Craft Brewers Nationwide Join the ALS Therapy Development Institute in the 'Ales for ALS' Campaign to Battle Lou Gehrig's Disease

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., May 14, 2013 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) announced today that 38 microbrewers across the country have joined the Ales for ALS campaign in support of ALS TDI's mission to discover and develop effective treatments for ALS, commonly known as Lou Gehrig's disease. Ales for ALS™ is a unique craft brewery-based fundraising initiative created to accelerate drug development for ALS patients today.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110204/DC42625LOGO)

As part of the program, participant brewers receive a special blend of experimental hops donated by B.T. Loftus Ranches and Hopunion. From these hops, each brewer will brew a unique beer and donate a portion of the sales to ALS TDI. Target brew availability is June and July 2013.

Ales for ALS craft brewers (by location) include:

• California: Beachwood BBQ, Bear Republic Brewing, Brewery at Abigaile, Coronado Brewing Co., Drakes Brewing Co., Faction Brewing Co., Iron Springs Pub & Brewery, Pizza Port Brewing Co., Russian River Brewing Co., Sierra Nevada Brewing Co., Stone Brewing, Third Street Ale Works, Triple Rock Brewing Co.
• Colorado: New Belgium, Odell Brewing
• Connecticut: Willimantic Brewing Co.
• Delaware: Dogfish Head Brewing Co.
• Georgia: 5 Seasons Brewing Co.
• Massachusetts: Boston Beer Co. (Samuel Adams), Cambridge Brewing Co., Harpoon Brewery, Wormtown Brewery
• Missouri: Mother's Brewing Co.
• Nevada: Great Basin Brewing
• New Mexico: La Cumbre Brewing Co., Marble Brewery
• New York: Brooklyn Brewery, Captain Lawrence Brewing Co.
• North Carolina: Front Street Brewery
• Ohio: Fat Head's Brewing Co., Great Lakes Brewing Co.
• Oregon: Deschutes Brewery Public House, Full Sail Brewing Co.
• Utah: Uinta Brewing Co.
• Washington: Bale Breaker Brewing Co., E9 Brewing, Fremont Brewing Co., Two Beers Brewing Co.

"My family and I wanted to create a program with ALS TDI that we could lead and sustain until a treatment for ALS is in hand," says Michael M. Smith, president of B.T. Loftus Ranches, Inc. and ALS TDI board member.

"We're honored to have the enthusiasm and support of hop growers, B.T. Loftus Ranches and Hopunion, and the nation's top craft brewers in our effort to end ALS," says Steve Perrin, Ph.D., CEO and CSO of ALS TDI. "We thank them on behalf of patients, families and the ALS community who desperately need effective treatments and a cure for the disease."

To learn more about Ales for ALS, please visit www.alesforals.com.

About ALS
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that leads to paralysis, due to the death of motor neurons in the spinal cord and brain. There is no known cure for the disease. About 5,000 people in the US are diagnosed with ALS each year; the incidence is similar to multiple sclerosis. However, with no effective treatment, the average patient survives only two to five years following diagnosis. There are about 30,000 people in the US diagnosed with ALS today. The worldwide population of ALS patients is estimated at 450,000.

About ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI)
The mission of the ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is to develop effective therapeutics that slow or stop amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS, Lou Gehrig's disease) as soon as possible for patients today. Focused on meeting this urgent unmet medical need, ALS TDI executes a robust target discovery program, while simultaneously operating the world's largest efforts to preclinically validate potential therapeutics; including a pipeline of dozens of small molecules, protein biologics, gene therapies and cell-based constructs. The world's first nonprofit biotech institute, ALS TDI has developed an industrial-scale platform, employs 30 professional scientists and evaluates dozens of potential therapeutics each year. Built by and for patients, the Cambridge, Massachusetts based research institute collaborates with leaders in both academia and industry to accelerate ALS therapeutic development, including Biogen Idec, UCB, the Gladstone Institutes, MDA and RGK Foundation. For more information, please visit us online at www.als.net.

Media Contact:
Mari Sullivan, Public Relations Manager, ALS TDI, 617-441-7220, [email protected]

SOURCE ALS Therapy Development Institute