A Kingsport area running group, affectionately known as The Village Idiots, actively participated in The Crumley House Donation Days Online Auction last August. The prize they sought was a private brewing experience offered by Johnson City-based JRH Brewing.
Their collective bid grabbed the honor of spending a full day at JRH Brewing and crafting a special brew suited to the desires and tastes of the running group. That new brew, called Vibrant Lager, will be introduced on Halloween (Saturday, Oct. 31) at JRH Brewing, with The Crumley House Brain Injury Rehab Center benefitting from that day’s sales.
“My family was affected by a traumatic brain injury many years ago, and my brother currently is a Crumley House resident,” said Village Idiot Running Group member Rick Eldreth. “We support The Crumley House any time we can, and the Donation Days Auction offered a great opportunity to rally the support of friends in my running group for a worthy cause.”
How did the ‘Vibrant Lager’ name come to be? “We wanted to include our running group as well as creating awareness for traumatic brain injuries. So you have ‘VI’ for our Village Idiots running group, followed by “BRANT,” which if you get creative, we consider that part to say anti-brain injury,” added Eldreth.
On October 31, the JRH Brewing Taproom will introduce the beer, and will donate $1.00 from each sale to The Crumley House. “We’re all delighted that JRH owner John Henritze wanted to take it a step further and give even more than just our winning auction bid to The Crumley House,” Eldreth stated.
“We try to do our part at JRH Brewing to support our community as much as we can,” said Henritze. “Having friends associated with a worthy organization like The Crumley House and knowing individuals that have suffered brain injuries make it a little more personal, and we’re proud to offer this support.”
JRH Brewing is located at 458 West Walnut Street in Johnson City, and can be located online at jrhbrewing.com as well as on their respective Facebook and Instagram social media channels.
“During our Donation Days planning we desired to focus upon, highlight and give opportunities to our regional businesses,” said Crumley House Executive Director Guynn Edwards. “This is a great example of individuals and our businesses coming together to support Tennessee’s only non-profit brain injury rehabilitation center.