Making a difference in someone's life after a devastating natural disaster can be as easy as drinking a craft beer.
Several craft breweries in Northwest Indiana plan to brew Sierra Nevada's Resilience IPA, which they will sell in their taprooms, with 100 percent of the proceeds going to victims of the Camp Fire in California.
The fire broke out in Paradise, California last month, destroying 10,000 homes in one of the state's most destructive wildfires.
"The scope of the disaster is hard to fathom, but we have been flooded with offers of help from all over the country," Sierra Nevada said in a letter to craft breweries across the country. "We are humbled and proud of how the community has stepped up and by the many offers of support from others in the brewing industry."
The influential and well-regarded 38-year-old craft brewery based in Chico, California launched a nationwide fundraising effort, giving breweries across the county the recipe for the beer, tap handles, coasters, posters and more.
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More than 1,000 craft breweries agreed to brew the India Pale Ale for charity for wildfire victims. Participating breweries in Northwest Indiana include 3 Floyds in Munster, Byway Brewing in Hammond, Crown Brewing in Crown Point, 10 Mile Brewery in Porter, Figure Eight Brewing in Valparaiso, and Shoreline Brewery and Burn 'Em Brewing in Michigan City, according to Sierra Nevada's website.
Byway Brewing at 2825 Carlson Drive in Hammond's Oxbow Landing plans to brew Resilience IPA on Sunday.
"Somehow, an Air Force veteran who's originally from the affected area in California but who’s now working in Northwest Indiana found out that we were brewing this beer this coming Sunday, and asked if he could help out with the brew session and contribute to the effort in some small way. Of course we invited him with open arms," Byway Brewing co-founder Dave Toth said. "In addition to this veteran, we’ve invited our front-of-house staff to join our head brewer in this symbolic brewing effort to support this cause."
Byway Brewing has hosted local fundraisers, but it's the first time it is brewing a beer to donate 100 percent of its sales to a good cause.
"It's just another opportunity to use our brewery platform to help others. Only this time it's on a national scale," Toth said. "We're proud to be even a small part of something this big. Brewers and breweries have a history of being good neighbors in their communities."
He invites craft beer drinkers to try the IPA, which has an Alcohol By Volume content of about 7 percent and 70 International Bitterness Units.
"We, like the other participating breweries, are hoping craft beer lovers will visit us and buy this beer to contribute to help the California fire victims," he said.
For more information, visit sierranevada.com/resilience-ipa-map.
