Rare beer auction proceeds benefit veterans’ organization

By Jay McKinney

When it comes to beer, the faintly printed shelf life stamped on the bottle is usually within the year. However, some beers can age like wine and Britain’s Thomas Hardy barleywine is surely one of them. On Sept. 17, one lucky buyer can take home a vertical of Thomas Hardy barleywine at the Verticals for Vets charity auction at Launch Pad Brewery.

In a typical vertical tasting, one beverage (typically wine) is compared throughout the years with different vintages. Regardless of whether it’s wine, whiskey or a fine barleywine, vertical tastings often shed light on the unique character of regions and the conditions that influence flavor. The Thomas Hardy collection that is up for grabs at Verticals for Vets spans from 1986-1997 and with some of the bottles having aged more than 30 years, the influence of age will be noticeable.

The event is hosted by the Aurora City Brew Club (AC/BC) thanks to one of its members, Marc Wethington, stumbling upon the collection through an estate sale. When Wethington won some homebrewing equipment through an estate sale auction, he went to pick it up and was greeted by the owner, Mike Kunetka, a retiree who was moving to Arizona. He was pleased to meet with a fellow beer enthusiast and talked with Wethington about brewing. As the conversation progressed, he asked if he knew of Thomas Hardy and then proceeded to show him his collection stored in a basement bookcase.

Kunetka began collecting the bottles as an investment to help pay for his kids’ college education, but his kids didn’t go to college and he never sold them. With the looming move out of state just a week away, Kunetka was still interested in finding the collection a new home and ended up contacting Charlie Papazian, founder of the American Homebrewers Association.

Shortly after contacting Papazian, Wethington also reached out to inquire about a charity auction for the collection that could be hosted by AC/BC. He liked the auction idea and agreed to give half of the collection to Papazian and half to the Verticals for Vets auction.

The proceeds from the event will go to the Veterans Community Project (VCP). The non-profit organization was founded in 2016 by a group of combat veterans. Their mission is to help those who served by building tiny home communities for homeless veterans, and also to provide on-site services. VCP is currently constructing a community in Longmont.

“As a club, we reached out to many different local veterans’ charities,” says AC/BC member Ray Schultz. “Of those that responded, we felt that VCP fit with what the original donor wanted to do with the proceeds. Realistically, I think we can get $1000 for it (vertical). Our total goal for the entire auction is to get something north of $5000.”

While the Thomas Hardy may be the big ticket item, the auction will also feature products from numerous other breweries that buyers can compete for. Burns Family Artisan Ales, Comrade Brewing, Grimm Brothers Brewhouse, and Upslope Brewing Company are some of the breweries who have donated items. Other items include a Grainfather G70 electric homebrewing system, as well as donations from Breckenridge Distillery and Branch and Barrel Distilling. Click here to see the full list of items.