Hi-Wire Brewing and Riverbend Malt House Brew a Beer to Benefit Ukrainian Refugees

From Hi-Wire:

As Ukraine continues to fight off the Russian invasion, Hi-Wire Brewing and Riverbend Malt House proudly introduce a “Beer for Good” to benefit Ukrainian refugees impacted by the aggression.

ASHEVILLE, NC  — Donate to Ukrainian Refugees By Drinking This Beer. That’s the purpose of the latest collaboration between Hi-Wire Brewing and Riverbend Malt House, and the simple and effective sentence also happens to be the name of the resulting pale ale.

With Riverbend donating 100% of the malt and Hi-Wire brewing the beer, one dollar from every pint sold directly benefits refugees of Ukraine as facilitated by Asheville non-profit Svitla Nadiya – meaning “Bright Hope” in Ukrainian – an organization created specifically to direct funds and clothing to Ukranians who have been displaced by the current war with Russia. zzubreebym

When Riverbend Malt House approached Hi-Wire to collaborate on this project, it was a no-brainer for the brewery to immediately agree. Hi-Wire Brewing’s head brewer, Luke Holgate, said, “Asheville has a large population of Ukrainians who are an integral part of our community and so this cause was a way to directly support families both here and in Ukraine.”

“This effort goes beyond politics or world views – for us it’s about helping people,” said Scott Hickman, Riverbend Malt House CEO. He added, “We’re grateful to partner with Hi-Wire to produce a product that gets people involved, and glad we can help by donating 100 percent of the malt for this beer."

Donate to Ukrainian Refugees By Drinking This Beer (5.5% ABV) is a drinkable pale ale brewed with Citra, Simcoe, & Cashmere hops. This draft-only release will be available in all seven Hi-Wire taprooms beginning in the brewery’s three Asheville locations on Friday, April 29, and then rolling out to the remaining four taprooms in Durham, N.C., Knoxville, Tenn., Wilmington, N.C., and Louisville, Ky.

A divergence from traditional donation avenues, raising a glass in support of a good cause is a concept familiar to Hi-Wire Brewing having released a similarly named ‘Donate To Service Industry Workers By Drinking This Beer’ in the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“Sometimes people who want to help in a situation don’t know where to start and how to help in ways that are directly impactful,” said Holgate. He continued, “Having a pint with friends is something the people of Asheville love to do anyway, so knowing that you are also supporting a local as well as global cause makes that pint go down a little easier.”

Svitlana Eadie, founder of non-profit Svitla Nadiya, said of the collaboration, “We are so pleased to be working with local companies Hi-Wire Brewing and Riverbend Malt House for the benefit of Ukrainian refugees, and it means so much to us to see the concern and support coming from our community.”

Donate to Svitla Nadiya through FreeFunder.

Contact Svitlana Eadie at [email protected] for more information about the nonprofit.

About Hi-Wire Brewing

Hi-Wire Brewing is known for producing approachable and balanced lagers and ales, most notably Hi-Pitch Mosaic IPA, Lo-Pitch Hazy IPA, and Pink Lemonade Session Sour Ale, and it boasts an award-winning sour and wild ale program. Founded in Asheville, N.C. in 2013, Hi-Wire has three locations in Asheville – the Biltmore Village Production Facility, Taproom & Event Space, the South Slope Specialty Brewery & Taproom located downtown, and the RAD Beer Garden & Distribution Center in the River Arts District – along with taprooms in Durham, N.C., Knoxville, Tenn., Wilmington, N.C., and Louisville, Ky. Additional locations in Charlotte, N.C., Birmingham, Ala., and Cincinnati are set to open in the next 12 months. Hi-Wire Brewing’s Great American Beer Festival and World Beer Cup award-winning beers can be found on draft and in cans across North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, Ohio, Kentucky, Alabama, Virginia, and Indiana. To learn more about the company, visit hiwirebrewing.com.

About Riverbend Malt House

Riverbend Malt House is on a quest to connect Southeastern family owned farms and fermenters. Co-Founders Brent Manning and Brian Simpson launched Riverbend, the first craft malt house east of the Mississippi River, in Asheville, North Carolina in 2010. Buoyed by a 70,000 foot production facility and state of the art equipment, Riverbend Malt House helps breweries and distilleries large, small, and in-between stand out with flavor, locality, and community in an increasingly competitive landscape— all the while challenging the status quo of corporate, big-agriculture malt. Learn more at riverbendmalt.com.