Independent Berkshire brewery makes £10,000 donation to Make A Wish Foundation

Reading-based Siren Craft Brew has donated £10,000 after achieving its unique 'Lumina Hour' goals. The brewery, known for its adventurous and creative beers, set out to get its Lumina Session IPA pouring in 1,000 venues across the country and at the same time, aimed to trend on UK Twitter/X.

Thanks to a swell of support from the beer community, #LuminaHour trended at number five in the UK Trends charts on the 30th of June - one place above WWE Smackdown, which was filmed live in the UK at the time. Donations have been made to Make A Wish Foundation, Launchpad Reading and Lymphoma Action UK - a mix of causes chosen by the Siren team.

The unusual campaign comes at a difficult time for the brewing industry, with the Society of Independent Breweries (SIBA) reporting that in 2022 twice the amount of breweries closed their doors than started up. However, in spite of the challenging times, Siren is committed to supporting causes close to the hearts of its team and customers. This campaign celebrated the third anniversary of Lumina, a beer launched in lockdown 2020. It has fast become Siren's best selling beer, popular for its accessible, sessionable strength at 4.2%, juicy hop flavours and aromas of tropical fruits. The beer is gluten-free, further adding to its universal appeal.

Darron Anley, founder of Siren Craft Brew said: "It's a real challenge as a small business right now to cut through, whether that's getting into pubs where the big brewers have tied up all the access and restricted choice for consumers, or online where we see the big social media platforms unwilling to show our followers organic posts. #LuminaHour is an example of what can be achieved when the amazing beer community comes together, raising an incredible amount of money in the process."

Deborah Laing, director of fundraising and communications for Lymphoma Action said: "'Everyone at Lymphoma Action is so grateful to Siren Craft Brew for their generous contribution. Thanks to wonderful supporters like the Siren team, our charity can continue providing vital information and services to people affected by lymphoma, the fifth most common cancer in the UK."

Senior fundraising manager at Launchpad Reading, Fiona Keyte, said: "This is an incredibly generous thing for Siren to do and we're thrilled that they chose Launchpad as one the charities to benefit. In the past year, we've helped 1,400 people across Reading who were homeless or at risk of losing their home and demand across our services has gone up by 30% - so support from passionate local businesses like this helps us to continue doing what we do as the cost-of-living crisis continues to affect everyone."

Katrina Shaw, partnerships lead at Make-A-Wish UK said: "We're really grateful to Siren for their help to give critically ill children a chance to have their wishes come true. Every child deserves a childhood and the power of a wish can bring light and joy to children and their families and help create magical memories that last a lifetime. Thank you."

The success of the #LuminaHour evening on 30th June was also felt by the independent venues involved. Saxon Bar in Christchurch poured Lumina on Cask for the first time, and sold out within hours due to the event. Since then, the beer has been on all their orders. Jared, bar manager at Saxon Bar said: "Lumina is a fantastic example of a modern session beer. Well balanced citrus flavours with a decent bitterness that will please everyone. You wouldn't even know it's a gluten-free beer."

Last year, the brewery also raised more than £20,000 to support the humanitarian relief effort in Ukraine through the sale of Mavka, a collaboration with Kiev brewery Varvar, as well as over £8,000 so far for a variety of causes from other campaigns this year.

Lumina - 4.2% Session IPA launched in lockdown 2020 and has since become Siren's best selling beer, moving over 700,000 cans and 3,000,000 pints to 20 countries worldwide including Denmark, Italy, France and even Australia. Siren Craft Brew has meticulously selected only the very best ingredients to ensure Lumina offers optimum flavour.

With its headquarters in Berkshire, Siren Craft Brew is a passionately independent brewery that truly believes there is a beer for everyone. Brewed and packed in Finchampstead since 2013, the multi award-winning brewery is proud of its quality, unfiltered, modern, flavour-forward beers using only the best ingredients. The Siren Craft Brew range is firmly rooted in Greek mythology. It is said the sirens' voices entwine into a complex, layered melody, and so do the ingredients that go into making great beer.

Starting 10 years ago as a team of three, Siren Craft Brew has blossomed into a team of over 60 people, brewing the equivalent of almost four million pints (over six million cans) in 2022. Founded by Darron Anley, the modern brewery now exports to 25 countries worldwide, self-distributes throughout the UK and is now stocked by Sainsbury's, Waitrose, Morrisons, Asda, leading chains plus independent pubs, shops, and restaurants (including Michelin starred sites). Siren Craft Brew also sells direct to the consumer through its website and on-site tap room.

The company has a prolific brewing schedule, on average releasing an experimental beer every week. A drinks industry trailblazer, Siren is a leader in barrel ageing and the interplay between wood and beer. For more information, visit https://www.sirencraftbrew.com