A local brewery is set to release a new beer in the coming weeks, but it's not just any beer -- they're hoping that this brew will inspire others to move mountains.
On June 9, County Line Brewing will be tapping a new beer, their very first lager. But this beer took a lot longer to concoct than most. That's for good reason. This brew carries a very special name. It's called "Ruth's Lager".
"Ruth was our daughter - well, is our daughter," said Zack Kiehl, an owner of County Line Brewing. "She was born on August 7, 2017, and she passed away on August 7, 2017, as well, a couple hours after she was born."
While Ruth's life here on Earth was short, her parents are making sure that her name lives on.
"Zack and I were trying to figure out the best way that we could honor her legacy and create a way that she could outlive us the way that kids are really supposed to do with their parents and what we came up with is a really cool scholarship at Boise State," said Laura Kiehl, an owner of County Line Brewing and mother of Ruth.
A portion of the proceeds of Ruth's Lager will be going to the Ruth E. Kiehl Memorial Scholarship.
"It's a nursing scholarship for juniors and seniors at Boise State who are studying to be NICU and labor and delivery nursing," Laura Kiehl said.
Before Ruth was born, Laura was placed on bed rest for 12 weeks. Nurses became a crucial part of her care. She says those nurses would sit with her and make sure she was ok. But she could never imagine the impact those nurses would have on her after her family went through the worst day of their lives.
"After we lost her, I actually begged to be put back in antepartum rather than going to like a labor and delivery ward or anywhere else in the hospital because I knew those women would be there to comfort me and to get us through," Laura Kiehl said.
The Kiehls say when they learned Laura was pregnant, they imagined Ruth as a force to be reckoned with. Now, they hope her story will inspire nurses to be the same.
"I can't wait for those nursing students to hear her story and know why nursing is so important and not every story turns out perfect, but if you give love and respect and hope to those people it can move mountains," Laura Kiehl said.
County Line will be opening at noon on June 9 and will be open until 10 p.m. that night. The Kiehls are expecting many of the nurses that helped them to be on-site for the release of the beer.
