Local breweries team up on anti-Putin ale to raise money for Ukraine refugees

Some of Fairfax County’s top breweries are rolling up their sleeves and joining a global campaign to support Ukrainian refugees displaced by the ongoing Russian invasion.

The “Brew for Ukraine” movement emerged in early March in response to a call for support from Pravda Brewery, a company based in Lviv, Ukraine, that has shifted to brewing Molotov cocktails for the country’s defense efforts.

Pravda released the recipes for its five most popular beers, now branded the “Victory beer series,” and encouraged other breweries to craft and sell them as a fundraiser.

Ornery Beer Company, which is based in Manassas with a restaurant and pub in Fairfax City, announced yesterday (Thursday) that it has partnered with seven other Northern Virginia breweries to produce Putin Huilo, a dry-hopped golden ale that takes its name from a common derogatory phrase for Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The participating Fairfax County breweries are Reston’s Lake Anne Brew House, Fair Winds Brewing Company in Lorton, and Caboose Brewing Company, which runs Caboose Commons in Merrifield and Caboose Tavern in Vienna.

Other collaborators include the Quattro Goombas Winery & Brewery in Aldie, Loudoun Brewing Company in Leesburg, the Manassas-based Tucked Away Brewing Company, and Winchester Brew Works.

According to a press release, the businesses gathered at Ornery’s production brewery in Manassas on March 25 to make the ale, and they will reunite on Wednesday (April 27) to package the resulting 8,000-plus cans of alcohol.

Putin Huylo will be on sale at all eight breweries starting on April 29. They will have four-packs of 16-ounce cans available for $20.

“A $20,000 donation, from the proceeds of our Putin Huylo collaboration, will be made on Monday May 2nd, split among World Central Kitchen-Ukraine, GlobalGiving Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund, and Pravda Brewery’s community efforts in Lviv, Ukraine,” Ornery said in the press release.

According to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, more than 5 million people have fled Ukraine since Feb. 24, the day Russian military forces crossed the border into their neighboring country. It’s considered the largest refugee crisis in Europe since World War II, and as of Wednesday (April 20), the UNHCR had recorded 5,264 civilian casualties.

Northern Virginia, including Fairfax County, recently wrapped up an almost month-long donation drive to collect coats and other winter clothes that will be delivered to refugees in Poland. Volunteers will sort and pack donations from across the region this weekend (April 22-23) at the Oakton Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (2719 Hunter Mill Road).