Alberta microbrewery Best of Kin recently released a special edition lager to raise money for reforestation efforts in the wake of Alberta’s devastating wildfires.

A portion of each Fire Bloom Honey Lager sold will fund efforts to reforest and rewild portions of the province, in collaboration with Alberta non-profit Project Forest. Fire Bloom is accessible at Pursuit bars and restaurants throughout Sobey’s stores in Alberta, where it is set to be featured as beer of the week from Sept. 5 to Sept. 11.

Fire Bloom Honey Lager is brewed using the honey from Fireweed, the first flower that flourishes after wildfires. Best of Kin collaborated with Tank Worldwide, Pursuit Properties, Sobey’s, Project Forest and honey supplier Planet Bee on the release.

Marty Martinez, CCO at Tank Worldwide, tells strategy that the limited edition release fits Best of Kin’s overall brand strategy by echoing the company ethos.

“[Best of Kin’s] brand mission is to take care of each other, including taking care of our environment and ensuring it is still around for our kids,” Martinez says. “We can sometimes wait for organizations or governments to step in; [or] in the face of great devastation, we can come together and make change. We don’t want to brew this beer, we have to.”

Tank Worldwide enlisted the talent of Canadian fire artist Steven Spazuk – known for his exploration of the climate crisis through his unique use of fire and carbon as mediums – to create the initiative’s label art and logo. “My work explores the current reality of the climate crisis through lenses that highlight the ambivalence of humanity, depicting the delicate balance between creation and destruction,” Spazuk said in a press release.

The limited edition lager was created in response to the wildfire that not only decimated the popular tourist destination of Jasper, but wildfires throughout western Canada. In 2023, 45.7 million acres of Canadian woodland, or 5% of Canadian forests, were decimated.

“For weeks, Albertans were waking up with ashes on their windshields from the Jasper fires. It’s Canada’s postcard; everyone in Alberta has been [there], or has family who lives there. It’s a cause that is extremely close to the heart of Albertans right now,” says Martinez.

Fire Bloom can also be found at the Best of Kin taproom, select craft beer retail outlets and at events like the Calgary Beer Fest, Pursuit Beer Cruises and tastings.

“It’s truly disheartening that circumstances necessitate the brewing of such beer,” Best of Kin co-founder Collin Mortson said in a press release. “Our fervent hope is for a future where fireweed honey production becomes obsolete. Until that day arrives, let’s raise our glasses to inspire change.”