Sloop Brewing and Appalachian Mountain Club Team Up for Trail Conservation Beer

The Appalachian Mountain Club turns 150 this year, and Sloop Brewing Co. is marking the milestone with a collaboration beer that routes a share of every sale back toward the trails that define the AMC's century-and-a-half footprint.

Grow Outdoors, announced April 1 by both organizations, is a 5.3% ABV release packaged in 16-ounce four-packs and on draft, landing in East Coast markets just as spring hiking season opens. A portion of proceeds flows directly to AMC programs covering trail maintenance, wildlands protection, and outdoor access initiatives.

The announcement builds on groundwork already laid. In 2025, Sloop's Hopewell Junction, New York brewery donated a portion of proceeds from its New York Pale Ale to the AMC while the two organizations ran a series of co-sponsored events together. Grow Outdoors is the formalized result: a dedicated, branded product carrying the conservation mission on its label.

"After launching our partnership with AMC last year through a series of co-sponsored events, we're excited to take the next step with this collaboration beer," said Adam Watson, President of Sloop Brewing Co., "creating something that not only tastes great but also supports the places we all love to explore."

For the AMC, the release functions as both a fundraising channel and an audience expansion tool. The club counts more than 90,000 members and runs programming from Virginia to Maine. "AMC has spent 150 years connecting people to the outdoors and protecting the landscapes that inspire us," said Scarlet Batchelor, the club's Chief Growth Officer. "Grow Outdoors is a fun and meaningful way to celebrate that legacy while inviting new audiences to engage with our mission."

The launch is supported by geo-targeted media, retail activations, and on-trail events throughout the Northeast. Sloop's growing presence in Massachusetts, through a partnership with Framingham-based Hendler Family Brewing Company, home to Jack's Abby Craft Lagers, Wormtown Brewery, and Night Shift Brewing, extends the beer's reach well beyond the Hudson Valley taproom.

The 5.3% ABV spec is worth noting. Cause-driven releases aimed at volume fundraising tend to live in that sessionable range, approachable enough to land at retail without explanation and low enough to be a second pour at any post-hike gathering. Packaging Grow Outdoors in both cans and on draft covers the trailhead cooler and the taproom equally.

The sequencing Sloop and AMC used, shared events and a cause-driven product in year one before committing to a full branded collaboration in year two, offers other breweries a replicable model for engaging land trusts, parks departments, or regional trail organizations. Every four-pack sold now moves conservation dollars without asking the buyer to think of themselves as a donor at all.