NI drinkers show stout support for Ukraine

NI drinkers show stout support for Ukraine

The Drinkers For Ukraine collective is encouraging breweries to make what it calls an “anti-imperial stout” called Resist, with pubs in Northern Ireland now getting in on the  drive to help the Red Cross relief effort in the war-torn country

Coming in at a heady 10.5% ABV, Resist is an open-source beer recipe developed by displaced brewers  and The Deer’s Head in Belfast is currently pouring the beer, sourced from Otterbank Brewery in Muff, Co Donegal.

The stout is described having sweet notes of chocolate and coffee with a beetroot twist and Deer’s Head operations manager David Neely said the feedback has been great.

“It’s a strong beer and we only do two-third pints, but it’s like the Eurovision vote — the public are behind it. For us, it was a no-brainer to get involved. All year we work with small breweries and this is a great cause.”

The beer can also be found in the Ulster Sports Club, which managed to raise over £6,000 for the cause, with an all-day dance music event on Easter Sunday.

A spokesperson for the bar said: “It was a fantastic reaction. We got so much support, with so many people wanting to help out. Every DJ played for free.”

Elsewhere, drinkers can support the cause at 39 Gordon Street in the Cathedral Quarter. The cocktail bar is currently offering a ‘Ukrainian Spring Punch’, with a percentage of cocktail sales being donated.

Head bartender Nicola Campbell said: “When thinking of our summer cocktail menu, we saw the Russian Spring Punch, which we didn’t feel was appropriate. We renamed it and switched up the ingredients… As a business we wanted to do our bit. We thought it would be impactful to have the option of donating through our menu options — customers could help almost without even realising.”

The drink comprises Prosecco, berry cordial and Nemiroff vodka from the Ukrainian distillery that has ceased operations for now.