Beer raises money for disaster relief
Part of proceeds from each case sold will go to helping Albertans in need
Beer has long played a role in bringing people together for social occasions; now a local entrepreneur wants to make it a vehicle for helping others.
Hell or High Water Premium Lager is the brainchild of Larry Zimmerman and his liquor agency, which is donating a portion of the proceeds from each case of beer it sells to help victims of disasters in Alberta and possibly beyond.
“To be able to sit down and have a refreshing beer and know you’re helping someone? What a feel- good beer,” said Zimmerman, whose agency shares a name with the beer.
Zimmerman, who is also a realtor, said he “dibbled and dabbled” in the liquor import/ export business and was considering adding a beer to the company’s portfolio when major flooding swept through Alberta in the summer of 2013, causing widespread destruction in Calgary, High River and elsewhere.
Inspired by the widespread mobilization of citizen volunteers who pitched in to clean up the damage — and the experience of friends and co- workers affected by floods — Zimmerman said his company wanted to create an ongoing source of funding for victims of disasters.
The result is Hell or High Water Premium Lager, which recently launched in Alberta. The beer is made under contract to Zimmerman’s agency by Great Western Brewing in Saskatoon.
“I like the way they’re trying to help their local community,” said Michael Micovcin, president and CEO of Great Western.
The beer itself is a straightforward, refreshing lager made with locally grown two- row barley and clocks in at a moderate five per cent alcohol, said Micovcin.
It may be at odds with the current trendiness of craft beer — which can skew toward more assertively-flavoured styles and higher alcohol content — but Micovcin said they wanted something with wide appeal.
In the vocabulary of beer, the goal was to make Hell or High Water “sessionable,” meaning people could have a few without overwhelming their palate or overdoing it.
“It’s very sessionable. For us, drinkability is important,” Micovcin said.
Although there is a charitable component to Hell or High Water, the beer is a commercial venture for Zimmerman’s company. A 12pack of Hell or High Water is priced in the $ 25 range, and the company has pledged at least $ 1 from every case will go into a designated charitable fund — a portion of the profit from each sale.
Zimmerman said his company will appoint a volunteer advisory board of people with experience in the charity and non- profit sectors, which will make decisions about where to distribute the money in the charitable fund.
Zimmerman also promised to post weekly updates of the amount donated to the charitable fund on the Hell or High Water website and said the company will provide weekly sales reports from the Alberta Gaming and Liquor Commission to anyone who wants to verify the numbers.
“The public has a right to know the money is going to the right place,” Zimmerman said.
In the short term, as the fund grows, Zimmerman envisions it doing things like paying for hotel rooms for people displaced by a fire or a natural disaster.
“A disaster can be one family that needs help,” he said.
Eventually, Zimmerman would like to see the initiative grow to the point where the beer is being distributed in other parts of the country and the fund is big enough to fund relief efforts beyond Alberta.
To be able to sit down and have a refreshing beer and know you’re helping someone? What a feel- good beer. LARRY ZIMMERMAN