Central Coast Brewers collaborate on Echo Mountain Fire relief beer

Breweries of the Central Oregon Coast are teaming up to support relief efforts for those affected by the Echo Mountain Fire. Nine central Oregon coast brewers join similar relief efforts by Deschutes, Baerlic and Von Ebert. ‘Otis Strong’ will be an IPA and each participating brewery will brew the same recipe with their own unique twist.

“Before I started brewing, I was a wildland firefighter for many years,” says owner and head brewer Joe Hitselberger from Wolf Tree Brewery. “I’ve never seen destruction like this before and just want the craft beer community to do what we can to help.” In 2018 Sierra Nevada Brewing Company gained national attention with the release of their ‘Resilence’ beer recipe in support of the devastating California Camp Fire. Many nearby breweries participated in that collaboration. “It’s sort of like a more local version of that,” says Matt White of Beachcrest Brewing in Gleneden Beach. “We are all in!”

The Central Coast Brewers Alliance is an association of breweries working together to promote the Central Oregon Coast as a craft beer destination. Head brewers from across Lincoln County and beyond have come together to create a distinct beer with proceeds going to support families and businesses impacted by recent wildfires.

Participating breweries include: Bandon Brewing Company, Beachcrest Brewing Company, Bier One Brewing, Newport Brewing Company, Pelican Brewing Company, Rogue Ales and Spirits, Rusty Truck Brewing Company, Wolf Tree Brewery, and Yachats Brewing + Farmstore. Each brewery plans to release their version of ‘Otis Strong’ simultaneously on October 30th. Rogue Ales and Spirits has graciously donated hops from their farm in Independence, OR. “We just want to do whatever we can,” says Rogue president Dharma Tamm.