It started with Sierra Nevada Brewing Co.’s plan to assist victims of the devastating Camp Fire in and around Paradise, in early November. Many of the Chico-based brewery’s own employees were affected by the deadly blaze, and in the hectic days following the wildfire, Ken Grossman, founder and owner of Sierra Nevada, devised a grassroots effort to assist the community.
Rising from the ashes was “Resilience: Butte County Proud IPA.”
In 2016, Sierra Nevada Brewing was rated as the seventh-largest brewery in the United States, with production facilities in both Chico and Mills River, N.C., according to the company.
Now, nearly two months later, Sierra Nevada’s efforts have morphed to include more than 1,400 breweries across the United States, all of them eager to donate supplies and labor to craft their own versions of Resilience IPA, tap it for their customers and fund the relief efforts.
One hundred percent of sales of the beer — both in cans and on tap — will go directly to the Camp Fire Relief Fund.
“The brewing community has really come together in this large-scale fundraising effort,” Grossman said in a December news release. “Now we’re asking drinkers to come together to help us raise funds by buying the beer.”
Since the various breweries have released their versions of the West Coast-style IPA, “nationwide pint nights” have taken place around the country.
Should brewers’ efforts sell out, Grossman said, the project could raise more than $15 million in direct relief for the fire’s victims, most of whom remain homeless this winter.
Coming later this month will be Sierra Nevada Resilience IPA in cans, but published reports indicate that distribution will be limited.
Buellton-based Figueroa Mountain Brewing Co. tapped its own Resilience IPA on Dec. 27, and pints of the beer are popular with fans, Cambria Griffith, director of marketing, told me in an email last week.
“From what we’ve seen, it has been selling very well and people seem to like the recipe,” she said.
“We are honored to be a participant and know very well how devastating these disasters can be, so doing our part to help out in the aftermath means a lot to us.”
I tried a pint of the Fig Brew Resilience Dec. 30, and found it balanced and refreshingly malty.
Click here for more information from Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. on where Resilience IPA can be found and the breweries that currently have their own versions on tap.
Among those on the Central Coast are Fig Mountain in Buellton; Rincon Brewery and Island Brewing Co. in Carpinteria; Draughtsmen Aleworks in Goleta; Solvang Brewing Co. Hoptions Taproom & Eatery in Lompoc; The Brewhouse in Santa Barbara; Santa Maria Brewing Co. in Santa Maria; SLO Brew, Central Coast Brewing and Santa Maria Brewing Co. in San Luis Obispo; and BarrelHouse Brewing Co. and Firestone Walker Brewing Co. in Paso Robles.
— Laurie Jervis blogs about wine at www.centralcoastwinepress.com, tweets at @lauriejervis and can be reached via winecountrywriter@gmail.com. The opinions expressed are her own.