Half Hitch Brewing Company has something special fermenting in one if its tanks.
The brewery is one of hundreds of operators worldwide to take on a recipe from Ukraine-based Pravda Beer Theatre to raise money for the war-torn country in an international relief effort called Brew for Ukraine.
"Short of flying out there myself to help with humanitarian efforts, it was a matter of, ‘OK, what can we do?'" said Half Hitch president Chris Heier.
Vern Raincock, who stepped in to take on the North American portion of the relief effort out of Airdrie, reached out to the Cochrane brewery and others in the region for help.
"When this project kind of fell on our shoulders, it was a no-brainer to take it up," Heier said.
Pravda operates in the city of Lviv, and for a short time, redirected some of its production to creating Molotov cocktails to support defence efforts against Russian troops.
Of the five recipes the company opened from its casks, Half Hitch already had most of the ingredients on hand for a strong golden ale called Putin Huylo, which they put in the tank last Tuesday (March 15).
The name is derived from a term that originated in Ukraine in 2014 at the onset of the Russo-Ukrainian War. It is a phrase used to express contempt toward Russian president Vladmir Putin.
"One of the things about the brewery is they've kind of had a bit of a hate on with Putin for quite some time, especially over the issues going on with Crimea in the Donbass region," Heier said.
"Most of their beers make some sort of a bold political statement. This beer is no exception."
The brew is provocative right down to the artwork on its label, which Half Hitch will be using in solidarity with Pravda.
The beer will be ready for canning around mid-April and all proceeds from its sales will go directly toward the Canadian Red Cross Society to support humanitarian efforts in Ukraine, said Heier, who also volunteered with the Red Cross during the 2013 floods.
They're estimating they can raise around $40,000 or more.
If the Canadian government can continue matching donations, the Alberta Gaming, Liquor and Cannabis Commission markups can be donated and Liquor Connect can waive transportation and warehousing fees, there is potential to raise over $100,000.
While he has no direct ties to the Ukraine, Heier said he has a Russian aunt who was affected by Soviet-era issues with Chernobyl.
"She had suffered from some radiation damage from that and now apparently has a child that is dealing with long-term developmental disabilities as a result."
Half Hitch has received positive response from locals and others across Alberta of Ukrainian heritage since learning of their support, said Heier, and many are pre-ordering the product.
"What we're trying to do, and I'm more than happy to do, is be a part of this project and hopefully make some people's lives better in this crappy situation.”
"People are paying the price of a totalitarian leader and they shouldn't,” he said. “The people in power are treating humans like they're subhuman and it's unfortunate."
Half Hitch is toying with the idea of a launch party once the batch of Putin Huylo is ready.
The beer will be sold in four packs and can be pre-ordered through [email protected].
