YOU ARE NOT ALONE – Fundraiser for Food/Beverage Employees in Need
(Check out the homebrew recipe for You Are Not Alone!)
The COVID-19 (coronavirus) pandemic has taken a massive toll on the world. Those of us here in the Pacific Northwest were amongst the first in the US to feel the effects of the virus and the resulting social distancing measures, and we are now living through the swift socioeconomic impact of both. We should all be proud to be doing our parts to flatten the disease curve, and we should remain ever diligent in following these measures.
The hospitality industry – including many bars and restaurants that support our brewery – have been particularly hard-hit, with mandated closures of establishments for the past two weeks. Businesses have lost a vast amount of their revenue due to either closure or significantly reduced operations, resulting in heavy job losses in the restaurant and bar industry, virtually overnight.
We at the brewery have also had to transition to a to-go model only, as we are no longer able to open our tasting rooms to the public. This combined with restaurants and bars closing their doors too has impacted our business by 50%. But at least we still had half to keep operating – and to keep our whole team fully employed – others are not so lucky. And so we believe we have a responsibility and the opportunity to help others in our industry right now.
In a couple of weeks we will release a brand-new beer called You Are Not Alone. This is a beer with a purpose: to help raise funds for those who have lost their jobs in the hospitality industry. Our friends and peers who have lost their jobs are facing a double-whammy: a loss of income and isolation of staying home, and they must be feeling very alone. We want to make sure they know that there are people thinking of them during these difficult times!
This is just a small way of trying to help in these uncertain times. We will donate 100% of the profits of You Are Not Alone to Big Table, who is providing support to those in our industry who have lost their jobs.
We’ve also designed the label of this beer to be an homage to a certain little digestif bottle that warms the hearts of many craft beer fans, industry or not.
The beer itself was brewed last weekend, and we anticipate it to be released around April 16 (the beer will let us know when it is ready!) It will be an 8.5% hazy IPA featuring spelt – one of our favorite grains to add creaminess and mouthfeel to our hop forward beers. We’re still working on the dry hop profile as I write this and will keep you updated.
To the brewers and brewery owners who are reading this: We invite other breweries who are able to join this effort to brew their own You Are Not Alone beers, and to donate what they can to a charity of their choice. Please reach out to us, we are happy to share recipe ideas and even the label template so you can make it your own.
More to follow as we get closer to the release, including plans for a virtual toast since we can’t all be in the room together to share a beer. But in the meanwhile stay safe, stay healthy, and please remember – #youarenotalone
Cheers, Adam and Grace Robbings