White Lion Brewing and United Way launch United Brew fundraiser beer

White Lion Brewing and United Way of Pioneer Valley have turned a new beer release into a direct funding stream for western Massachusetts, with every sale of United Brew set to support the nonprofit’s work in the region. The public launch will run June 17 from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Pridelands, 1477 Main St. in Springfield, giving drinkers a clear place to show up and turn a pint into local support.

The collaboration was announced June 8 and is built around a simple premise: the beer is not just a seasonal release, but a fundraiser with a measurable outcome. All proceeds from United Brew sales will benefit United Way of Pioneer Valley’s work connecting residents with programs, resources and support across western Massachusetts. The organization says it mobilizes people and resources to strengthen 25 communities in Hampden County, Granby and South Hadley, so the money raised from the beer reaches well beyond downtown Springfield.

For United Way, that means the release can help sustain services that include free one-on-one coaching on budgeting, savings, credit and debt. For White Lion, it gives the brewery’s taproom traffic and community loyalty a direct local outlet, one that ties a night out to a nonprofit mission instead of treating the beer as a novelty label.

That fit makes sense for White Lion’s own story. Founded by Raymond Berry Jr. in 2014, White Lion says it was the first craft brewery to go to market in Springfield. The brewery opened its own facility to the public in early 2020 and has built its identity around being more than a production site, with the Pridelands serving as its outdoor beer garden and event space at Tower Square Park in downtown Springfield.

White Lion has also used beer releases before to support causes it sees as part of the community fabric. A previous collaboration, As One, helped raise scholarship funds tied to Holyoke Community College’s beer and cider brewing curriculum and aimed to encourage women and people of color to enter brewing. CraftBeer.com notes that White Lion is among the short list of Black-owned breweries in America, adding another layer of symbolism to a release that is explicitly about access, inclusion and local investment.

United Brew fits White Lion’s model of making beer do more than fill a glass. When the Pridelands fills up on June 17, the sale itself becomes the point, linking a Springfield pour to funding that stays close to home.