Most brewers work hard to create their own unique recipes. But more than 1,000 breweries across the country—including dozens in Oregon—are making the same batch in order to support those devastated by the Camp Fire in Northern California.
Sierra Nevada, which is located a little more than 10 miles west of the blaze's origin in the town of Paradise, announced that it would be making a special beer and donating every cent of its sales to the fund assisting shelters and other emergency service providers.
The Chico-based business then put out the call to every other brewer in America to join them by sharing the recipe for Resilience Butte County Proud IPA.
"We know that the rebuilding process will take time, but we're in this for the long haul," Sierra Nevada founder Ken Grossman posted on the brewery's Facebook page Nov. 16. "Our hope is to get Resilience IPA in taprooms all over the country to create a solid start for our community's future."
In just a few days, hundreds answered their call. The count topped 1,000 by the collective nationwide brewing date, Nov. 27, which also happened to be Giving Tuesday.
According to Sierra Nevada's state-by-state spreadsheet of participants, 48 Oregon breweries and beer suppliers signed up and mashed in, including Widmer, Pelican, Ecliptic and Cascade Locks' Thunder Island, which suffered its own financial blow last year following the Eagle Creek Fire and closure of I-84 in the Columbia River Gorge.
Most of the local beer will be on tap at participating brewpubs in a few weeks. Homebrewers can also help pump money to fire victims, as Sierra Nevada shared a scaled-down recipe on its website.