Twenty-six breweries across the state of Nebraska will brew a special beer, called Nebraska Strong Red Ale, with a mission to raise funds for those impacted by the recent flooding in Nebraska.

The Nebraska Craft Brewers Guild said 100 percent of the proceeds from the sale of this unique beer will go to disaster relief efforts across the state. Each participating brewery is choosing its own nonprofit organization to whom they will donate.

The idea for this initiative came from Brian Hoesing, Head Brewer at 5168 Brewing Company. Brian also came up with the base recipe for the beer but each brewery (or collaborating breweries) is free to tweak it and use their own local ingredients as they wish.

“I think at some level, the floods have affected us all in some way and in Nebraska, we come together when our neighbors are in need," Hoesing said. "Nothing shows this mindset better than craft beer and specifically Nebraska craft beer. While it won't happen overnight, every little bit can help Nebraska rebuild. We wanted to emulate something much like Sierra Nevada's Resilience IPA after the forest fires, but focus on a local collective of brewers brewing a great beer for a vital cause.”

There is a suggested statewide brew date happening on Monday, April 1st, and many breweries will be brewing on that day. Due to differing brew schedules, some will be brewing on a different date next week.

There are also quite a few breweries who will be doing collaboration beers and brewing together with a collective of breweries that will distribute the batch amongst their taprooms and pubs. Many local and national ingredient producers and suppliers are also donating ingredients for this statewide initiative, making the potential for fundraising even greater.

Jeff Hanson, Head Brewer for Green Flash Brewhouse and Eatery is hosting a collaboration brew day on April 1 with nine other breweries.

“As a Nebraska native, it’s extremely difficult to see how the recent flooding has impacted our state," Hanson said. "So many are hurting. Green Flash is passionate about this Nebraska Strong initiative as it’s our small way of helping our Nebraska neighbors near and far. Local craft beer has a unique way of mobilizing communities around important issues, which is exactly what we’re hoping to do.”

The suggested release date for the beer is April 28 but some breweries may release the beer after this date depending on factors in their brewery and taproom.

List of participating breweries:

Lost Way Brewery

SchillingBridge Brewing Company

Scratchtown Brewing Co.

Soaring Wings Brewing Co.

Brewery 719

Lazy Horse Brewing

Bolo Beer Co.

Johnnie Byrd Brewing Company

First Street Brewing Company

Zipline Brewing Co.

Green Flash Brewhouse & Eatery

Brush Creek Brewing Company

Fairfield Opera House Brewery & Grill

Kros Strain Brewing

5168 Brewing Co

Stone Hollow Brewing

Infusion Brewing Co.

Blue Blood Brewing

Pals Brewing Company

Boiler Brewing Company

Brickway Brewery and Distillery

Scriptown Brewing Company

Farnam House Brewing Company

Upstream Brewing Company

Bottle Rocket Brewing Co.

Code Beer Co.