They have more than just a love of craft beer in common.
Frankie G's Pub owner Calvin Basran and Jorden Foss of Steel & Oak Brewing have both watched young family members fight leukemia with the help of B.C. Children's Hospital. Now they are saying thanks to the hospital and its staff with a craft beer fundraiser, called Casks 4 A Cause, being held on June 14 in the parking lot at Frankie G's.
A year ago Basran's daughter, who was two-and-a-half at the time, was diagnosed with the illness after him and his wife noticed bruises.
"She wasn't acting herself, and she was a little bit down. We took her into get some blood work done, and that's when we found out. But working with Children's Hospital was absolutely amazing over the course of the last year," says Basran, whose daughter is on the mend.
"She's still going through a little bit of chemo right now. She is in the maintenance phase. Technically, she is in remission - it's still a really long, long process."
For Foss, it was his second cousin who was diagnosed with leukemia about seven years ago, when the boy was just three years old.
"I remember it like it was yesterday," Foss says. "I was at The Keg restaurant ... I'd just finished dinner, and my wife and I were supposed to go over and visit with his mom and dad the next day, and I got a phone call that he was in the hospital and what had been happening and that we weren't going to be able, obviously, to meet up with them."
Today, that boy is healthy, happy and active on a swim team.
"I remember how important Children's Hospital was to his mom and dad and how much they really relied on it to get them through everything," Foss says.
Basran is organizing the event at his Queensborough pub as a way to give back to the hospital that has done so much to help his daughter and thousands of other children throughout the province.
"Children's Hospital, the way that they work with the patients and their family is just amazing - especially when everyone is going through such a tough and frustrating time in their life. They just know how to deal with things the right way," Basran says.
The fundraiser will give craft beer enthusiasts the chance to get an early taste of a Steel & Oak brew - its rye, wheat ale. The much-anticipated New Westminster-based brewery isn't open yet, though Foss expects it to be by the end of the month.
"It's one of the first casks we've done as, obviously, a new brewery - our doors aren't even open yet at the brewery," says Foss. "This will really be one of the first opportunities for people to try our beer."
Along with Steel & Oak, there will be multiple craft breweries taking part in the fundraiser, which includes live music, draws, a souvenir six-ounce glass and three tasting tickets for $25.
"A lot of what these craft brewers did is they made a small batch of beer specifically for the event, and we're going to have a big craft beer tasting," says Basran, who expects upwards of 250 people to attend the fundraiser.
To buy tickets to the event, visit Casks 4 A Cause.
