NJ’s Icarus Brewing Rolls Out Ale on Behalf of Ukrainian Brewery

Unable to brew amid the war, a Lviv brewery released one of its recipes. To fundraise for Ukraine, Jason Goldstein and his staff made it here in Jersey.

The exterior of Icarus Brewing in Lakewood.
Icarus owner Jason Goldstein's first international collaboration is a fundraiser for Ukraine via Pravda Brewery in Lviv. Photo courtesy of Icarus Brewing

A recipe hailing all the way from Ukraine is giving fans of Icarus Brewing in Lakewood a new brew with which to salute the intrepid citizens of that country.

Pravda Brewery in Lviv, unable to brew at present, shared a golden ale recipe with their global brewing group, in hopes that they can spread word and raise funds for those struggling in Ukraine. When Icarus owner Jason Goldstein learned of the recipe, he and his staff jumped at the opportunity to brew it.

“We’re hoping it stays as true to their recipe as possible, while having our own touch on it,” says Goldstein.

The “Putin Huylo,” as it’s called (“Huylo” is a derogatory slang word), is available now at Icarus until it sells out. All proceeds will go directly to Pravda Brewery, to feed local Ukrainians, and to World Central Kitchen, an organization donating meals to Ukrainians.

The new brew can be enjoyed at the Icarus tasting room in Lakewood or ordered online for local delivery or pickup.

“The fact that we can utilize our skills to help something bigger than us means a lot to us,” says Goldstein. “It allows us to learn locally but think globally.”

How did you hear about the opportunity to collaborate with a Ukrainian brewery?
It’s hard not to follow the news. It just pulls at your heartstrings. We first became aware of the collaboration in a brews forum group where breweries share new ideas, ask questions, etc. Pravda Brewery, based in Ukraine, began posting about everything going on around them. We immediately asked, ‘Hey, how can we help?’

More and more breweries are getting involved. I know locally Bolero Snort Brewery [in Carlstadt] joined in, so I’m excited to see what they release.

Did Pravda share recipes with you?
Currently, with everything being transitioned towards the war effort and [since they are] unable to brew, they put out a few different recipes and beers for everyone else around the world to brew. Now we can help them out and give them a little bit of hope.

What made you immediately jump in?
We generally always try to help out whenever possible. We have joined plenty of other nationwide collaborations and all different fundraisers. The second we saw it being posted, I talked to the staff, and we thought this was something we needed to immediately be involved in.

Tell me more about the brew.
It’s a strong golden ale, which is a style in Ukraine that isn’t really seen as much in the U.S. We adapted it the best we could with grains and hops available here. It’s a strong pale ale with dry hops, heavy aromatics. It has some coriander in it, so it’ll have a little spice. It’s very different from anything we typically brew, but we’re very excited for it.

Is it common for brewers to trade recipes?
Collaboration is very common. Brewing is a tough job, but all of us do it as a labor of love. We’re all interested and excited about the same things, so it’s fun to work and grow together. We’ve done plenty of national collaborations, but this is our first international one, which shows you how big and how small the world really is.

Will all proceeds go directly to Ukrainian relief?
Yes. We’ll be donating to a few different places. We donate to Pravda Brewery directly, as they are currently feeding people. They’re a brewpub in Ukraine, so they are helping to feed people directly and rebuild their area. We will also donate to a charity we were already working with called World Central Kitchen, which helps feed people at the borders of Ukraine and inside Ukraine.

How long will the brew be available after its April 13 release?
Until it sells out. I’m sure we will look at re-brewing it. We will also be selling a few kegs to a few bars around the state so they can join in the fundraising. We’re hoping to expand the footprint of the fundraising as much as possible.

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