Lawson’s Finest Liquids and KTA Partnership Continues with the 2022 Return of the KT IPA

November 23, 2021

Collaborative brew supports sustainable recreation in Northeast Vermont

Waitsfield, VT. (November 22, 2021) – After three successful years of partnership, Lawson’s Finest Liquids is excited to continue their collaboration with the Kingdom Trail Association (KTA) into 2022 through their Good Brews for a Cause program. KTA is a Vermont-based nonprofit trail organization whose mission is to provide recreation and education opportunities by managing, maintaining, and building trails to foster the health of their community, surrounding environment, and regional economy in the Northeast Kingdom of the state.


Good Brews for a cause is one of six initiatives that make up the brewery’s Social Impact Program (SIP). It is focused on creating special, limited-release beers and small-batch collaborations to benefit nonprofit organizations with ties to local communities where Lawson’s Finest Liquids is sold. The two organizations first partnered three years ago on a collaborative brew, Kingdom Trails IPA, which resulted in a $6,033 donation in 2020 that aided in the purchase of the Darling Ridge, protecting a vital trail network in Northeast Vermont. Kingdom Trails IPA continues to make a difference every year. The beer quickly sold out in Summer 2021 with $2.00 of every four-pack sold donated to the Kingdom Trail Association for a total of $6,586. These funds support the KTA Trail Ambassador Program to ensure continued vitality of this amazing resource.


“Our business collaborates with organizations that support sustainable recreation. Being active and outdoors is a form of recreation, and re-creation,” said Sean Lawson, founder and CEO Lawson’s Finest Liquids. “With Kingdom Trails IPA, we brewed a beer to support the fine work of the Kingdom Trail Association and their ambassadors. We’re excited to continue that tradition in 2022.”


Dedicated to maintaining more than 100 miles of non-motorized trails across Vermont’s Northeast Kingdom, the KTA is a community-focused, non-profit organization in partnership with private landowners. Along with other efforts, the KTA ambassadors program aims to educate and guide trail users on ways to protect the community, landowners, and precious natural resources.


“When you’re a relatively small organization, in a rural community, it’s exciting to partner with other organizations that have the same missions, goals and values,” said Elise Lawson, a board member with the Kingdom Trail Association. “As the Kingdom Trail Association has grown, our ambassadors have become even more important to our community. With this partnership, they’re set to have an even larger impact in the new year.”


Kingdom Trails IPA is a soft and refreshing beer with a mild bitterness and an intensely fruit forward and floral notes. The next batch of Kingdom Trails IPA will be brewed and available for purchase in June 2022.


To learn more about Lawson’s Finest Liquids’ Social Impact Program (SIP), including Good Brews for a Cause, click here.


ABOUT LAWSON’S FINEST LIQUIDS

Based in Waitsfield, Vermont, Lawson’s Finest Liquids produces beers of the highest quality and freshness.

Emulating the best of widely appreciated styles, Lawson’s Finest is home to a growing collection of expertly crafted

beers, including world-class IPAs and unique maple brews. Founded in 2008 by Sean and Karen Lawson, the

company started as a highly acclaimed, small-batch artisanal brewery in Warren, Vermont. In 2014, Lawson’s Finest

Liquids added an alternating proprietorship in Stratford, Connecticut, where the brewery produces its flagship Sip of

Sunshine and Super Session beers. Lawson’s Finest Liquids opened its destination brewery, taproom, and retail

store in Waitsfield in 2018. For more information on Lawson’s Finest Liquids, please visit www.lawsonsfinest.com

or follow the brewery on Instagram (@lawsonsfinest) and Facebook (@lawsonsfinestliquids).

Leadership Transition Announced at Kingdom Trails and the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative

By Sven Cole • July 25, 2025
Dear KT Community, I write to you today as I begin a transition in my relationship with Kingdom Trails. I have made the difficult decision to take the next step in my professional journey and step away from my role as Executive Director. Serving Kingdom Trails and this incredible community over the past eight years has been one of the greatest honors of my life. I am deeply proud of the work I’ve led and supported, from navigating immense global challenges and natural disasters, to forging incredible relationships, with our landowners and community. And throughout this journey, the Northeast Kingdom has become not just where I live, but truly my home. It’s the place I chose to become a mother and where my family has put down roots. That said, I am ready to explore new ways to serve this community, ways that will allow me to continue growing as a leader. I’ve accepted the role of Interim Executive Director for the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative, where I will carry forward the work I fell in love with through Kingdom Trails: strengthening our communities and supporting thoughtful economic development. In this new role, I’ll have the opportunity to advocate not only for outdoor recreation, which is so essential to the heart of our region, but also for the many sectors that make the Northeast Kingdom such a unique and vibrant place. Please know I remain deeply committed to Kingdom Trails. This is my home, and it will remain my home. I wish to always be an ambassador for KT, including playing a role in ensuring a graceful, responsible transition with care. The Board of Directors and I have committed to this, to ensure continuity, stability, and the trust you hold in this organization. I am grateful beyond words for the opportunity to have served my community through this role, and I look forward to closing this chapter with the same heart and good intention with which I began it. Georgia Gould is stepping in as interim Executive Director to lead the organization through this transition. Georgia has served on the KT Board of Directors since 2021, leading both the Landowner and Trail Advisory Committees. She is a KT Landowner with an impressive mountain biking and cyclocross resume - including a bronze medal in one of her two Olympic bids on Team USA and five career national championships in cross-country and short track mountain biking. Georgia, her husband Dusty, and their two young children are engaged members of the Burke community and the KT team. Her deep ties to the sport of cycling, dedication to providing great trails for all skill levels, and her love of this community make her the perfect choice to lead KT in its next phase. The Board and I are thrilled that Georgia has agreed to lead KT and feel confident that she will hold the mission of the organization at the center as she has throughout her Board service. You can reach Georgia directly and welcome her to this new role at ED@kingdomtrails.org . With deep gratitude, Abby ### Kingdom Trail Association The mission of the Kingdom Trail Association is to provide recreation and education opportunities by managing, maintaining, and building trails to foster the health of our community, surrounding environment, and regional economy. Kingdom Trails strives to accomplish this mission by offering a 100+ mile network of quality, non-motorized, multi-use trails for all levels of ability, incorporating the best of our local scenery and natural diversity. The Kingdom Trails are made possible through the generosity of 106 private landowners. Northeast Kingdom Collaborativ e The mission of the Northeast Kingdom Collaborative is to improve the quality of life for all residents of the NEK through coordinated economic and community development as the vision is a strong, vibrant Northeast Kingdom where we all thrive. The NEKC brings people together to spark positive change in our communities, creating structures that bring partners together across service areas, sectors, municipal and political boundaries to provide solutions for the renewal of the Kingdom. The NEK Collaborative serves as the backbone organization for the federally designated NEK REAP Zone and community partner for USDA Rural Development.

Cannondale Becomes KT's First Corporate Sponsor

By Sven Cole • June 17, 2025
Cannondale Dirt Party a Success
Vermont State Treasurer, Mike Pieciak, speaks at the 2025 Outdoor Recreation Day at the Statehouse

KT is taking action—on the trails and in the Statehouse!

By Abby Long • February 13, 2025
KT is taking action—on the trails and in the Statehouse! This 2025 Legislative Session, KT is teaming up with other amazing trail organizations through the Vermont Trails & Greenway Council, to advocate for H.147 a bill to establish the Recreational Trails Compensation Study. Why does this matter? Vermont’s outdoor recreation economy generates $2.1B annually, nearly 5% of the state’s GDP, that's 2nd in the nation after Hawaii (Go VT!) KT alone drives $10M in economic impact annually. Therefore, the state must recognize and incentivize these generous private landowners, including the 106 who make KT possible and allow public access to trails.
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