Drink some great ales, help fight ALS

Breweries across the country are joining the Ales for ALS project with special brews that help fund research to fight Lou Gehrig’s disease, and several local breweries are participating.

The project was begun by the hop farmers at Loftus Ranch who’ve partnered with hop supplier Hopunion to provide a special blend of experimental hops to the 69 participating breweries.

The hop blend was created by craft brewing luminaries Ken Grossman of Sierra Nevada, Vinnie Cilurzo of Russian River Brewing, and John Mallet of Bell’s Brewery, and it is composed of some of the newest and most exciting hop varietals being developed. The hops are offered to participating breweries for free, and the brewers donate $1 for each pint of finished beer sold to ALS TDI to fund research to treat the disease.

Here are some details on five local breweries that are participating in the projects and what you can expect from their Ales for ALS brews.

Eagle Rock Brewery: LOU is a hoppy brown ale, and pints of the light and refreshing ale are available now at the brewery’s tap room.

Noble Ale Works: The Anaheim brewery has created a low-alcohol session IPA with the hop-blend, and the beer should debut in a week or two.

Beachwood Brewing: Last year’s Ales for ALS beer, Hopular Mechanics, makes a return, and the West Coast-style IPA is brimming with the citrus and tropical flavors of the hop blend (and plenty of bitterness too). The beer is available now at Beachwood’s Long Beach brewpub.

Golden Road Brewing: The Atwater Village brewery is brewing their Surfliner IPA with the experimental hop-blend, and the beer will be debuted during the first week of August.

The Brewery at Abigaile: The brewer at the Hermosa Beach brewpub is known for showcasing hops in his IPAs, and Cacophony IPA is no exception. The beer is available now (though maybe not for much longer I’m told).

Looking to try a few of the different Ales for ALS brews? Burbank’s craft beer hub Tony’s Darts Away will host an Ales for ALS event on Tuesday, Aug. 5, and they’ll be serving as many of the beers as they can get their hands on. Check their Facebook page for details.

Eagle Rock Brewery, 3056 Roswell St., Los Angeles, (323) 257-7866.

Noble Ale Works, 1621 S. Sinclair St., Anaheim, (714) 634-2739.

Beachwood Brewing, 210 E. Third St., Long Beach, (562) 436-4020.

Golden Road Brewing, 5410 W. San Fernando Rd., Los Angeles, (213) 542-6039.

The Brewery at Abigaile, 1301 Manhattan Ave., Hermosa Beach, (310) 798-8227.