Sierra Nevada to Brew Camp Fire Fundraiser Beer – Resilience IPA

The death toll from Northern California’s Camp Fire that ignited on November 8th in the town of Paradise currently stands at 77 and will certainly rise as nearly 1,000 residents; many elderly are yet accounted for. With well over 10,000 homes and 410 businesses destroyed across nearly 150,000 acres of Butte County, the people desperately need assistance as this fire rages on.

Last week Sierra Nevada Brewing, located in Chico, California on the western edge of the Camp Fire joined is assisting those displaced from the fire with its Sierra Nevada Camp Fire Relief Fund. Working in partnership with the Golden Valley Community Bank Foundation this fund is assisting the residents affected by the Camp Fire, including 14% of the brewery’s employees from its Chico brewery that have been displaced.

To take this fundraising effort to the next level Sierra Nevada Brewing will brew a new Camp Fire fundraising beer, Resilience IPA. Sierra Nevada will donate 100% of Resilience IPA sales to Camp Fire relief, and is asking every other brewery in the country to brew the beer and also donate 100% of the sales.

“Although Chico and the Sierra Nevada brewery were spared, the Camp Fire has devastated neighboring communities where many of our friends, families and employees live,” said Sierra Nevada founder and owner, Ken Grossman in a statement. “This community has supported us for 38 years and we’re going to do everything we can to support them back.”

On Giving Tuesday that takes place on November 27th, Sierra Nevada will brew Resilience IPA. This beer will debut with limited distribution in cans and on draught by early January 2019.

Sierra Nevada is asking every other brewery in the U.S. to also brew their very own version of Resilience IPA on Giving Tuesday and also giving 100% of the proceeds to the Sierra Nevada Brewery Camp Fire Relief Fund. To make it easier on these breweries, Sierra Nevada is working with hop and malt suppliers to secure ingredient donations to participating breweries nationwide.

So far in Portland, Ecliptic Brewing has stepped up to brew a beer its version of Resilience IPA and will be on tap in the coming weeks. We sure hope to see many more breweries step up and join this much needed charitable beer fundraiser.

UPDATE: Buoy Beer, Rogue Ales, Wild Ride Brewing, Salem Ale Works, Double Mountain Brewery, Cascade Lakes Brewing, Boneyard Beer and Ex Novo Brewing have joined in to help those in Butte County and are brewing up its version of Resilience IPA!

There will also be a few local fundraisers for the Camp Fire on the horizon. One Monday, November 26th, Roscoe’s will host Resilience- A Fundraiser for Paradise beginning at 4:00pm. John’s Marketplace in Southwest Portland is donating 50 cents per bottle of Pale Ale and 100% of the proceeds of its Beer Camp Helles draft to assist their friends at Sierra Nevada in rebuilding the communities devastated by the Camp Fire.

Here is Ken Grossman’s full letter inviting any brewery in the country to participate in this much-needed fundraising campaign to help those affected by the Northern California Camp Fire…

As you may know, on November 8, the Camp Fire broke out near the town of Paradise, California, and within minutes raged through the community, obliterating a football field per second of everything in its path, destroying nearly 10,000 homes, killing many residents and leveling the town of 27,000 people. The fire is still raging on, but it is already the most destructive wildfire in our state’s history. Although Chico and the Sierra Nevada brewery were spared, the Camp Fire has devastated neighboring communities where many of our employees lived. 

The scope of the disaster is hard to fathom, but we have been flooded with offers of help from all over 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.

I’m writing to ask you to participate in a nation-wide fundraising effort to support impacted communities.  Sierra Nevada has created a beer called Resilience IPA.  We’re inviting you to brew a version at your brewery and sell it at it your Pub or Taproom, with 100% of the proceeds going to support those impacted by the Camp Fire. (We are hoping for at least seven BBLs.  Of course, any volume is appreciated, but the bigger the better!)  If you join us, we’ll give you the recipe, tap handles, coasters, posters, a social media kit and recognition for your support.  We’re also working with many malt and hop suppliers to provide or reimburse participating breweries for the cost of the raw materials.

We’ll be brewing Resilience IPA on Giving Tuesday, November 27, and invite you to do the same, if possible.  If that date doesn’t work for you, another date is fine.  Our goal is to have the beer brewed and in the market in the next 60 days and donate all of the proceeds to the rebuilding effort.  We established the Sierra Nevada Brewery Camp Fire Relief at the Golden Valley Community Bank Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, and 100% of the fund will be used to help rebuild the lives of those devastated by the Camp Fire.   

If you’re willing to join in, please fill out this form.

We know that the rebuilding process will take time, but we’re in this for the long haul.  Our hope is to get Resilience IPA in taprooms all over the country to create a good foundation for our community’s future.

Many of you have inquired about donations to a relief fund.  You can donate directly to the Sierra Nevada Brewery Camp Fire Relief fund via the Golden Valley Community Bank Foundation web site (www.goldenvalley.bank/community-foundation.aspx).

Thank you for your support of our community; we’ll get through this together.

With gratitude,
Ken Grossman