Wildflower Pale Ale: Forbidden Root's Charitable Brew

By Ben Kramer in Food on May 20, 2015 3:15PM

Works Progress Administration, an act by President Franklin Roosevelt as part of the New Deal. The WPA was instrumental in putting millions of Americans back to work during the Great Depression by building dams, roads and commissioning artists to paint murals. As an homage to the old program, Forbidden Root not only gave their new beer the same initials as the old WPA but also wanted to get people to work and to better the city around them. This in turn led to the birth of the Charity Works Program.

Featuring several organizations, the CWP includes groups like Chicago Foundation For Woman, Pilot Light and Friends of the Parks. Forbidden Root encourages people to not only volunteer at one these organizations but to snap a photo of themselves while working and post it on either Facebook, Twitter or Instagram with the hashtag "#VolunteersOnTap."

Anyone who does so will automatically be entered into a lottery where they can win a dinner for two at Forbidden Root's Brewpub (dinner date is TBD) with food prepared by a star chef, who remains anonymous. All contestants will receive a gift (which will not be beer, by the way) should they not win and the program will run until June 1.

Wildflower Pale Ale is set to be released today, May 20, with a free public tasting being held at Hopleaf (5148 N. Clark St.) from 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. tonight.