Starting today, patrons at the Ghostfish Brewing taproom in Seattle are invited to drink the first in a new series of beers created to raise funds for humanitarian relief in Ukraine. Like dozens of other breweries around the world, Ghostfish is helping the Brew For Ukraine cause by doing what it does best.
Ghostfish Brewing releases its version of Putin Hulio on April 8th. Putin Khuylo, Putin Huylo, Putin Hulio, it all translates into the same thing: Putin is a dick. It is a slogan that originated in Ukraine as a football chant at the onset of the Russo-Ukrainian War in 2014. For obvious reasons, it has skyrocketed in popularity since the onset of Putin’s latest aggression.
Ghostfish Brewing’s Putin Hulio is a limited-release, small-batch beer; when it’s gone they’ll replace it with the next beer in the Victory Series. The brewery will donate proceeds from these beers to the relief fund set up by Pravda Brewery of Lviv, Ukraine.
One by one, Ghostfish Brewing will release its versions of the following five award-winning brews from Pravda Brewery, converting each of them into 100 percent gluten-free beers:
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- Putin Huilo (Putin is a Dick) – Dry-Hopped Strong Ale
- Syla – Belgian Tripel
- Red Eyes – American Red Ale
- Frau Ribbentrop – Belgian Witbier
- From San To Don – Ukrainian Imperial Stout
“Owning a brewery brings about a fair amount of stress, but nothing has stressed me out as much as I have been since the first few days of the Russian invasion of Ukraine this past March,” said Brian Thiel, co-owner of Ghostfish Brewing. “I’ve never been to Ukraine, nor do I have any relatives from Ukraine, but I am a human on the same planet simply trying to make sense of Putin’s senseless aggressions on peaceful people in the year 2022.”
“A big source of stress for me was trying to figure out what I could do to support the brave people of Ukraine,” said Brian. “Sure, I could reach into my wallet and send off money like everyone else, but I knew that wouldn’t be as impactful as I wanted it to be.”
Then, on the TV news one night, Brian saw Yuri Zastavny, the owner of Pravda Brewery, explaining that his brewery had stopped making beer and was now focusing on preparing for battle. Instead of filling bottles with beer, the brewery was now dedicating the bottles to Molotov cocktails.
“As I continued watching this news segment, I envisioned myself in Yuri’s shoes and I immediately knew what I needed to do to lend support,” explains Brian. “Ghostfish needed to brew a beer in support of Ukraine. The very next morning, I spoke with our Head Brewer, Reid Ackerman, and explained what I had seen on the television the night before and what I wanted to do. Reid wholeheartedly embraced the idea and needed no convincing to get started.”
Pravda Brewery soon realized that it could do more than produce primitive weapons. Its war efforts expanded to fundraising, helping support the millions of people devastated by the war. The brewery invited other breweries around the world to join the fight.
And that’s what Ghostfish Brewing was willing to do, said Brian. “I knew my intentions were in alignment with what needed to be done when within a few days of deciding to brew in support of Ukraine, Pravda Brewery announced they were sharing the recipes of five of their most popular and highly awarded beers and encouraging brewers from around the world to brew their beers in support of their fight.”
You can enjoy Ghostfish Brewing’s Putin Hulio starting Friday, April 8th at the brewery’s taproom in Seattle. The brewery is supporting the cause by doing what it does best: brew beer. You can do the same by drinking it.
