A visit to downtown’s The Local Eatery & Drinking Hole will turn up a variety of beers from in-house fermentation operation Resident Brewing, one of which goes by the name of Gratitude. A 5.5% alcohol-by-volume pale ale highlighted by pronounced citrus flavors and aromas, it could easily be mistaken as just another hoppy San Diego beer, but there’s something different—and quite special—about it. A portion of the proceeds from Gratitude help fund the multifarious work of Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD), an institution assisting U.S. Armed Forces veterans lacking employment, healthcare and other vital necessities. It’s a contingent that’s important to The Local’s owners and staff who count numerous vets among their regulars and have formed lasting friendships with that clientele. It’s across-the-bar conversations with some of those patrons that led to the creation of Gratitude—which is brewed with all-American varietals Simcoe and Amarillo—as a way to show former servicepeople in need just that.
“With the goal of giving back to local veterans in mind, we asked several of our veteran friends which organizations they thought were making the most significant impacts in the local veteran community, and they overwhelmingly recommended Veterans Village of San Diego.” says Resident Director of Marketing and Administration Jordan McDonald. “VVSD has been working to help veterans in the San Diego area for over 40 years, assisting them with housing and healthcare, and providing the tools they need to get back on their feet.”
VVSD and its staff of counselors, case managers and clinicians work together to provide mental-health consultation, substance-abuse treatment, rehabilitation, job-skills training and employment assistance to thousands of veterans each year. VVSD also offers a variety of housing options to veterans who are homeless or at imminent risk of being homeless, including temporary residence at its headquarters in the Midway District and shelter in Point Loma, as well as residence at its permanent-housing complex in Escondido.
Being located in the heart of downtown affords staff at The Local and Resident a close-up view of the homeless population just outside their window. “According to an article published last year in the San Diego Union-Tribune, veterans comprise about eight percent of the homeless population in San Diego,” says McDonald. “It is particularly heartbreaking to see those who risked everything for their fellow citizens living in exposed, dangerous or unsanitary conditions.”
Gratitude American Pale Ale isn’t Resident’s first foray into charity-beer territory. Last year, Resident teamed with San Diego Padres pitcher Joe Musgrove to brew a double IPA dubbed No-No Joe. A portion of proceeds from each glass, can and keg of the beer that was sold was donated to the Challenged Athletes Foundation, a local organization working to enable people with disabilities to participate in sports and athletic activities. While the collaboration was already high-profile, Musgrove throwing his historic no-hitter—the first for any Padres player in team history—raised both his and the beer’s popularity, driving increased sales and donations to the foundation.
Gratitude doesn’t have the reach provided by a streak-breaking local sports celebrity, but it is already making a significant, positive difference. And it will be an ongoing, evolving project. McDonald says Resident intends to regularly produce the beer. Furthermore, he and his colleagues are exploring the idea of brewing additional beers highlighting individual branches of the U.S. Armed Forces with a presence in San Diego County.
In addition to its charitable pale ale, The Local extends its gratitude to those who have served through its Gratitude Thursdays promotion. Each Thursday, active-duty military and veterans receive a 15% discount on draft beer, food and to-go beer when they show proof of service. Often, hospitality venues offer such promotions on slow days of the week, but McDonald says it was important to schedule theirs on a day when it would be easier for more veterans to be able to take advantage of it.
“Brewing is great,” says McDonald, “but it’s much better when you get to make a positive impact in the world.”
Resident Brewing is located The Local Eatery & Drinking Hole at 1065 Fourth Avenue in downtown San Diego