Regina drag queen and brewery team up to raise money for Lulu’s Lodge

Regina drag queen, Flo Mingo, and Rebellion Brewing have joined forces to launch a sparkly beer with all the proceeds going to Lulu’s Lodge, a transitional home for LGBTQ youth.

A press release from Rebellion said the beer — named Flo Mingo’s Sparkle Motion Majestic Milkshake IPA — is creamy and delicious.

Rebellion described it as having tropical aromas and flavours of dragonfruit and mango with hints of citrus. The beer is a light shade of purple which comes from butterfly pea flower and the creaminess comes from sweet lactose sugars.

A splash of lime or lemon can cause a chain reaction that turns the beer from purple to pink.

The mission to create the beer started almost a year ago when Flo Mingo, also known as Terry Van Mackleberg, found out Rebellion could put edible sparkles into beer.

“She immediately wondered out loud if it was possible to pull off the most fabulous beer ever brewed in Saskatchewan and use it for a good cause. Our brewers were up to the challenge and began working on a recipe,” Rebellion said in the release.

Lulu’s Lodge is a five-bedroom supportive transitional home for LGBTQ youth aged 16 to 21 dealing with homelessness.

“Too often, when young people come out to their families, they no longer have a place to live. Lulu’s Lodge provides —. They’re running at 95 per cent capacity and there is a great need in our community,” Flo Mingo said.

The Regina shelter is operated by the John Howard Society. It provides a live-in mentor, guidance and support around education, physical health, mental wellness, family reunification, legal matters and advocacy.

“When Flo Mingo asked us to team up and raise money for Lulu’s Lodge it was a no-brainer. We knew this was the right thing to do,” President of Rebellion Brewing, Mark Heise, said, adding they’re excited to show off the beer.