Bike Brew Q, a charity event in Great Bend, worked with Kansas breweries to create a dedicated, special release beer called “Citra Fighter,” which will be a citra hopped sour session ale and will be available at the Bike Brew Q Craft Brew Expo from 1-4 p.m. on July 27.
The summer-inspired beer was brewed as a collaboration between Lb Brewing Company, Defiance Brewing Company, Wichita Brewing Company, Salt City Brewing Company and Three Rings Brewery. The beer was brewed at Gella’s Diner & Lb. Brewing Co. in Hays. The beer will also be sold at each of the participating breweries with a percentage of the proceeds going to the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF). Area establishments will be able to purchase kegs as well.
Lb Brewing Head Brewer Brendan Arnold said he wanted to help with this project from day one.
“I think for us as a brewpub it’s important to try and give back to the community as much as possible and when we see an event like Bike Brew Q that is doing something for a good cause we like to step in and help create some awareness, and just assist all that we can,” he said. “It’s the least we can do. That’s our part and how we help out. Also, it’s all very local. We consider Great Bend a sister city to us.”
Arnold said the idea for the beer was to make something very easy to drink.
“People want that tartness and crispness in the summer and it’s the event beer, so we wanted something drinkable that still has a lot of dankness and tropical fruit flavors,” he said. “There is something in this beer that everybody will enjoy.”
Event Founder Ryan Fairchild said the collaboration brew was something he always wanted to do for the event and the generous nature of the craft beer community is what has made this dream possible.
“Lb Brewing/Gellas has been a supporter of Bike Brew Q since day one and they hopped on board immediately to help pull this together by donating their time, equipment, and ingredients to this collaboration,” he said. “Overall, our experience with the craft beer community has been insanely positive. All the breweries have embraced us and what we are trying to do and their willingness to come together on this beer is just one of many examples of this. It’s an amazing community of people.”
Fairchild was inspired to name the beer in honor of Bike Brew Q’s affiliated charity, the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation.
“The name was constructed from 2 points of impact,” he said. “The initials ‘CF’ were used to represent Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and ‘Fighter’ was used because people with CF are known as fighters. Citra is the main hop used in the creation of the beer.”
Bike Brew Q is held annually on the last Saturday in July and features three staples of summer: cycling, barbecue and craft beer. The event is an officially sanctioned, third-party fundraiser with 100% of the proceeds going to the CFF. Tickets for each event are sold separately so attendees only pay for the events they want to participate in. Tickets are on sale now at bikebrewq.com or can be bought at the door the day of the event. Fairchild chose Cystic Fibrosis because his wife, brother-in-law, and cousin all suffer from the disease. For more information, visit bikebrewq.com.
