in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids in 2022 and 2023 respectively. Big Grove has received multiple craft brewing medals, including a Great American Beer Festival (GABF) gold medal for Easy Eddy, its flagship Hazy IPA, as well as medals for Citrus Surfer Fruited Wheat, and a GABF silver medal for Festbier, a Bavarian-style Märzen.

Site: biggrove.com

About Big Grove For Good Foundation

The Big Grove For Good Foundation is a private 501(c)(3) organization committed to strengthening communities in regions where Big Grove operates and has a presence. The foundation manages The Neighborhood Beer program, which provides micro-grants to individuals and organizations working to improve their neighborhoods. The foundation also administers sponsorship and in-kind donation requests, their Beers for a Cause program, plus "Good Giving" grants to support nonprofit organizations in Big Grove's three core categories: Trees, Trails & WaterEquity & Equality; and Our Backyard. While inspired and founded by the values of Big Grove Brewery, the Big Grove For Good Foundation operates independently, ensuring a dedicated commitment to community impact.

Site: biggroveforgood.com



Untappd Reveals the 2nd Annual Untappd Community Awards, Celebrating the World's Top-Rated Beers

Recognizing the Untappd Community's top-rated beers of 2024, featuring over 25,000 award-winning beers from 7,000+ breweries across 50 countries.

CHARLOTTE, N.C., March 5, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- After a wildly successful debut, the Untappd Community Awards return for a second year. Last year, Untappd, the app connecting brewers, retailers, and beer enthusiasts globally, celebrated the best in beer, recognizing 25,302 beers from nearly 7,500 breweries in 50 U.S. states, Washington, D.C., and 50 countries worldwide. Powered by ratings from nearly 11 million beer lovers on the world's largest search, discovery, and ratings platform for craft beer enthusiasts, the inaugural awards shined a spotlight on the world's most beloved beer across 268 beer substyles.

Building on that momentum, the Untappd Community Awards, presented by Ollie brewery management software, doubles down on its mission to celebrate the craft beer community, honoring 25,462 of the world's top-rated beers from 7,033 breweries across the globe.

In the United States, 3,444 breweries brewed a beer winning an Untappd Community Award in at least one style at the national or state level. The 10 U.S. breweries that produced the highest number of award-winning brews at a state or national level include Tree House Brewing Company (Charlton, MA), Sapwood Cellars Brewery (Columbia, MD), Hill Farmstead Brewery (Greensboro, VT), Schilling Beer Co (Littleton, NH), Dogfish Head Craft Brewery (Milton, DE), Anchorage Brewing Company (Anchorage, AK), Boiler Brewing Co (Lincoln, NE), Side Project Brewing (Saint Louis, MO), Fox Farm Brewery (Salem, CT), and Fabled Brew Works (Erlanger, KY).

To qualify, beers had to receive a minimum of 50 ratings from unique Untappd users in 2024. Award winners were selected for substyles in all geographies in which at least three products in the substyle qualified with 50 unique ratings.

The highest-rated beer in the United States in 2024 was Kentucky Brunch Brand Stout (2024), an imperial/double stout from Toppling Goliath Brewing Co. in Decorah, IA. Rounding out the top five were Double Barrel Coconut Killa AF from Lincoln, NE's Boiler Brewing Co.Double Barrel Pear Leto (Copper Wax) and Double Barrel Pear Leto from Mortalis Brewing Company in Avon, NY, and Seven Years in Heaven from Pulpit Rock Brewing Company in Decorah, IL. The entire list includes beers from up-and-coming breweries alongside some of the most recognized in the country.

"For 30 years, our mission at Allagash has been to create new and exciting beer experiences for people. We're incredibly grateful to the Untappd community for recognizing our dedication to hard work, innovation, and quality," said Rob Tod, founder at Allagash, which nabbed twenty total Untappd Community Awards this year, including a gold for its iconic flagship witbier. "Allagash White has been our pride and joy since the very beginning, and it's truly humbling to see how deeply it still resonates. Heartfelt congratulations to all the other winners who make this community so exceptional."

Outside of the United States, Pühaste Brewery in Tartu, Estonia, was the top award winner for the second year in a row, with 55 beers placing in the top three within the country. The order of the remaining top 10 international brewers in terms of total beer award count was Mikkeller (Copenhagen, Denmark), Salikatt (Stavanger, Norway), Põhjala (Tallinn, Estonia), Omnipollo (Sundbyberg, Sweden), Polly's Brew Co. (Mold, Wales), Brew Your Mind (Szekszárd, Hungary), WarPigs Brewpub (Copenhagen, Denmark), Alder Beer Co. (Seregno, Italy), and Garage Project (Wellington, New Zealand).

For the second consecutive year, The Netherlands was the most-awarded country outside North America. Leading the charge, Jopen secured its place among the top breweries, with the second-most awarded beers in Holland.

"Since the start of Jopen, 30 years ago, we have found that brewing beers in a different way, instead of copy-pasting popular beers, should be the characteristic of our brewery," said Michel Ordeman, founder and head brewer of Jopen in the Netherlands, which earned nearly 20 accolades, including a gold for the country's top-ranked Red Ale. "We are proud and humbled that so many beer lovers have rewarded our beers with high ratings. We thank Untappd for creating this platform where beer lovers can unite and share their thoughts over the beautiful product that beer is. We want to congratulate all other winners and encourage them to maintain quality and diversity in flavors."

The highest-rated beverages in top Untappd geographies outside of the United States included Bere Noah's ECSTASY (Romania), Deciduous (Double Barrel Grand Reserve) from Counterpart Brewing (Canada), Track Brewing Company's Lunar II (England), Deciduous (Double Barrel Grand Reserve) (Vanilla) from Counterpart Brewing (Canada), Spartacus Brewing's I (One) (Brazil), Chritje60 from Kraom Beer (Netherlands), Coniferous (Willett) from Counterpart Brewing (Canada), Monkey Brew's Beelzebub (Norway), and TIMES 8 Bourbon Barrel Aged from LERVIG (Norway).

Please visit the Untappd Community Awards to search for award winners across all geographies and beer substyles, access the awards press kit, learn more about the awards criteria, and for additional information, including FAQs.

About Untappd

Available for free in the App Store and on Google Play, Untappd is the leading app for beer and breweries, with over 11 million users globally. The Untappd app allows users to search and discover beers, breweries, and retail establishments with great beer selections. Untappd's Untappd for Business product helps bars, restaurants, breweries, and other retailers manage and promote beer, wine, spirits, and food menus in nearly 80 countries. Untappd has been recognized by TIME, The New York Times, and the Washington Post as a top Food & Beverage app.





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