Anvil Brewing helping California fire victims with special brew

Anvil Brewing in Pittsburg is among 1,400 breweries raising funds for victims of the Camp Fire that ravaged California in November 2018.

The beer recipe – Resilience Butte County Proud IPA – was developed by Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. and offered up to every brewer in the U.S. to help victims of the blaze that wiped out 240 square miles. The fire that started Nov. 8, 2018, was recorded as the deadliest and most destructive wildfire in California history to date.

“We know the rebuilding process will take time, but we’re in this for the long haul,” Sierra Nevada Owner Ken Grossman said on the company’s website announcing the fundraiser. “Our hope is to get Resilience IPA in taprooms all over the country to create a solid start for our community’s future.”

The company started brewing the recipe on Nov. 27, 2018 – Giving Tuesday – and is donating 100 percent of the beer sales to the Camp Fire Relief Fund they set up through a local bank.

The initial hope was to generate interest from 400 breweries, but the number quickly swelled to almost 1,400 large, small and home brewers from the U.S., Canada, Europe and Asia.

“We’re trying to do something for people in California who sadly had a tremendous loss of life and homes,” said Anvil Brewing Owner Byron Aldredge. “We have brewed about 30 gallons, which is a barrel, and it’s in kegs. It’s on tap so that people can try it out.”

People can also make monetary donations to the fund through Anvil Brewing.

“It’s ready to go,” Anvil Brewer Don Walworth said of the IPA recipe that is a favorite on the West Coast. The formula may not be what East Texans are used to, but the men invite locals to give the hops-heavy brew a try for a good cause.

“We make an IPA called a double IPA, which is pretty much on the hoppy side. This one is above that,” Walworth said. “But if people know anything about beer, everything Sierra Nevada does is hoppy. They love their hops.”

Aldredge said that West Coast preference stemmed from the early history of California when beer was shipped from India, more hops were added to preserve the brew.

Brewers are a tight-knit community, Walworth said, so when he got word of Grossman’s invitation, he told Aldredge about the effort, and they didn’t hesitate to sign up.

“Watching the news and watching people’s homes and everything that’s just gone now, what was happening out there was pretty striking,” Walworth said. “When I heard about this fundraiser, I said, ‘Oh yeah, we can be part of it.’ We don’t have to be the big dog on the block, and we’re not. We’re a small brewery, but we can certainly be part of that.”

Aldredge was impressed with Sierra Nevada’s commitment to taking care of their employees and then extending that help to the broader communities of Paradise and Chico, California through the fundraiser.

“They truly want to do something good here. And so, this is almost a direct line for donations straight to the people who need it, and you’re dealing with people who are, for lack of a better term, boots on the ground in California right now,” Aldredge said.