The UK’s first “queer beer” today turns one year old, celebrating 20,000 sales and £4000 raised for LGBT+ charities.
The craft beer, brewed with “proper Yorkshire water” in Harrogate is an LGBT+ startup based in London whose aim it is to “revolutionise the way the LGBT+ community is supported”.
The beer, or their “LGBTQIPA” as they are calling it works in partnership with three leading LGBT+ charities, the Terrence Higgins Trust, Diversity Role Models and the LGBT Foundation, with a direct contribution of 20p from each sale going to these charities. PROUD also support community projects, sports groups and LGBTQ professional networks throughout the UK.
In their first year of trading, PROUD has already partnered with over 100 businesses and venues including the award winning LGBT+ theatre, Above the Stag; the musical Everybody’s Talking About Jamie at the Apollo Theatre and entertainment, bar and restaurant venues across London and the UK.
Ethan Spibey, Co-Founder of PROUD said, “I’ll be honest, My Dad was less than impressed when I said I was going to spend the money I’d saved for a house deposit on starting a beer company. But frankly, we were fed up with seeing brands simply slap a rainbow flag on something for one month of the year and pretend they cared about our community and the challenges we face. PROUD has been built with our charities and our community in its heart and soul. Beer is beer, and it’s a tasty beer, but we believe beer can change the world and be a platform for our sparkling LGBTQ+ community, it’s what makes us a queer beer.”
