by Mark Smiley | Jun 25, 2021 | Main Articles
100% American Made Beer Hits The Shelves
by Mark Smiley
Co-Founders: Scott Eastwood, left, and Dane Chapin co-founded Made Here, a line of beers that are 100% made in the USA.
Just in time for the Independence Day holiday and backyard barbecues, a completely American made line of beers has hit the shelves in liquor stores across the state. Made Here Beer has partnered with Legacy Brewing to form Good Times Made Here which brews, distributes, and markets Made Here Beer.
Made Here Beer officially rolled out April 1, 2021, with three beers. “It’s been a total collaboration between the two of us [Legacy Brewing and Made Here], said co-founder Dane Chapin. “We wanted stuff down the middle. We wanted a pure, great drinking lager, a solid ale, and an IPA that is a little more accessible. Something to tailgate with.”
The suite of Made Here products includes American Lager, American Ale, and American IPA — each made with 100% U.S. ingredients and created entirely stateside. The brand is enthused to celebrate and honor America at its best by partnering exclusively with American suppliers in every aspect of the brewing, canning, promotion, and selling process.
A little-known fact, in the United States nearly 90 percent of all beer consumed domestically is foreign-owned, leaving a void in the marketplace to deliver an American-branded beer that is truly American-owned and can lay claim to using exclusively American-sourced raw materials.
“What we discovered is that almost 90% of beer consumed in the U.S. is owned by foreign entities,” said Chapin. “Our goal is to build up the American worker and to celebrate America at its best. We want to showcase the fact that American manufacturing is not dead, it’s alive and well, and we do a lot of great things.”
100% American: The suite of Made Here products includes American Lager, American Ale, and American IPA.
Adding star power to this venture is the ownership and involvement of actor Scott Eastwood. Eastwood is a co-founder and equity partner in Made Here Brand. Eastwood was brought in by Chapin to be part of this venture. “Dane is relentless,” said Eastwood. “He came to me with this idea on something that was all American and celebrates the American worker. Once he decides to do something, he hits the ground running. We got the beer to market in less than six months. It’s a perfect fit. We all like beer, great times, getting together with friends, and sharing experiences and the rest is history.”
Sticking true to this moral, Made Here Beer enlisted the help of American suppliers, Country Malt and Yakima Chief Hops, to maintain the high quality, domestically-sourced needs for each beer. Each and every Made Here touchpoint — from pint glasses, coasters, merchandise, and swag, is also 100% American-made.
“How can we be more clever in marketing and find holes in the market? When your values are really clear, it actually makes our decisions very easy. You can’t just use the cheaper option, but rather use the right thing,”said Eastwood.
“It’s like solving a riddle or a puzzle every day,” said Chapin. “How are we going to get this out there? How are we going to make a better beer?”
The beer is exclusively distributed by Elite Brands in Denver and High-Country Beverage in Grand Junction. Find it at your local grocery and liquors stores, or visit madehere.beer.
by Mark Smiley | Jun 2, 2021 | Travel
Here We Are Stuck In The Middle
by Danny Foster and Bob Graham
Imagine, if you will, living in a time when you cannot express your political opinions, or any opinion for that matter, without being attacked, canceled, or dismissed. Imagine a time when loud demagogues control the Democratic Party and the Republican Party, and if you don’t walk in lockstep with the “leaders” of the Party, then you will be marginalized and called a racist or a socialist or an insurrectionist. Well imagine it no longer, this is America 2021, and pragmatism and thoughtful dialogue have left the building. We are all reaping what we have sowed by allowing the loudest voices to control our public discourse and policy. As much as we would like to blame the screeching voices on the Left, or the tin-foil hats on the Right, it is us, the majority of adults in this country, who are to blame. We are guilty of not standing up to the demagogues in the Democratic and Republican parties.
Danny Foster
The demagogues on the Left are no different than the demagogues on the Right. Sure, they have different political ideas, but their tactics are essentially the same. Viciously attack those whose opinions are different and embrace tribalism in its most visceral form. Nothing says “anti-fascist” like throwing bricks at your political opponents. There is great danger in assuming one’s side of an argument is free from fallibility or not otherwise open to question. We can only learn from each other if we are able to exchange ideas openly — without being shouted down by those with whom we disagree (after all we were both politically polarized, but through thoughtful discussion we have brought each other to the Center). When Rep. Ilan Omar and the rest of the Squad have become the loudest voices in the Democratic Party, and Reps. Lauren Boebert and Marjorie Taylor-Greene have become the loudest voices in the Republican Party, it leaves a wide gulf of unrepresented opinions in the middle. And on behalf of the Silenced Majority, let us just say that both Parties are collectively bumming out a large percentage of this country and we must stop being silent.
Common sense and maturity have long since abandoned the Parties and created a seemingly binary world. But it doesn’t have to be that way. A recent Gallup poll indicated that 40% of Americans consider themselves politically independent, the highest percentage ever recorded, while those holding themselves out as Democrats or Republicans has dramatically dropped in the past few years. That is because the majority of Americans are fed up with the extreme positions and tribalism sweeping our city councils, state legislatures, and the U.S. Congress. But unless the political mod-erates on both sides start exerting more political muscle and shutting down the polarizing rhetoric, the extremists will win. And we cannot let that happen.
We must refuse to let the fringes of these parties control our political dialogue. We should not be cowed into silence because we believe we will be attacked. If you are a Democrat, you shouldn’t be scared to say that you respect the police and that the De-fund the Police Movement is a terrible idea. Supporting our police doesn’t make you a bad Democrat, it makes you a grown-up. If you are a Republican, you shouldn’t be scared to say you are in favor of reasonable gun restrictions. That doesn’t make you a bad Republican, it makes you a good citizen. After all, 62% of all Americans favor a ban on semi-automatic weapons.
Bob Graham
What can you do? Don’t be afraid to state your opinion, even if your opinion is not the politically expedient one, and listen respectfully to those with whom you disagree. For example, when we see a tent city pop up in our neighborhood, we must treat the occupants of that tent city compassionately, but we also must strongly advocate for its immediate removal. And we shouldn’t feel guilty about saying this because tent cities are inhumane, dangerous, and the quickest way to decimate property values. Denver doesn’t want to be another San Francisco, Seattle, or Portland. Sure there are several local politicians on the Denver City Council who embrace homeless encampments to score political points, but at what cost? Don’t forget that over 80% of the voters in Denver voted to maintain the camping ban, not end it. So why are we all afraid to say it? Because so many are scared to be labeled insensitive, or even racist. If simply defending reasonable positions marks you as a bigot, then civic discourse becomes impossible and there is no way to compromise. You are entitled to your opinion and the Silenced Majority supports you.
We have enormous respect for Republican Congresswoman Liz Cheney and Democratic Senator Joe Manchin who have demonstrated true profiles in courage. Rep. Cheney had the guts to call out Donald Trump’s lie about the election being stolen even though it would have been much easier for her to toe the Republican line and Sen. Manchin has the guts to oppose extreme positions in the Democratic Party which has put him at odds with the Progressive wing of his Party.
Disagreements become insults when politics becomes a statement about who you are as a person. The children have been driving the bus long enough and they are steering us into on-coming traffic. It is time for the Silenced Majority to say Enough is Enough and take the wheel. (We’re sorry if this editorial “triggered” you, grow up.)
Danny Foster and Bob Graham have been law partners in Denver since 2000; danny@fostergraham.com, bob@fostergraham.com.
