6 Drink Kickstarters You Should Know About Slideshow
Consider this a feel-good Kickstarter for all of you beer lovers: beer historian Lance Rice is looking to kick-start a brewery tour across the U.S. to complete a history book on American breweries. The book, Lance's Brewery Tour, is particularly special because Rice is autistic and has overcome tremendous obstacles to get where he is today. The Kickstarter funds will go to travel costs for the tour for Rice and his team of filmmakers, who will also be making a documentary about Rice's journey. This is one book, and film, we definitely want to see. While the Kickstarter is less than $1,000 from its original $15,000 goal, the team is hoping to raise another $10,000 to really make Rice's dream come true.
Napa Valley Bitters Company
From wine country to bitters territory, Napa Valley Bitters Company is hoping to launch with some great new flavors: tamarind lime chile, strawberry rhubarb, Meyer lemon sage, and coffee pecan bitters, among others. To get started, the company needs just less than $2,000 to get fresh, local ingredients and to make the bitters.
Pecaño Texas Liqueur
A liqueur made out of pecans? Only in Austin, Texas. Jeff Schmulen, the distiller, makes the Pecaño liqueur with a mixture of spirits, spices, and sugar to create an aromatic and flavorful liqueur that's almost like an Italian liqueur, nocino (made from walnuts). Mixed up with your favorite bourbon or gin, you've got one unique cocktail on hand. Funding will help Schmulen find a production facility and buy more equipment (like bottles), so give away — he's about $15,000 shy of making his liqueur available for thirsty Texans.
Pollock's Kefir Pop
If you like kombucha, you'll love this: Paul David's kefir pop is a probiotic, vitamin-filled, low-calorie soda made from kefir grains, and just about the healthiest soda you'll ever find. Right now, you can find Pollock's Kefir Pop in Brooklyn, N.Y. and Pennsylvania, but David is hoping that new funds will allow him to open "pop stands" in your local markets, co-ops, and cafés. And in a ginger-pineapple flavor (with grapefruit, cranberry, pear, and coconut flavors to come), this is one drink we hope to see around the country. David more than doubled his fundraising goal of $1,200, so keep on giving if you want Pollock's Kefir Pop near you.
ChillBottles
If you love whiskey rocks, you'll love ChillBottles. Like whiskey rocks, these teeny bottle-shaped rocks are made of stainless steel and will come in the shape of champagne bottles, soda bottles, and even coffee cups. Fortunately, Adam Lindsay doubled his fundraising goal of $2,3000, so expect to see these ChillBottles out in August.
Drop Catch
What's the most annoying thing about opening a bottle of beer from a mounted beer opener? Catching the bottle cap. Well, the Drop Catch beer opener does just that — catches your bottle cap before it hits the ground. Its powerful magnetic catch means you'll never have to scramble on the ground looking for beer caps the morning after a party. The Drop Catch Junior can hold up to 15 beer caps, and the Drop Catch Senior can hold up to 52 caps (you know, for all of your ragers); plus, its sleek hardwood design prevents it from being an awkward wall-hanging. Drop Catch is about $2,000 from its goal of $10,000.