Brewers cheer good causes with beer to mark jubilee celebrations

The lead Thank Brew brewer is Fergus Fitzgerald – production director and former head brewer at Adnams.

The Southwold pubs and brewing group is among 35 breweries and 5,000 pubs – which also include Bury St Edmunds-based Greene King – which have signed up to brew and/or serve the beer and host events.

All profits will go to support Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK and to community-focused groups across the country. Organisers hope to raise tens of thousands of pounds for them through beer sales and donations.

The limited edition ales are being crafted by a host of leading brewers to a recipe devised by Mr Fitzgerald.

Centre, Fergus Fitzgerald of Adnams, and actor Anna Maxwell Martin with their Thank Brew beers at The Old Queen’s Head pub in North London (Image: Bob Fallon)

He has devised an easy-drinking 3.5% ABV pale ale, using a classic British ale yeast – and has also teamed up with Rob Fink, boss of Ipswich-based Big Drop brewery, to oversee the creation of a unique 0.5% ‘Jubilee IPA’ version brewed and bottled exclusively by the alcohol-free specialist.

Fergus Fitzgerald of Adnams, actor Anna Maxwell Martin and Nick Heath from Big Drop Brewing Co celebrating the launch of Thank Brew (Image: Bob Fallon)

Line of Duty and Motherland actor Anna Maxwell Martin poured the first pint of Thank Brew at The Old Queen’s Head pub in North London.

Every UK pub, bar, licensed premises and brewery in Britain is invited to take part in the initiative – which is organised by social enterprise The Good Beer Co.

It will be the second time its founder, James Grugeon, has teamed up with Mr Fitzgerald and built a coalition of breweries around a charity drive.

Back in 2017, Mr Grugeon organised the Great Get Together to bring people together with their neighbours to share food and drink and celebrate what they hold in common.

He is an old friend of Brendan Cox – and that event was in response to the murder of his wife, Jo Cox – MP for Batley and Spen – in 2016. Proceeds went to the Jo Cox Foundation.

The Good Beer Company has launched Thank Brew - made to a recipe devised by Adnams' Fergus Fitzgerald - to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and raise money for good causes. There's also a non-alcoholic version by Good Drop Brewery in Ipswich (Image: Bob Fallon)

Mr Cox, co-founder of the Together Coalition and Thank You Day, said Thank You Day this year is all about neighbours connecting with each other.

Adnams will serve Thank Brew at all its managed pubs in Suffolk and Norfolk and staff will receive a free pint of the special brew over the big Platinum Jubilee weekend of June 2 to 5. Mr Fitzgerald said he was excited to be helping to build another beer industry collaboration for a good cause.

“We want as many breweries as possible to get involved in Thank Brew. That's why we haven’t made it too prescriptive with the recipe and approach,” he said.

Mr Grugeon said momentum was building behind Thank Brew. “We’ve already recruited a big coalition of breweries, pub groups and industry bodies,” he said.

Greene King chief executive Nick Mackenzie welcomed the initiative. “The Jubilee is a chance to get together as a community and celebrate. It’s the kind of occasion the pub was made for,” he said.

Thank Brew sales profits will go to eden project communities which runs The Big Lunch, /together Coalition which runs Thank You Day, and to support Ukrainian refugees arriving in the UK through Reset Communities and Refugees.