Burn It Down: Why Breweries Are Hosting Christmas-Tree Bonfires | VinePair

After Christmas ends, a question pops up: When is it time to get rid of that tree? There are plenty of civic mulching efforts, but breweries and cideries are increasingly encouraging folks to tote dry, tinsel-free trees to rural taprooms where they're set ablaze.

The events, which take place in late December and early January, serve two purposes. There's disposal, sure, but the burns also encourage folks to mingle during winter's cold days, especially after the bright lure of seasonal gatherings has gone dark.

For my latest VinePair article, I chatted with Indian Ladders Farms Cidery & Brewery, Fonta Flora, Schell’s Beer, Ipswich Ale and Wayward Lane about these incendiary revelries — and what happens to tradition during a drought-ordained burn ban.