Connecticut breweries unite for special events and a new Community Impact Partner program during Blood Cancer Awareness Month.

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What started as one West Hartford, Connecticut man’s way of honoring his father has grown into an annual statewide effort that has helped raise more than $136,000 in the fight against blood cancer.

On Saturday, Aug. 29, the 3rd Annual CT Beer Tour for a Cancer-Free Future kicked off, bringing Connecticut craft breweries and beer enthusiasts together to raise funds and awareness for Blood Cancer United, formerly The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society.

The 2026 Beer Tour will feature special events at participating breweries across Connecticut through early October. At hosted tour stops, guests can enjoy local craft beer while supporting Blood Cancer United through donations, raffles, and other fundraising activities.

This year, the tour is also expanding the ways breweries and their customers can get involved through Community Impact Partners. Participating breweries will collect donations from customers during September, Blood Cancer Awareness Month, giving people an opportunity to make a difference whenever they visit, even if they cannot attend a scheduled Beer Tour event.

“From the beginning, the Beer Tour has been about bringing people together, having some fun and making a difference for families facing blood cancer,” said Beer Tour founder and West Hartford resident Greg Hammond. “The Community Impact Partner program gives breweries another way to be part of that mission and gives their customers an opportunity to make an impact throughout Blood Cancer Awareness Month, even if they can’t attend one of our scheduled Beer Tour events.”

Connecticut Breweries Joining the Fight Against Blood Cancer

Breweries announced to date for the 2026 CT Beer Tour for a Cancer-Free Future include:

Beer Tour Event Hosts

• Coastline Brewing Company & Pizzeria, Westbrook – Saturday, Aug. 29
• Phantom Burger & Brewery, Higganum – Thursday, Sept. 3
• Problem Solved Brewing Company, East Windsor – Saturday, Sept. 12
• Witchdoctor Brewing Company, Southington – Thursday, Sept. 17
• Broken Symmetry, Bethel – Sunday, Sept. 20
• Back East Brewing Company, Bloomfield – Friday, Sept. 25
• Concentric Brewing Company, Portland – Thursday, Oct. 1

Community Impact Partners

Participating breweries will collect donations during September in recognition of Blood Cancer Awareness Month.

• Broken Symmetry, Bethel
• Caius Farm Brewery, Branford
• Phantom Burger & Brewery, Higganum
• Problem Solved Brewing Company, East Windsor

Additional breweries and events may be added. The latest schedule, participating breweries and event details can always be found at CTBeerTour.org.

A Beer Tour Inspired by a Father

For Hammond, the mission behind the CT Beer Tour remains deeply personal.

“The CT Beer Tour started for one simple reason: I love my dad,” Hammond said. “Ken Hammond was a loving husband, successful businessman, mayor, town councilman, church volunteer, fabulous role model and an amazing dad. His life was cut short in 2015 when his courageous battle with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, ended.”

Hammond’s desire to honor his father led him to participate in Blood Cancer United’s 2024 Greater Connecticut Visionaries of the Year campaign. As a craft beer enthusiast and associate member of the Connecticut Brewers Guild, he saw an opportunity to combine his passion for Connecticut’s craft beer community with his desire to raise money to fight blood cancer.

The CT Beer Tour for a Cancer-Free Future was born.

The response exceeded expectations. Twenty-three Connecticut breweries participated in the inaugural tour, filling every Friday and Saturday night during Hammond’s 10-week fundraising campaign and eventually requiring additional events on Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Thanks to the support of Connecticut breweries, beer enthusiasts and donors, Hammond and his team, The Hammond Hoptimists, raised $119,374 during the 2024 campaign, helping him earn the title of 2024 Greater Connecticut Visionary of the Year. Through the 2024 and 2025 CT Beer Tours and related fundraising efforts, more than $136,000 has now been raised to support the fight against blood cancer.

“Blood cancer didn’t stop affecting families when our original 10-week campaign ended, so I didn’t want our efforts to stop either,” Hammond said. “Every year we have another opportunity to bring people together, support Connecticut’s craft breweries and help make a difference for families facing blood cancer.”

A New Name Representing Every Blood Cancer

Since the first Beer Tour, The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society has become Blood Cancer United, a name that better represents the organization’s work on behalf of people affected by more than 100 types of blood cancer, including leukemia, lymphoma and multiple myeloma.

While the name has changed, the mission continues: to cure blood cancer and improve the quality of life of patients and their families through lifesaving research, patient support and advocacy.

The new name has special meaning for Hammond because his father battled multiple myeloma.

“When people heard the name Leukemia & Lymphoma Society, they might not have realized that the organization was also there for someone like my dad, who had multiple myeloma, or for people facing many other types of blood cancer,” Hammond said. “Blood Cancer United better reflects the incredible breadth of people and families this organization serves.”

Join the 2026 CT Beer Tour

Throughout September, Blood Cancer Awareness Month, Connecticut residents can join the effort by attending a Beer Tour event, visiting a Community Impact Partner and donating, or contributing directly to support Blood Cancer United.

“Whether you join us for a special event or simply stop at one of our Community Impact Partners and make a donation, every contribution matters,” Hammond said. “You can support a Connecticut brewery, enjoy a great local beer and help make a difference for someone facing blood cancer.”

The complete and continually updated Beer Tour schedule, participating breweries, Community Impact Partners, opportunities to donate and signup for the CT Beer Tour community email list are available at CTBeerTour.org.

Every Sip You Take…Brings Us Closer to a Cure!

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