Despite being hit hard by the COVID-19 pandemic, Ballarat's Dollar Bill Brewing is pushing forward in a fundraising initiative to help those in need overseas.
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The sour beer brewers have joined the "Black is Beautiful" initiative, a fundraising strategy created by Weathered Souls Brewing Co in San Antonio, Texas.
The initiative is calling on Breweries from all over the world to develop a dark stout for sale and donate 100 per cent of the profits to an organisation of their choosing.
Co-owner of Dollar Bill Brewing Ed Nolle said he stumbled across the fundraising idea while on Twitter one day and immediately jumped at the opportunity to participate.
"We like to keep pretty plugged in to what's happening in America as it's a place we've spent a lot of time over the years," he said.
"There's a lot of information coming out about how large some of the issues facing people of colour in the US and around the world."
His sentiments were echoed by wife Fiona Nolle, who added their funds would be sent to The Bail Project in America, a non-for-profit organisation which assists at risk members of the community in getting bail.
"It was just something that spoke to both of us, we said we wanted to get behind this," she continued.
"We saw similar responses during the bushfires, breweries all over the world branding together to help us out so we wanted to do the same.
"At this point in time we want to assist those struggling in America, so we're looking to send the proceeds of this initiative towards The Bail Project in America, which is set up to assist those who can't afford to post bail."
As of the time of publication, Dollar Bill Brewing remains the only Australian brewery signed up for the fundraiser. Mrs Nolle said she is proud to be involved with the initiative, as it is something she and her husband hold close to their hearts.
"With all the movements that have been going on over the past few years, people often won't act unless they can understand the issue in a relatable context.
"For Ed and I, this is an issue that we're very passionate about and want to push out towards the public."
As Dollar Bill usually doesn't brew stouts, Mr Nolle said he is excited at the prospects of developing a sour stout for the initiative.
"It's going to be exciting, we'll look to produce a dark beer and potentially blend it with one of our barrel aged sour beers so it's got that Dollar Bill feel to it," he said.
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