Supporting Ukraine doesn’t get much easier than this: all you have to do is pop a top.
Eight Winnipeg craft beer makers have teamed up to brew a special batch, with a recipe from Lviv, Ukraine, and all proceeds are going back to support the war-torn country.
“It wasn’t very difficult to get some partners to collaborate on this, because it is for a great cause,” says Torque Brewing’s director of operations, Matthew Wolff.
“Who wouldn’t want to come buy a beer, drink it and help humanitarian relief through it?”
The partnership includes Torque, Trans Canada, Nonsuch, Barn Hammer, One Great City, Devil May Care, Lake of The Woods and Stone Angel breweries.
Wolff says it’s a tight-knit business most of the time, but the participation on this project still blew him away.
“This is the first time we’ve actually seen this many breweries locally, and also globally, get together to support a common cause.”
The Brew for Ukraine website lists roughly 500 breweries all over the world that are taking part.
“One thing with beer is it takes a little bit of time – but Pravda Brewing provided all the recipes because unfortunately, their brewery is no longer active because of the conflict.”
Once the group heard about the fundraiser, they sprung into action.
Wolff says the recipe the Winnipeg brewers chose is an American red ale, which pours a deep rouge with notes of citrus and grass.
All the proceeds go towards supporting Pravda’s humanitarian fund.
The Brew for Ukraine Collective expects to raise more than $4 million by the end of April.
The beer, titled Red Eyes American Red Ale is being canned at Torque on Friday, and the initial batch of roughly 3,000 cans will go on sale from its King Edward Street location Monday, April 11 at 2 p.m.
“I have a feeling it’s going to be going pretty quickly,” Wolff says. “(We) produced around 1,500 litres of the beer, so that’s going to equate to around 3,000 cans.”
“It sounds like a lot, but I’m sure it’s going to fly off the shelves for the support.”
Wolff says the group is working with local vendors to make it available around the city, and select Manitoba Liquor Marts will be selling cans later that week.
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