Ukrainian beer from Icarus Brewing Co. in Lakewood, NJ

LAKEWOOD — Drink beer and help Ukraine at the same time. Sounds like a pretty good deal, right?

Icarus Brewing Co. in Lakewood is teaming up with Pravda Brewery in Lviv, Ukraine, to create a Ukrainian beer to be sold right here in New Jersey.

Owner and brewmaster Jason Goldstein said he first saw the project being organized by Cory McGuinness, a U.S.-based former head brewer of Pravda Brewing, as well as Yuri Zastavny who runs Pravda Brewing. Goldstein immediately knew he wanted to be involved however way possible.

So Icarus Brewery threw the grain on order and asked its designer to start working on modifying the label to work for them, as well as to be legal for U.S. sales. Apparently, some of the beer's ingredients used in Ukraine are not available in the U.S.

Ukraine is one of the most fertile countries in Europe, with a sizable portion of the world's grain-growing there, Goldstein said. So, in normal times, they have access to great base malts for brewing.

A glass of beer at Icarus Brewing Co., Lakewood (Photo Credit: Icarus Brewing)

The name of the beer being sold in New Jersey to help out Ukraine and all it's going through with the Russian invasion is called "Putin Huylo," which Goldstein said translates to a stronger form of "Putin is a d---head," with the name and art being created by Pravda Brewing.

"The style is a strong golden ale which we will brew as close to Pravda's recipe as local ingredients allow for, which to their processes we'll condition on coriander and highly dry hop to add some extra aromatic punch to the malty strong ale," Goldstein said.

The brewery plans to release the Ukrainian brew on April 13 in both cans and kegs. Goldstein said they will be selling cans out of their tasting room in Lakewood as well as via home delivery across the state.

Limited kegs will also make it to a few draft partners around New Jersey who will be joining in their fundraising campaign for the cause.

Goldstein said 100% of all the profits from the "Putin Huylo" beer will be donated to both Pravda Brewing directly for their relief and humanitarian aid, as well as to World Central Kitchens, a charity dear to Icarus, as they are helping feed both Ukrainian refugees as well as those still in Ukraine.

Anyone interested in getting involved can donate directly to either of the charities the brewery is looking to help at https://www.gofundme.com/f/pravdas-brew-for-ukraine and also at https://wck.org/relief/activation-chefs-for-ukraine.

While Icarus Brewery does not have roots in Ukraine, Goldstein said the brewing community is an international one as they brew alongside each other via collaborations, ask each other process questions constantly online and hang out together at international beer conferences and festivals.

Follow Icarus Brewing Co. on Facebook for updates about Putin Huylo beer.

Jen Ursillo is a reporter and anchor for New Jersey 101.5. You can reach her at jennifer.ursillo@townsquaremedia.com

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The Ultimate Guide to New Jersey Brewpubs

From the website that gave you the "Friendliest bars" and places to watch the game, comes the ultimate guide to New Jersey brewpubs.

So what's a "brew pub"?

According to Thompson Island's Article on the differences between a craft brewery, microbrewery, brewpub & gastropub, it says:

"A brewpub is a hybrid between a restaurant and a brewery. It sells at least 25% of its beer on-site in combination with significant food services. At a brewpub, the beer is primarily brewed for sale inside the restaurant or bar. Where it's legally allowed, brewpubs may sell beer to go or distribute it to some offsite destinations."

New Jersey has tons of Brewpubs, some of which have been around for years and some that have just opened in the past year.

Here is a full list of the 21 brewpubs in New Jersey according to New Jersey Craft Beer: