COLUMBUS, Ohio — Last year, Seventh Son Brewing co-owner Collin Castore decided to collaborate with Franklin Park Conservatory, gathering flowers and fruits with the goal of finding the right yeast to use in a specialty brew.
“We have always admired the Conservatory and what they do. And they enjoy our beer, so it was kind of a natural fit,” said Castore.
The result is the newly released Biome, based on yeast found on dragon fruit.
“We wanted to figure out a way to really bring home a true Columbus beer with ingredients that were from Columbus. So harvesting the yeast that we used in the beer from the Conservatory biome seemed like the perfect opportunity,” said Castore.
Biome is part of a three-month fundraising campaign that pairs the brewery’s “Giving Everyday Charity Cocktail” program with the Conservatory’s mission to connect the community through educational, cultural, and social experiences inspired by horticulture.
Naomi Merino is a Corporate and Foundation Relations Specialist at the Conservatory.
She said the timing worked out perfectly for the dragon fruit bloom and proceeds of the beer and three new Conservatory-inspired charity cocktails will benefit a great cause.
“Our red dragon fruit cactus here in the desert biome only blooms about three to six times per year, so we really lucked out that it was blooming when Seventh Son was here swabbing for different yeast. The one dollar from every sale of Biome, whether it be on six pack or draft, and one dollar from each charity cocktail will go back to the conservatory to help support our nonprofit mission and operations,” said Merino.
Castore said after 10 years in the brewing business, one must keep things fresh and think outside the box.
Both the Franklin Park Conservatory and Seventh Son look forward to this partnership continuing for years to come.
“Everybody knows that the Conservatory is this great place to take your kids and it’s beautiful and wonderful, but they also do a lot of really important outreach in the community. So it’s great to partner with an organization that really cares about Columbus,” said Castore.
Biome beer and charity cocktails are available at Seventh Son and sister breweries Getaway Brewing, and Antiques on High.
