We interrupt your brew day to beg for money

No, I'm not asking for money for myself. It's for charity! Here's the deal...

Those of you who aren't fans of hockey are likely unfamiliar with the playoff beard. Simply put, when the Stanley Cup Playoffs start, players stop shaving. This can lead to some unique sights on the ice by the time the Finals roll around.

So what does this have to do with charity? Well, this year the Chicago Blackhawks are hosting a Beard-a-thon and I've decided to participate. It's pretty simple: I stop shaving until the Blackhawks get knocked out of the playoffs (or win the Stanley Cup) and you pay me to do so. Well, actually you pay Chicago Blackhawks Charities. You can either pledge a one-time payment or you can pledge per day that I grow my beard. And if you're wondering what they'll do with your money (a good question to ask of any charity), they actually dole out what they raise to local charities such as the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, Chicago Children’s Advocacy Center and the National Runaway Switchboard.

I realize times are tough, and I also realize many of you probably already have charitable organizations you support. However, I figure this is a great chance to use my rapidly-growing network of homebrewers to help out some people who really need it. If you're willing to help, go to this page and donate today! You can also follow the progress of my beard on the page (if you're really, really bored, that is). I've even donated $50 myself to get things started. So stay home and have a homebrew instead of heading out to the bar and throw $10 my way. Brew a 1035 British mild instead of a 1090 impy stout and donate the money you'll save on malt and hops. Or take a few bucks from your tax refund and put it to good use. Seriously, if you can donate $5 I'd be thrilled.

For the record, I just found out about this on Saturday night so I'm just getting started. Here's my "beard" (okay, stubble) on day 3:


and here it is today (day 4):


I'll post another update once it actually looks like a beard. On a related note, the Blackhawks are currently up two game to none on the Calgary Flames (and Game 3 will be getting started later tonight), so hopefully I'll be sporting the Grizzly Adams look by the time all's finished. Thanks for your support and GO BLACKHAWKS!

P.S. If you're looking for some way to connect this to beer, check out this thread on BeerAdvocate about brewers and beards.