This script is from the second season of Beer Notes, which you can listen to at beernotes.org.
Beginning in December of 2018, over 1,400 craft breweries across the United States were all brewing the same beer — more than 17,000 barrels, or 4.2 million pints of it.
This week on Beer Notes, we’re talking about brewing beer for a cause, specifically the Resilience Butte County Proud IPA.
The ‘Resilience’ IPA raises funds for Camp Fire relief, the wildfire that tore through the hills of Butte County in Northern California in November of 2018, burning 153,000 acres and killing 85 people in its path. The Camp Fire is the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history to date. The fundraising effort was organized by Sierra Nevada Brewing Company, whose headquarters are located in Chico, California, the most populated city in Butte County.
“We committed to brewing the beer and donating 100% of the sales to the Sierra Nevada Camp Fire Relief Fund, aimed at long-term community rebuilding support,” said Sierra Nevada’s website. “And we asked every brewery in the country to do it with us.”
Over 1,400 U.S. breweries responded to what Sierra Nevada referred to as their “bat signal,” an open letter that asked breweries, suppliers and other craft beer industry leaders to participate in the effort.
From Dogfish Head located here on Delmarva to Anchorage Brewing Company in Alaska, breweries from across the country began donating their time and labor costs to the effort, which involved brewing with Sierra Nevada’s Resilience IPA recipe and donating the proceeds to the relief fund.
Many retailers and wholesalers also answered the “bat signal” and started carrying the beer in their stores for free.
Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman’s goal is to raise $15 million for the relief effort.
The efforts that these craft breweries have made under Sierra Nevada’s leadership just go to show what amazing things can happen when small businesses — competitors, even — work together for a worthy cause. And it’s not bad for business either. 75% of Millennials say it is important that a company gives back to society instead of just making a profit. For Beer Notes, this is Ann McGinnis Hillyer.
