From day one, Carlsbad’s Burgeon Beer Co. has approached humanitarian efforts with the same zeal as hazy IPAs, and that’s saying something. Two years into its short lifespan, the business has contributed more than $50,000 to non-profit organizations and causes. This has been done through weekly charity events involving dozens of different partner organizations, which are strategically chosen based on how they jibe with the company’s ethos. Few overlap quite as well as the National Forest Foundation, which will be the beneficiary of Burgeon’s next large-scale charity undertaking.
Burgeon has pledged to plant 25,000 trees in national forests over the next year. Its vehicle for doing so will be Reclaim the Wild IPA, a 6.5% alcohol-by-volume West Coast India pale ale brewed with Cascade, Chinook and Citra hops. Burgeon will hold a release party for Reclaim the Wild IPA on Friday, March 29. For every pint and can of the beer sold that day, a tree will be planted in a national forest, with the first 5,000 helping to reforest land devastated by last year’s Camp Fire in Northern California. That night’s mobile food vendor will also make a donation to the National Forest Foundation. To increase the impact of this beer, Burgeon will hold events featuring the beer at various San Diego County retail accounts, all of which will also make donations to the organization and essentially double the number of trees planted.
“The effects of climate change are becoming more evident every day,” says Burgeon co-founder and vice president Matthew Zirpolo. “If we don’t act soon, the effects will get exponentially worse and become irreversible. By planting trees, we can combat climate change, reduce significant weather events, provide a home for wildlife, aid in water reclamation and generate clean air for the world to breathe.”
In addition to the above efforts, Burgeon is planning “branch outings” with local companies to further raise awareness. They also have a hike planned with Hike For Beer as well as several events—a trail-maintenance day, tree-planting, camping trip and beach clean-up—with nature outfitter and equipment retailer REI.
“We chose the name Burgeon, which means to grow, because it reflects our ideals as a company,” says Zirpolo. “Our tasting room, beer names and philanthropic efforts all revolve around nature. Our tasting room is built out of recycled wood from the Cedar Fire of 2003, scrap metal and recycled materials. We have always been big proponents of preserving nature. We have a great appreciation for nature and want to create a world for future generations to enjoy.”