Northumberland brewery shows support for Ukraine with new beer

The family-ran business poses for a group photo.

The First and Last Brewery in Elsdon, along with eight others across the county, have joined forces for the Drinkers for Ukraine initiative.

All profits from the beer will go towards the Red Cross, which is trying to help refugees fleeing Putin’s forces, and will be spent on essential supplies such as medicine, food, water and clothes.

The recipe for the beer has been designed by Ukrainian brewers, who are encouraging breweries all over the world to put their own spin on it in protest of the Russian invasion.

The team seen hard at work producing the new brew.

Allendale Brewery, Muckle Brewing in Haltwhistle, Rigg and Furrow in Acklington, Brewis Beer Company in Amble, Alnwick Brewery, the Twice Brewed in Bardon Mill and High House Farm brewery in Matfen are also involved in the initiative.

And as a nod to Ukraine’s national dish Borscht, locally-grown beetroot is included in the recipe for the stout.

Production of the beer began two weeks ago and it is now in the process of being fermented. The timetable for its release is uncertain, but breweries say they expect it to be ready for distribution some time this month.

Sam Kellie, director at the First and Last Brewery, said: “I heard of it through my trade organisation, Ukraine Brewers, who were asking people to brew the beer.

“We’ll be putting it into cask, keg and can for the public and it [Resist] will be available to trade for pubs.”

In an appeal posted to their website, the Red Cross said: “Red Cross teams have been working around the clock to get critical care to those who need it most, both in Ukraine and its bordering countries. But with recent freezing temperatures, and ongoing violence, an enormous number of people urgently need help right now."This situation is changing rapidly and will affect people for some time. But knowing we can rely on your support, together, we can give hope to people in the darkest of times."Please, donate right now if you can.”If you would like to personally donate to the Red Cross, visit https://donate.redcross.org.uk/appeal/ukraine-crisis-appeal?For more information on the Drinkers for Ukraine initiative, visit www.drinkersforukraine.com.