BOISE, Idaho — The Works Progress Administration began during the Great Depression as part of the New Deal to get Americans back to work through public works projects.
Now a brewery with the same name has developed their second India Pale Ale and this time around it benefits the Land Trust of the Treasure Valley.
Derek Brown spent a month brewing the balanced IPA with a nice blend of bitterness using Idaho 7, Starta and Simcoe hops, it's called Plant to Protect IPA.
"Putting all the love and effort into the product and seeing what you get in the end and being patient is very rewarding and worth it," said Brown. "It’s also very artistic as well, there is a lot of science and art that is blended together."
This craft brew also blends the community together as this brewery was started back in 2015 by the owner of Bittercreek Ale House, last year they came up with their first beer called City of Good that benefited a non-profit with the same name that ensures people have enough food to eat in the Treasure Valley.
"Progress through beer is a statement of an idea that beer can be used for positive impact in the community," said David Roberts one of the partners of the Works Progress Administration Brewery. "It could be all sorts of things whether it is public art, theatre or ensuring open spaces."
The Land Trust of the Treasure Valley works with private landowners to protect farmland, wetlands and wildlife habitat, but they also create recreational opportunities like they did earlier this spring through a partnership with the City of Boise at the Hillside to Hollow Preserve.
"In addition to that, we do a lot of restoration and stewardship on the properties we protect," said Eric Grace of the Land Trust. "The Plant to Protect will go towards stewardship efforts replanting sagebrush work that we do up in the foothills."
100 percent of the profits from the Plant to Protect beer will go to the Land Trust and it's something unexpected that Eric Grace couldn't imagine being dedicated to their cause.
Loving this photo of our beer taken in the #Boise foothills by @LandTrustLTTV. Net proceeds from sales go to this amazing #nonprofit dedicated to preserving and protecting open space and farmlands. #Craftbeer pic.twitter.com/8JHIotXZQ7
— Works Progress Beer (@WPAbeer) October 16, 2021
"I’m honored personally, I’m a big fan of IPAs, I’m a big fan of beer in general so it is just really wonderful to have something that is just brewed for the benefit of the land trust," said Grace. "I’ve been enjoying it since it’s been out."
It also means something for Derek Brown who grew up in Boise enjoying the wide-open spaces the foothills create for recreation in the area.
"It’s very rewarding for me because I like mountain biking and I utilize all of the trails up in the foothills," said Brown.
This new IPA can be found at Lost Grove Brewery, the Boise Co-op and some of the restaurants on 8th Street, including Bittercreek Alehouse, Red Feather and Diablo and Sons.
