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Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. just cracked open another round of good times for America’s national parks!

Building on last year’s hugely popular partnership, Sierra Nevada is teaming up again with the National Park Foundation (NPF) to help protect and celebrate the epic landscapes that inspire every sip of their legendary Pale Ale. This year, they’re going bigger and bolder: the stunning national park artwork is moving from just the cartons onto the bottles and cans too.
From April through July 2026, you can grab limited-edition Sierra Nevada Pale Ale featuring jaw-dropping vistas from six iconic parks: Great Smoky Mountains, Yellowstone
Yosemite,  Joshua Tree, Shenandoah, and Zion!

That classic Pale Ale mountain scene is taking a well-deserved vacation while these fresh, full-color illustrations take center stage. Every six-pack you pick up is basically a love letter to the outdoors — and a reminder to help protect it.

“Our Pale Ale has always been about adventure and the outdoors,” said Mandi McKay, Chief Sustainability and Social Impact Officer at Sierra Nevada. “These parks shaped the spirit of our beer, so it feels damn good to give back and help keep them awesome for everyone.”

A portion of proceeds from the special packaging will support the National Park Foundation’s work protecting America’s most treasured public lands and getting more people outside to enjoy them.

Goodies for the trail (or the couch):
Starting April 15, head to sierranevada.com to snag exclusive Sierra Nevada x National Park Foundation merch — think limited-edition hoodies, tees, hats, coolers, and cozy picnic blankets perfect for your next adventure.

Win a National Park getaway!
Want to trade your couch for a real-life epic trip? Enter the Sierra Nevada Pale Ale Parks Sweepstakes for a chance to win travel, lodging, and a VIP AutoCamp experience at the national park location of your choice. Sweepstakes are already open — enter now at: https://sierranevadabeer.secondstreetapp.com/2026SNBPaleParksSweepstakes/

Crack open a Pale Ale, soak in the new park art, and feel good knowing you’re helping keep America’s wild places wild.
Learn more and get all the details at: www.sierranevada.com/national-parks

More about Sierra Nevada Brewing:
Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. was founded in 1980 by Ken Grossman in Chico, California. What began as a homebrewing passion in a garage—using scrap dairy equipment for the first brewhouse—quickly grew into one of America’s most iconic and independent craft breweries. Still 100% family-owned and operated today, Sierra Nevada helped spark the craft beer revolution with its bold, hop-forward approach at a time when most American beer was light and bland. With breweries now on both coasts in Chico, CA and Mills River, NC, the company remains committed to quality ingredients, sustainability, and innovation while staying true to its adventurous roots inspired by the Sierra Nevada mountains.

Sierra Nevada is best known for its flagship Pale Ale, a classic American-style pale ale celebrated for its perfect balance of caramel malt sweetness and bright, grapefruit-like Cascade hop aroma and flavor. The brewery’s lineup also includes perennial favorites like Torpedo Extra IPA, Hazy Little Thing IPA, along with a range of porters, stouts, seasonals, and limited releases such as the legendary Bigfoot barleywine. Renowned for using only the finest ingredients and pioneering techniques like whole-cone hopping, Sierra Nevada continues to set the standard for craft beer with fresh, flavorful brews that appeal to both longtime fans and new explorers of the beer world.

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Green Beer Day at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, is that wild, can’t-miss college tradition that leaves students at other schools wondering why their campus doesn’t have anything half as legendary. Imagine this: spring semester is humming along, classes are on the schedule for a random Thursday in March (right before spring break kicks in March 23-29, 2026), but by the time the first light hits, half the RedHawks are already lined up outside bars, clutching neon-green pints like it’s the most important sunrise of the year. Welcome to Green Beer Day (GBD) — Miami’s totally unofficial, university hands-off, but straight-up iconic boozy twist on St. Patrick’s Day that turns sleepy Oxford into party central.

The Origin Story: How a Calendar Glitch Became a Legend
Back in the early 1980s, Miami University’s academic calendar pulled a sneaky move and shoved St. Patrick’s Day into spring break. Students were gone, bars were empty, and Oxford’s bar owners weren’t about to let that cash cow vanish. They brainstormed names like “Wild Irish Fun” (1981 vibes), then landed on the straightforward winner: Green Beer Day in 1982. What started as a clever way to keep the taps flowing has evolved into Miami’s biggest drinking holiday — a full-day rager that’s part tradition, part rite of passage, and 100% chaos.

The university? They pretend it doesn’t exist as an official thing. It’s off-campus, not endorsed, and profs are encouraged to hold normal classes (with attendance checks and graded stuff to guilt-trip you into showing up sober). But let’s be real — everyone knows what’s up.

The Day Unfolds: From Dawn ‘Til… Whenever  
GBD kicks off ridiculously early. Bars like the iconic Brick Street (the spot everyone talks about) throw open their doors around 5:30 a.m., with lines already snaking down High Street. Students bundle up in green gear, hoodies, and questionable decisions, ready to watch the sunrise with a pint of artificially (or magically) green beer in hand. Pro tip from veterans: the sunrise from a Brick patio is apparently next-level.

From there, it’s a marathon:

• Morning bar hops — Green drafts flowing, specials galore, and that classic college energy where everyone’s best friends by 7 a.m.
• Darties (day parties) in backyards — Tarps, string lights, DJs on platforms, and playlists blasting whatever gets the crowd hyped.
• Borgs (blackout rage gallons — water jugs turned into personal kegs), ragers, and shenanigans that spill into the afternoon and night.
• Bonus modern twists: ginger runs, themed merch drops, and enough green apparel to make the whole town look like a lime exploded.

It’s not just about the beer (though the green-dyed stuff — once hand-mixed with food coloring, now often truck-delivered pre-green — is the star). It’s the vibes: bonding with friends, making questionable memories, and like you’re part of something bigger than just another Thursday.

Safety, Smarts, and the Real Talk
Miami and Oxford team up every year with safety pushes — extra patrols, forums, alternative events, and free breakfasts uptown for those opting out. Police are out in force on High Street and around campus hotspots. The message is clear: have fun, but don’t be dumb. Underage folks? The FOMO is real, but there are plenty of non-drinking ways to join the spirit (or just Netflix and chill while everyone else recovers).

Why GBD Rules the Miami Experience
In a sea of college traditions, Green Beer Day stands out because it’s raw, ridiculous, and uniquely Oxford. It’s been called Miami’s “biggest tradition” for a reason — even seniors who skipped it feel the blues, like they missed a core piece of the RedHawk journey. It’s the day when the whole town pulses with that perfect mix of excitement, absurdity, and camaraderie.

So if you’re ever in Oxford the Thursday before spring break, grab your crew, your greenest outfit, and dive in. Just remember: hydrate (with water too), pace yourself, and maybe set an alarm for that 8 a.m. class… or don’t. No judgment here.

Cheers to Green Beer Day — the holiday that turns a sleepy college town into party central, one green pint at a time.

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Craft beer has a way of showing up in the most unexpected corners of the map. Hit these four breweries and you’ve pulled off a true American beer bucket-list feat — the Brewery Grand Slam, a pint at the absolute edges of the country: as far north, south, east, and west as a brewery gets in the United States. Grab your passport (and maybe a parka and some sunscreen), because this itinerary spans the Arctic Circle’s doorstep to Hawaii’s Big Island, and the tip of the Pacific to the Bay of Fundy tides of Downeast Maine.

Furthest North: Silver Gulch Brewing & Bottling Co. — Fox, Alaska(1999) 
Eleven miles up the Steese Highway from Fairbanks sits the tiny mining town of Fox, Alaska — and inside it, America’s most northern brewery. Silver Gulch Brewing & Bottling Co. brewed its first batch in February 1998, the brainchild of lifelong Alaskans Glenn Brady and Chilkoot Ward, who scaled Brady’s homebrewing hobby up from five-gallon batches to a full 24-barrel system built with equipment salvaged from a defunct Ontario brewery. Alaska’s brewpub laws back then were so strict that breweries couldn’t legally sell beer for on-site drinking, so Silver Gulch got creative: “Free Beer Fridays” let locals sample the goods for free, and the tradition of the free pour became part of the brewery’s DNA. Today it’s Alaska’s third-oldest brewery, using water straight from the legendary Silver Gulch Spring.

The lineup leans into the Last Frontier theme hard — Coldfoot Pilsner, 40 Below Imperial Stout, Fairbanks Lager, and Apple Tundra Ale all nod to the brutal, beautiful climate a few degrees shy of the Arctic Circle. Fun fact: Silver Gulch now has a second outpost right inside Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport, so travelers can sip “America’s Most Northern Brewery” beer before their flight even leaves the ground — no trip to Fox required, though the original brewpub with its restaurant and banquet hall is well worth the drive if you’re chasing the aurora.

Address: 2195 Old Steese Hwy N, Fox, AK 99712
Opened: 1998
Coordinates: 64.958° N, 147.614° W
Website: https://silvergulch.com

Furthest South: Kona Brewing Company — Kailua-Kona, Hawaii(2010 & 2019)
By latitude, the real southernmost brewery in America isn’t in Florida at all — it’s on the sunny side of Hawaii’s Big Island, sitting more than 300 miles closer to the equator than Key West. Kona Brewing Company was founded in 1994 by father-and-son duo Cameron Healy and Spoon Khalsa, who fell for the islands on a visit and set out to build a brand as beloved as Primo, the old-school Hawaiian lager Healy had admired as a young man. They raised their first glass together on Valentine’s Day 1995 out of a converted warehouse, added a reclaimed-materials brewpub in 1998, and never looked back. Today Kona is the state’s longest-running craft brewery and one of the best-known craft beer brands on Earth, sold in all 50 states and more than 30 countries, even while a 2019 investment built a new 100,000-barrel, solar-powered brewery back home in Kailua-Kona.

The tap list reads like a postcard from the islands: Longboard Island Lager, Big Wave Golden Ale, Fire Rock Pale Ale, and the seasonal Pipeline Porter, brewed with 100% Kona coffee from a neighboring farm. Fun fact: their Rift Zone Indigenous Red Ale is fermented with wild yeast cultured right from the volcanic rift zones of the Big Island — meaning the volcano itself has a hand in the brew. (Worth noting: Key West’s First Flight Island Restaurant & Brewery — housed in the building where Pan Am sold its very first airline ticket in 1927 — proudly brands itself “the Southernmost Brewery in the USA,” and it’s a genuinely fun stop with a great story. But by the map, Kailua-Kona sits at roughly 19.65° N versus Key West’s 24.56° N, so the real geographic title belongs to Kona.)

Address: 74-5612 Pawai Pl, Kailua-Kona, HI 96740
Opened: 1994
Coordinates: 19.650° N, 156.000° W
Website: https://konabrewinghawaii.com

Furthest East: Lubec Brewing Company — Lubec, Maine
Lubec, Maine sits at the very tip of Downeast Maine, connected to Canada’s Campobello Island by an international bridge, and it holds the title of the easternmost incorporated municipality in the United States (its neighbor Eastport is the easternmost city, but Lubec’s town line stretches a hair further east to catch the first sunrise in the country). Right on the working waterfront, Gale White opened Lubec Brewing Company in April 2015 with a one-barrel system — one of the smallest brew houses in a state already famous for small, scrappy breweries. That tiny footprint gives the brewers room to experiment constantly, and the beer names read like a love letter to the region: Quoddy Head Red (named for the nearby lighthouse at America’s easternmost point), Johnson Bay IPA, and Bailey’s Mistake, named after a local landmark with its own bit of nautical folklore.

The hops in the fermenter often come from just up the road in Aroostook County, and the barley, wheat, and rye are organically grown in Maine. Fun fact: Lubec’s location on the Bay of Fundy means the tides here are some of the most dramatic on Earth, rising and falling 20 to 28 feet twice a day — so depending on when you visit the brewery, the harbor view out the window looks like an entirely different body of water.

Address: 41 Water St, Lubec, ME 04652
Opened: 2015
Coordinates: 44.860° N, 66.984° W
Website: https://lubecbrewing.com

Furthest West: Kauaʻi Island Brewing Company — Port Allen, Hawaii(2019)
The westernmost brewery in the country — and, thanks to the International Date Line, arguably the westernmost in the entire world — sits in the industrial harbor town of Port Allen on Kauaʻi’s south shore. Owners Bret and Janice Larson trace the brewery’s roots back to 1996, when their original operation, Waimea Brewing Company, started brewing five-barrel batches at the historic Waimea Plantation Cottages. It officially opened in 1998, ran for thirteen years, and then in 2012 the Larsons partnered with their longtime brewmaster of 13 years, Dave Curry, to relaunch as Kauaʻi Island Brewing Company in a bigger warehouse space near the harbor — a nine-month planning process and seven months of construction later, the doors opened on July 9, 2012.

The tap list is pure island flavor: Lilikoi Ale, Cane Fire Red, Waiʻaleʻale Golden Ale, West Side Wheat, and an Alakaʻi Stout brewed with oatmeal and Kauaʻi-grown coffee for deep chocolate notes. Fun fact: because the International Date Line technically loops out past American Samoa, Kauaʻi Island Brewing likes to point out that a beer drinker heading due west from their taproom would actually be traveling east once they crossed the dateline — making this brewery a strong contender for westernmost brewery on the entire planet, not just in the U.S.

Address: 4350 Waialo Rd, Eleele/Port Allen, HI 96705
Opened: 2012 (as Kauaʻi Island Brewing Company; roots trace to Waimea Brewing Company, 1996/1998)
Coordinate: 21.901° N, 159.594° W
Website: https://kauaiislandbrewing.com

That’s the Grand Slam — four breweries, four compass points, thousands of miles apart, and all pouring beer that couldn’t have been brewed anywhere else. Silver Gulch keeps the lights on near the Arctic Circle, Kona Brewing pours the real southernmost pint in America (sorry, Key West), Lubec Brewing catches the first sunrise in the country, and Kauaʻi Island Brewing might just be serving the world’s westernmost beer. Cheers to the edges of the map.

In a festive upset that has brewmasters and holiday enthusiasts toasting alike, the Genesee Brewing Company’s iconic Keg Tree has been crowned Newsweek’s #1 Readers’ Choice Best Christmas Tree for 2025. Outshining giants like New York City’s Rockefeller Center tree and the National Christmas Tree in Washington, D.C., this three-story marvel—crafted from over 650 empty beer kegs and draped in 25,000 twinkling lights—proves that sometimes the best holiday spirit comes straight from the tap.

The announcement, revealed on November 25, 2025, capped a whirlwind voting period that saw the quirky Rochester tradition rack up thousands of votes from fans across the country. Nominated alongside 14 other iconic displays in Newsweek’s annual Readers’ Choice awards, the Keg Tree surged to the top, earning its stainless-steel branches a spot in holiday history.

“This win is a testament to the creativity and community spirit that defines Rochester,” said Tiffany Bowman, Genesee Brand Manager, in a statement from the brewery. “From our hardworking team stacking those kegs to the fans who lit up the polls, it’s all about celebrating the joy of the season in true Genny style.”

A Tradition Born from Empty Kegs and Holiday Cheer

The Keg Christmas Tree’s origins trace back to 2014, when Genesee Brewery—New York’s oldest, founded in 1878—decided to give its empty kegs a second life as a seasonal centerpiece. Perched beside the roaring High Falls, the largest urban waterfall in the U.S., the structure has grown taller and brighter each year. This season’s edition stands at an impressive three stories, assembled by the brewery’s dedicated union carpenters and illuminated with enough LED lights to rival a small constellation.

What started as a local marketing gimmick has evolved into a beloved rite of winter in the Flower City. Thousands flock annually to the Genesee Brew House at 25 Cataract St. for the lighting ceremony, where the air fills with the scent of food trucks, the sound of holiday tunes, and the clink of cold Genesee Cream Ale pours.

Crowning Glory: The Lighting Event and Special Celebrations

The victory couldn’t have come at a better time—just days before the 10th annual Keg  Tree Lighting on Friday, December 5, 2025. The event drew record crowds from 5 to 9 p.m., with the official countdown kicking off at 7 p.m. under the emcee-ship of Brewmaster Dean Jones. Attendees sipped seasonal brews like the Keg Tree Cinnamon Ale, munched on grub from local vendors, and posed for photos in oversized sleighs and festive igloos handcrafted on-site.

Adding a sweet twist to the sudsy spectacle, Genesee partnered with Rochester’s Donuts Delite for the debut of “Keg Tree Fonuts”—honey bun donuts infused with the brewery’s cinnamon ale. Available through December 5 at the Brew House and the bakery on Culver Road, a portion of proceeds benefited the Breast Cancer Coalition of Rochester.

Carl Falk, General Manager of Genesee Brewery, beamed with local pride during the festivities. “We’re a Rochester company through and through,” he told local media. “This keg tree isn’t just lights and kegs—it’s generations of hard work and the people who make our city sparkle.”

National Spotlight on a Local Legend

The Keg Tree’s path to national acclaim wasn’t without competition. Newsweek’s contest featured heavy hitters, including the 75-foot Norway spruce from upstate New York at Rockefeller Center (which landed at #5). Yet voters gravitated toward the Keg Tree’s unique blend of whimsy and warmth, with social media buzzing under #GennyKegTree and shares from coast to coast.

USA Today also gave a nod earlier in the season, nominating it for Best Holiday Lights Display. As the tree remains lit through the holidays—visible nightly against the misty backdrop of High Falls—it continues to draw visitors, who are encouraged to tag @GeneseeBrewery for a chance at shoutouts.

For those who missed the lighting, the display is free to view, though ride-sharing is recommended due to limited parking. Head to the High Falls Garage at 262 State St. for the easiest access.

Raising a Glass to Rochester’s Holiday Heart

In an era of cookie-cutter celebrations, the Genesee Keg Tree stands as a reminder that the holidays are best when they’re a little offbeat. Owned by FIFCO USA, the brewery not only brews classics like Genesee Cream Ale and Honey Brown Lager but also fosters traditions that unite communities. This year’s win underscores a simple truth: sometimes, the most memorable trees aren’t grown in forests—they’re built from the empties of good times shared.

As Rochester twinkles on, one keg at a time, Genesee invites all to join the cheer. After all, in the words of the brewery: “O Genesee Keg Tree! O Genesee Keg Tree! How lovely are thy branches.”

Genesee Brewery
Nestled along the Genesee River in Rochester, New York, Genesee Brewery has been cranking out cold ones since 1878, making it one of the oldest continuously operating breweries in the U.S. These guys basically invented the “dad beer” category long before it was cool – we’re talking crisp, no-nonsense lagers that taste like summer cookouts and Friday nights on the porch. Their flagship Genesee Beer (or “Genny” to the locals) and the iconic Genny Light are still brewed with the same pride that turned Rochester into a beer town back when your great-grandpa was rocking handlebar mustaches and suspenders.

But the real party trick? The legendary Genesee Cream Ale – smooth, slightly sweet, and dangerously drinkable, it’s the beer that makes Buffalo wings taste even better and has been confusing beer nerds for decades because yes, it’s an ale that drinks like a lager. Swing by the brewhouse today and you can take a tour, crush a few samples, and snap a selfie with the famous “Genny horse” Clydesdales if they’re in town. Cheap, cheerful, and 100% Rochester – Genesee is proof that sometimes the best things in life come in a green can with a screaming horse on it. Cheers to 145+ years of keeping it real!  Website: https://www.geneseebeer.com/

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Every December, the Genesee Brewery in Rochester, New York, transforms into a gloriously boozy holiday hotspot with the world-famous Genesee Keg Tree—a three-story spectacle built from 650 empty silver kegs stacked like a tipsy pine, wrapped in 25,000 twinkling lights that sync to festive tunes. This shiny aluminum behemoth, standing tall at about 29 feet, has been Rochester’s rowdiest holiday tradition since 2014, drawing thousands of selfie-snapping fans who brave the Genesee River chill to witness the lighting ceremony (just happened on December 5, 2025—talk about perfect timing!). Locals dub it the “Redneck Rockefeller Center Tree,” and with that faint whiff of fresh beer wafting off the recently drained 15.5-gallon beauties, it’s basically Christmas cheer in stainless-steel form. Only in Rochester, folks.

The geniuses stacking these sudsy sentinels? None other than the Genesee Brewery, America’s oldest continuously operating major brewery since 1878, perched on the banks of the Genesee River like a red-brick beer baron. They’re the proud parents of Genesee Cream Ale—that velvety, green-bottled icon that’s smoother than a snowball fight truce and de facto fuel for every Bills tailgate and backyard barbecue in upstate New York. Toss in Genny Light for the lightweights, the malty throwback of 12 Horse Ale, and seasonal stunners like the cinnamon-spiced Keg Tree Ale (proceeds often benefit local spots like the Open Door Mission), and you’ve got a lineup that keeps craft snobs honest while reminding everyone beer doesn’t need to be fancy to be fun.

So if you’re cruising through western New York this frosty season, detour to the Genesee Brew House for a free tour (ending in gloriously generous samples), snap your shot with the 650-keg colossus still glowing strong, and crack a Cream Ale in salute. It’s proof that the best holidays involve a little heavy lifting—150 pounds of empty keg per layer, to be exact—and a whole lot of Rochester weird. Cheers to the tree that outshines tinsel with recycled glory!

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