SPRING PARK, Minn. – Several Minnesota breweries are taking action to help another brewery with close ties to the state.
New Origin Brewing in Asheville, North Carolina was destroyed during the war Hurricane Helene.
The force of the storm brought down a 300-ton train and other debris where the brewery once stood.
Back Channel Brewing in Spring Park is a beer maker offering a helping hand to a competitor 1,000 miles away.
Dan Juhnke and Brian Fetting grew up outside Moorhead. The two founded New Origin Brewing in Asheville five years ago.
“I simply consider Dan a true friend and one of the best brewers I have ever experienced,” said Josh Leddy, owner of Backchannel Brewing. “When we heard about this situation, I immediately said, ‘Gosh, we should brew a beer in their honor.'”
That was the inspiration behind Crunchy Tunes, a New England-style IPA beer collaboration with New Origin. For every beer sale, New Origin will take a cut of profits, according to Leddy.
“Because this is going to be an ongoing effort, probably for years to come,” Leddy said.
The beer is actually a look back at a previous collaboration between the two breweries.
“Hopefully our small contribution can give them something,” Leddy said.
It’s not just Back Channel; nearly a dozen breweries from Minnesota and North Dakota will team up and donate profits.
“It’s absolutely incredible. We are deeply moved by the efforts the brewing community has made,” said Fetting, co-founder and CEO of New Origin.
According to Fetting, he is still hopeful that New Origin can rebuild after the destruction. Their priority now is to see what government support is available to help with what will still be a massive cleanup effort.
An online fundraiser has now raised more than $98,000 for the brewery.
“It says a lot about how generous they are and how thoughtful they are, despite the challenges that I think everyone is going through to some degree,” Fetting said.
Participating breweries:
- Bemidji Brewing – “Jurassic Pulp IPA” – Bemidji, Minnesota
- Back Channel Brewing – “Crunchy Tunes IPA” Spring Park, Minnesota
- Junkyard Brewing Company – “Boss Battle IPA” Moorhead, Minnesota
- Sun Brewing – TBA, Bismarck, North Dakota
- Atypical Brewing – TBA, Minot, North Dakota
- Portage Brewing – TBA, Walker, Minnesota
- Drastic measures in preparation – TBA, Wadena, Minnesota
- Lupulin Brewing – TBA, Big Lake, Minnesota
- Blackstack Brewing – TBD, St. Paul, Minnesota
- Klockow Brewing – TBD, Grand Rapids, Minnesota
- Dialectical Brewing – TBA, Mandan, North Dakota
Junkyard Brewing Company is hosting a Beer Release and Fundraiser party at the brewery’s Moorhead taproom on Saturday, December 28 from 4 p.m. A portion of Boss Battle sales during the event will be donated to New Origin’s recovery efforts.
Jason Rantala
