Squatters Brews Tempest-Tost Wit, Benefitting UT International Rescue Committee
(Salt Lake City, UT)– Squatters Craft Beers, to show solidarity with our refugee and immigrant communities, has brewed a Middle Eastern Wit beer featuring ingredients indigenous to some of the countries singled out by President Trump’s recent travel ban. All proceeds from the sale of the beer will benefit the Utah Chapter of the International Rescue Committee, an organization that supports refugees in realizing their dream of leading self-sufficient and fulfilling lives.
Beginning March 1st and until the kegs run dry, Tempest-Tost Wit will be available at all Squatters and Wasatch Brew Pubs, as well as the West Side Tavern. Squatters’ brewmaster Jason Stock and brewer Conor Papineau have crafted this unfiltered wheat beer utilizing green cardamom, sweet orange peel and a healthy dose of torrified wheat. The beer is designed to reflect the complexity and nuance of the regions from which the ingredients originate.
From the melting pot to the brewing kettle, the story of Salt Lake Brewing Company – like most American stories – is one of immigrants. It was in the spirit of this legacy that Wasatch Sugar House server Rich Vosepka hatched the idea of brewing a beer to help our local refugee population. “Focusing on the two things that we do best – brewing beer and creating an environment where all feel welcome and safe – is a win-win for everyone,” says Vosepka.
“This promotion speaks directly to the core values of our company,” adds Chief Operating Officer Doug Hofeling. “Tempest-Tost Wit not only gives our guests the opportunity to try a unique and delicious beer, but also contribute to a truly worthwhile cause.”
The name for the beer comes from Emma Lazarus’ poem “The New Colossus,” which serves as an enduring reminder that we were all strangers once:
Give me your tired, your poor,
Your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,
The wretched refuse of your teeming shore.
Send these, the homeless, tempest-tost to me,
I lift my lamp beside the golden door!
About Salt Lake Brewing Co. (Squatters Craft Beers and Pubs & Wasatch Brewery and Pubs)
In 1986, Greg Schirf opened Utah’s first microbrewery, Wasatch Beers and Brewpub in the resort town of Park City. A few years later Jeff Polychronis and Peter Cole founded Squatters Pub Brewery Salt Lake’s original brewpub in 1989. The company currently operates five brewpubs and a wine and ale house. In 2000, Squatters Craft Beers and Wasatch Brewery merged their microbrewery operations for draft and bottle production, creating Utah Brewers Cooperative. To date, Squatters and Wasatch have brought home 17 World Beer Cup Awards and 31 Great American Beer Festival Medals. In 2010, Utah Brewers Cooperative received the prestigious U.S. Mid-size Brewery of the Year award from the Brewers Association.
Squatters and Wasatch packaged and draft beers are available in Utah, Nevada, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Texas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota, North Dakota, Nebraska, Oklahoma, Idaho, Arkansas and Wyoming. For more information, please visit www.squatters.com and www.wasatchbeers.com.
