Collaborating for a Cause | Grifter And Friends

May 17, 2023 was the day the craft beer world first heard news that Alex Kidd had been diagnosed with Stage IV metastatic colon cancer, which had spread to his liver and lungs. The renowned satirical voice for all things beer – better known as Don’tDrinkBeers – has been sharing his passion for the craft for well over a decade, and this news had a massive impact on so many in the industry. Now, over three years later, Alex is not only continuing his fight, but he continues to be a huge part of this rapidly evolving industry. In October of last year, DDB worked alongside six breweries on a massive charity-focused collaboration spearheaded by Barreled Souls Brewing out of Saco, Maine.

Barreled Souls

This upper Northeastern brewery opened its doors in the Summer of 2014, located in the basement of a law office right along Route 1. Co-owned by Matt Mills and Chris Schofield, the brewery opened in very experienced hands, with nearly 30 years of combined experience in breweries and restaurants.

Barreled Souls operates a 50-gallon brewing system, where every beer undergoes primary fermentation in oak barrels. This process is based on a 19th-century English fermentation method called the Burton Union system. This design is not only meant to encourage healthy yeast propagation, but the oak also introduces tannins, flavors, and aromas to the beers that keep a level of consistency to their “house character”.

This Maine brewery has never made it a goal to scale, but rather to build its identity around variety, experimentation, and unapologetically flavorful beer. While you can find a wide range of styles in their taproom utilizing a variety of often unusual ingredients and techniques, it’s their barrel program that stands at the forefront of their output. The intensely layered complexity that these types of beers produce is the exact sort of product that this brewery wants to define them.

Collaborating for a Cause

With a love for all things high-gravity and barrel-aged comes an inherent love for cooler seasons. As one way to show support, Barreled Souls hosts their annual Oaktoberfest event. A celebration of all things oak-aged, you can always count on a handful of special releases to accompany the festivities. For the 2025 event, Barreled Souls introduced a very special beer, collaborating with Don’tDrinkBeers and five other breweries to create Grifter And Friends.

For the October 11 event the Saco team released 100 1.5L magnums of Grifter, with all of the sales donated to charity. Half went to the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, while the other went to CGC Maine. Each magnum purchase also came with a special poster, sticker, and bag, with a strict limit of one bottle per person. Subsequently, a smaller format release was allocated to Society members.

This release was such a meaningful occasion for both Alex and the charities involved. The team here at PorchDrinking was lucky enough to get connected with Chloë Scott – Bottle Society Manager at Barreled Souls – who was generous enough to actually send one of these magnums to us for review. Not only was this another opportunity to highlight the type of work that Barreled Souls and these charities are doing, but also to showcase the incredible beer this Maine team has been producing for nearly a decade now. We want to extend a huge thank you to Barreled Souls, the Colorectal Cancer Alliance, and CGC Maine for everything you do!

Grifter And Friends

The beer released for this event was just as massive as the occasion itself. For starters, in addition to Barreled Souls and Don’tDrinkBeer, this collaboration included Bissell Brothers, Magnify Brewing, Southern Grist, Garrison City, and Brasserie Du Bas-Canada.

The beer itself is a blended Strong Ale comprised of five different threads from four different base recipes:

35% – Beer: Big Bang (Barleywine)

• Barrel: 6yr Old Fitzgerald Bourbon
• Aged: 11M 23D
• • 25% – Beer: DBA Fire Chicken (Imperial Stout)
• Barrel: Willett Bourbon > WFE Bourbon
• Aged: 21M 17D

25% – Beer: DBA Wisdom (Old Ale)

• Barrel: Henry McKenna Bourbon > Buffalo Trace Bourbon
• Aged: 22M 9D
• • 10% – Beer: Big Bang (Barleywine)
• Barrel: Buffalo Trace Bourbon
• Aged: 11M 8D

5% – Beer: Stay Puft (Base) (Imperial Stout)

• Barrel: Willett Bourbon
• Aged: 10M 29D
• The finished blend rang in at 15.4% ABV. The first magnum batch was bottled on 8/14/2025, and we received bottle #9/100.

The Review

The pour is a deep, completely opaque brown with beige head that rises to about a finger before quickly dissipating into a thin ring around the glass. There’s a nice amount of initial froth, but it settles down fairly quickly.

The nose is malt-forward, opening with stewed raisins and rich, caramelized malt. There’s a pleasant oxidative quality throughout, along with distinct notes of umami and burnt brown sugar. As it warms, subtler notes of pipe tobacco begin to emerge, adding a touch of savory depth to what is otherwise a very malt-driven aromatic profile.

The palate comes in big and immediately expressive, with huge waves of caramelized malt and brown sugar up front. Vanilla and char develop through the mid-palate, followed by lingering notes of toasted brown bread. Dark fruit rides underneath everything, tying the sweeter malt and oxidative characteristics together without ever feeling disjointed. There’s a nice progression from rich sweetness into more savory, roasty, and lightly charred territory as the sip develops.

Medium-bodied with a surprisingly lively level of carbonation. It’s a bit more effervescent than I typically expect from the style, but the added carbonation actually works well here, keeping the sweetness from becoming too heavy or sticky. The finish carries a comfortable warmth without any aggressive alcohol presence. Exceptionally smooth for the ABV, with the sweetness, malt character, and barrel influence coming together in a very cohesive package.

Big Beer, Bigger Purpose

This beer was undoubtedly a special experience, one that we made sure to share with family and friends. But at the end of the day, Grifter And Friends is about so much more than a single beer. It started as a collab between Barreled Souls, five friends of the industry, and Don’tDrinkBeers. But it became an opportunity to turn the craft beer community’s support for Alex into something much bigger.

The organizations supported by this release work tirelessly to provide resources, guidance, and support to individuals and families navigating cancer, coping with serious illness, grieving the loss of a loved one, and facing the many challenges that come with these experiences. While Alex’s story may have been the catalyst for this collaboration and this series, the impact of Grifter And Friends extends well beyond just his fight.

Grifter And Friends is an exceptional beer released by an exceptional brewery, but its lasting value certainly comes from what it represented: a community coming together for one of its own, and using that collective support to help others facing their own fights.