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Brewing to support Ukrainian relief

There’s nothing abnormal about Abnormal Beer Co.’s charity-focused pale ale

On top of quality, award-winning beer and an overriding spirit of camaraderie and cooperation, San Diego’s brewers are well known for being productive members of their communities ready to support good causes at the drop of a brewery-logo-affixed hat. So, it’s no surprise to see local operations like Hopnonymous Brewing and Mikkeller Brewing San Diego joining initiatives such as Drinkers for Ukraine and Brew for Ukraine. Nor is it unexpected to see the team at Rancho Bernardo’s Abnormal Beer Co. rolling up their sleeves and brewing a beer to support numerous organizations’ Ukraine relief efforts. That charity brew goes by the name Glory to the Heroes and is set to debut soon.

A triple-hopped cold pale ale coming in at 5.2% alcohol-by-volume, the beer will be packaged in cans decked out in the blue and gold of the Ukrainian flag. Customers who purchase $20 four-packs or $30 “We Stand with Ukraine” t-shirts ($20 from the sale of which will be donated) can select which of the following to funnel their financial support to: Ukraine Defense (National Bank of Ukraine), Children of Ukraine (UNICEF) or Vital Ukrainian Aid (Red Cross).

“After watching the terror unfold on the news, we felt a sense of hopelessness. We knew we wanted to help in any way we could,” says Abnormal General Manager Ginny Mitchell. “Our owner Matt DeLoach and Head Brewer Jason Martin came up with the idea of brewing a one-off beer and have all proceeds go towards efforts in Ukraine. Shortly after the conception of the beer, we thought we could further help by designing a t-shirt for those customers that want to support but aren’t beer drinkers.”

When coming up with the recipe for the charity beer, rather than focus on anything tying into the region, its people or their plight, Martin leaned on ingredients and knowhow. As he put it, he just wanted to make the best product possible.

“For this beer, we started with Skagit Malts, Fritz Pilsner Malt and a heavy amount of rice for a very light, crisp and clean body. To further the crispiness, we used W-34/70 yeast fermented at a slightly warmer temperature in order to take the pale to the next level,” says Martin. “This beer is loaded with Citra hops in many forms—pellets, Cryo, Incognito and Spectrum. To balance out all the Citra, we added some Taiheke, Cryo Cascade and Centennial Incognito.”

The result is a refreshing pale ale with notes of grapefruit, peach and line backed by a moderate, pine-like bitterness.

A presale (which ended last Friday) was held online, resulting in most of the 100 cases of the beer being spoken for, though four-packs will be available along with a very limited amount of draft beer when Glory to the Heroes is ready. That is anticipated to be sometime between Friday, April 15 and Tuesday, April 19. Mitchell says the best way to stay apprised of the beer’s release is to follow Abnormal’s Instagram account,.

“We are a small brewery in Rancho Bernardo that’s doing what we can to make a difference and to bring awareness to our local community,” says Mitchell. “We are humbled by the support we’ve received thus far. We are all affected by what’s happening in Ukraine and we wanted to do what we could to show our support and help those in need.”

Abnormal Beer Co. is located inside The Cork & Craft Restaurant at 16990 Via Tazon in Rancho Bernardo

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