IPA For India
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“We can’t change the world for everyone. But if as a community we can help change the fortune of one person it’s so worthwhile”
Needless to say 2020 and it’s ongoing hangover into 2021 has been top of our list of problems as an employer, brewery, brew tap and commander of a small fleet of bars. I think all of us here would count ourselves lucky to have been able to come out of what is apparently the other side of a global pandemic having had the dedicated safety net of the NHS, Care Staff and other Key Workers all ensuring our safety. I myself, a lifelong asthma sufferer and as someone who uses the NHS for respiratory issues more than most, know the work that is done is essential and of great comfort. Simple swift responses prevent disasters later on.
So, 6 weeks ago when we started with cautious optimism reopening the new brewery, restocking the bars and getting ready to get trade rolling again, I was jarred by the scenes coming from India. Scenes of devastation from their 2nd wave, real widespread impact on the people. Simple logistics support, basic supplies of oxygen and concentrators were missing or under extreme strain. This was causing serious death and suffering in India. It’s rarely the case that a regional disaster can be pinned so closely on a single issue. There the lack of liquid oxygen which is a key component to very basic acute care for any respiratory disease was causing mild cases to be exacerbated as well as limiting supply for those in more intensive care environments and those needing treatment for non-covid resources. People were dying from treatable cases and were suffering.
Over the last 12 months, we’ve perhaps become used in the UK to having to ‘pivot’, to rearrange our priorities to better suit what’s happening around us but we are lucky to have such fundamentals and infrastructure which allowed this. Infrastructures as basic as public transport, care facilities and nationalised health. Played out before me on the evening news was what happens when those resources taken for granted, are put under strain, or simply don’t exist in a functioning interconnected way.
The world is full of disasters, it’s a harsh truth, what it is less full of is people wanting to change things and do something about them. I felt drained after spending the prior 12 months just trying to keep the business going ... what could I do? Donate a small amount to an umbrella charity operating what across what is a sub-continent? I could link to a charity page from the company Twitter account? Thoughts and prayers in 2021 just don’t cut it. Just as these feelings of woe were crossing my mind a quick search of a Brewing Professional’s Facebook group reviled someone who’d seen what I had seen but decided to actually do something about it.
Enter Libby from Goffs brewery who posted asking:
“Hey one and all, this might be a curve ball idea – but i’m sitting here watching the covid devastation in India and feel incredibly sad.
Considering how many of us brew IPA’s & considering where the beer style historically takes it’s name, is there a on opportunity for us as a community to help in someway?
... as we prepare to open up and enjoy freedom in our own country I can’t help but feel helpless to aid a country that led us to IPA in the first place.
Feel free to tell me I’m mad – and that we can’t make a small difference as a community.. but can we?”
Back and forth flew emails and follow up messages on the Brewing Professionals page. What emerged was a wanting from 14+ like-minded breweries and individuals to provide direct action on the ground in India. A singular donation to an organisation or charity that can change things for people. This was a cornerstone of feeling for everyone. We all had been somehow connected in resolve to find a way to make a difference on the ground. This was our modus operandi. Effect a physical and tangible change for good.
The group formed around these fine people and breweries. There are many more, however, my apologies if I have missed you.
Anthony Jones
Alphabet Brewing Company
Bang The Elephant
Blackjack Brewing Co.
Black Storm Brewing Co
Brass Castle
Bunnyhop Brewing
Dhiraj Pujari
The Fresh Standard
Goffs Brewery
Graham Brewing
Hollowstone Brewing
Little Mesters Brewing
Navigation Brewery
One More Than Two Brewing
Radio City Beer Work
Ride Brewing
Yorkshire Heart brewery
Beer Nouveau
*
*(I am 100% sure I have left people out! Let me know so I can add you!)
These fine people and breweries split off into a private group to set about creating IPA for India. The beer style was obvious, I doubt there is a modern brewery that can’t put part of it’s success down to the IPA style regardless of direct links to the original lineage and etymology. Obviously, if you put a group of brewers and beer nerds in a room or chat you are going to end up with a beer collab regardless of the intent of that meeting. So it was agreed, a collaborative brew day, a synchronous day of brewing action for charity. Any of you that know brewers will know that if you ask two brewers what an IPA actually is you’ll get 4 answers and likely a friendly falling out. So in the spirit of expediency and with some excellent support from the group, an achievable heritage IPA recipe was put together. The conversation about the appropriateness of a Heritage IPA, the nomenclature, the cultural heritage, and links to alcohol and colonial harm is needed, but for now, for this project, for right now, we are taking action. When it comes to humanitarian charities even a day delay matters. Brew first, help people, ask questions later.. I welcome this debate if anyone wants to come forward to discuss it, it would be an excellent piece to launch with the beer itself.
So what are we offering in a way of help? Each of the breweries are offering £50.00 of each 9G cask sold, to charity. Nominally we are pricing the beer at ~£85 for 9G cask for a 5.2% IPA. That’s correct, every cask sold will mean £50 heading to where it’s needed. The remaining £35 has to pay for our staff, duty, cask washing, delivery, brew day, wages, rent, COVID Bounce Back Loan repayments, and everything else, we will not be making a profit. Simply put from the punters POV, each pint supped providing £.70p direct to charity. At Blackjack, we’ll be filling a 15BBL (2500l) tank with tasty old school IPA with an aim to get around 60+ 9g casks the equivalent of £3,000 of direct cash donation to charity.
So where is this money going? If you remember back up at the top we were after finding someone or an organization that was accredited and was using the money to help now. Due diligence can take months in the best of circumstances when picking out local causes and groups let alone doing the same with those operating on the other side of the world, which is where Sewa comes in. Sewa is a humanitarian non-profit service, https://sewauk.org/
"In the ancient Indian language of Sanskrit, Sewa means Service – a unique concept of Service – Selfless Efforts for Welfare of All."
They are coordinating on-ground support in Oxygen concentrators, medical supplies and working to get community kits together to reduce travel to hospitals and empower people in their own communities. SewaUK is a Birmingham based , 100% volunteer-run charity that is sourcing oxygen & PPE and establishing connections in the hardest-hit rural areas. Check out their website here https://sewauk.org
With the call heard that someone actually wanted to do something, further kind offers for donations have come in from key industry suppliers. Perhaps not known to many outside of a brewery office or malt store but companies such as Farams, Crisp Maltings, ColorScan, Eebria, Lallemand etc are those that keep the industry moving the UK. Supplying everything from brewing salts, hops, malt to can art, labels and sales platforms a full range of help was offered. Farams are offering a 50% price cut on the 3 chosen hops (Goldings, Fuggles, Challenger), Crisp Maltings are offering out heritage malts, 50% off list pricing (Chevalier, Plumage Archer), Colorscan are offering free bottle/can/pumpclip printing service, Lellemand are offering a free pitch of Nottingham Ale yeast. A few other bits and bobs are going on in the background as well. These donations truly allow us to make this possible, without them for a brewery of our size, just getting up after COVID, it would be impossible to offer £50 a cask.
So the beer then? A consensus that everyone will aim for the ‘same’ beer with open season on any changes people wanted to do, but coming from the same place spritually. With discussions back and forth over a few days with huge input from people in the know such as Steve from Beer Nouveu an achievable ‘Heritiage IPA’ was put together. Working in combination with the suppliers above we’ve managed to secure a bang on the money bill of goods for a beer of this style. Plumage Archer Heritage malt, the UK classic titans of the hop vine; Goldings, Fuggles & Challenger as well as industry standard Nottingham Yeast.
Ok yeah, for those that brew or like to see the word ‘cryo’ on your cans it’s straight out of your Mum’s dusty all grain homebrew book from Boots, or a John Palmer classic from the late 1900’s* but this is in a way looking back at our nations brewing history aligned (or at odds) with India and the IPA. Besides, it’s going to more than do the job and quite frankly as time passes me by, I start to understand that that is value in age and experience! Naturally, us being Blackjack the team are looking to add some further additions later on in fermentation such as mango or cardamom, but we’ll see where the base beer lands first.
The Brewsheet
15bbls // 2500ltrs // ABV 5.2% // IBU 75
-Crisps Plumage Archer Malt (Crushed) 525kg
-Crisps Amber Malt (Crushed) 25kg
-Farams Admiral Leaf Hops @ Start of Boil 1.88kg
-Farams Goldings Leaf Hops @ End of Boil 15kg
-Farams Goldings T90 pellet Hops @Dryhop in DPV
-Nottingham Lallemand Yeast Pitched to 20c
Other additions during late fermentation.
On the day we had down Alphabet Brewing Company as well as Ant who has been part of the organising committee and much fun was hand indeed.
What can you do? Well! This is all pointless unless we can get this beer to beer pumps, bars and pubs. If you own a fine hostelry as mentioned, then get in touch to reserve a cask. Just a cask crusader rather than a publican? Well let your local know what we are up to and we’ll swing on by and get that £50 heading over to India.
“We can’t change the world for everyone. But if as a community we can help change the fortune of one person it’s so worthwhile” – Libby Goffs Brewery
So that’s us, that’s the plan. The beer is in tank and we’ll be launching it soon. For now #IPAForIndia on all the socials to see what others got up to on the day as well.
My huge extended thanks to the whole team at Blackjack who put up with my wild ideas disrupting their brew schedules. Thanks to Tara, Euan & Kieran for the brewday and hosting so well.
Much Love – Darcey & All the team from Blackjack.
For more info please contact us on the below. To hear first join our Trade Mailer for pubs and bars or our news mailing list for information about where we’ll be sending this fine beer so you can play your part.
Brewday Gallery
*Fun fact, back in 2013 I actually lost John Palmers book on Homebrewing in a hostel in Puducherry, India, maybe it went on to inspire another brewer across the globe.