Virginia Brewers Come To Hospitals' Aid To Fight COVID-19
Beer that helps provide lifesaving supplies for healthcare workers—it’s even better than clapping!
All photos by Phil Galewitz
Water’s End Brewery and Beltway Brewing collaborated this spring on a new West Coast –style IPA that has a refreshing, yet slightly bitter taste. The new 6.4% ABV beer features grapefruit, citrus, resin and peach tones.
But what matters most in the bright blue beer packaging is actually what’s on the can’s label. The inspiring design has a drawing of two medical workers dressed in blue and green scrubs in a superhero pose in front of the name of the beer—PPE. Turn the can to the side and it notes that PPE stands for People Performing Under Extreme Conditions.
In text on back of the can, the breweries explain how $6 of every $18 six-pack sold of the beer goes to the Emergency Preparedness Fund at Inova Health System to be used to buy employees personal protective equipment such as masks and gloves. “We raise a can in salute to those risking their own health for the common good,” the label reads.
Zach Mote of Water’s End
Since the beer was launched in April, PPE sales has led to over $18,000 donated to non-profit Inova, Northern Virginia’s largest hospital system. And the breweries are on target to donate as much as $27,000 by this summer.
Inova officials say they were thrilled to get the breweries sought to help the hospital employees. Sage Bote, Inova’s chief philanthropy officer, said the hospital is grateful for the money from the breweries along with other businesses and individuals who donated to the emergency fund. That money will also be used to help pay employees’ child care and emergency time off needs. “The donations have truly made a difference in our supply of PPE to help us go on,” Bolte said.
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in March forcing breweries like Water’s End in Woodbridge, Va. and Beltway in Sterling, Va. had to close their tap rooms. Zach Mote, president of Water’s End, said he started looking for ways to help his brewery survive and help others. With his taproom adjacent to a bank with a drive-thru window, Mote immediately realized he should set up a similar set up. The brewery has converted its tap room into a packaging line and sells beer in a drive-thru set up in its parking lot. When Mote began hearing about shortages of masks, gloves and other personal protective equipment, he thought about making a beer and using some of proceeds to help medical workers get PPE.
Mote’s inclination to help people on the front lines comes from his own experience. Before starting the brewery in 2016, Mote was a Fairfax County, Va. police officer. “This was a way to recognize and give attention to people who do the hard jobs and handle the risks,” said Mote, who employs 10 people.
On a recent Saturday, a line of cars was pulling up to a small tent outside the brewery just after it opened at noon. The first batch of PPE was so successful it sold out on the first weekend in April. A second larger batch began selling in late May to brisk sales.
Aslin Beer Co. based in Herndon, Va. has also helped Inova buy purchasing and delivering over 900 meals for hospital employees during the health crisis. Aslin used proceeds from one of its recent barrel aged beer releases to fund the purchase from locally owned Northern Virginia restaurants. “We tried to find a way to help the hospital employees and the local restaurants,” said Erik Raines, Aslin’s brand manager.
The drive thru at Water’s End
The PPE beer was brewed at Beltway’s large brewery in Sterling Va. Beltway, has served as a contract brewery making beer for other companies, though it has started making its own beer in the past year. “A lot of people don’t realize that while the number of COVID cases are improving, a lot of people are going to work and putting themselves at risk,” said Sten Selier, Beltway’s president about making PPE. “That’s something we wanted to bring attention to.”
Selier credits Mote for the idea of raising money for PPE though Beltway’s brewer developed the recipe. “It kept us busy and gave us something to do to earn revenue and give a good chunk of it for a good cause,” Selier said.
PPE is one of about a dozen beers Water’s End was selling in its drive thru. Mote said sales have been strong enough that he’s been able to retain all his employees. He’s also continuing with plans to open a second tap room near the huge Potomac Mills shopping center that will he hopes will triple production capacity from a 3 barrel system to a 10 barrels.
“We just wanted to do something to help,” Mote said of the PPE beer. “It was very unsatisfying to just stay at home.”