Regina breweries selling limited edition suds to raise money for community organizations

A pair of Regina breweries are fundraising for community organizations by doing what they do best — making beer.

Rebellion Brewing has teamed up with well-known drag queen Flo Mingo to create Flo Mingo's Sparkle Motion Majestic Milkshake IPA. All proceeds from the sales are being donated to Lulu's Lodge, a transitional home for young people who identify as LGBTQ and are homeless.

Mark Heise, president of Rebellion Brewing, said the team at Rebellion met Flo Mingo a couple of years ago and "just immediately fell in love with the story and the character and the persona."

"We were like, 'We need to make a beer together. We need to do something crazy and exciting and raise money for a great cause.'"

Terry Van Mackelberg, also known as Flo Mingo, said he was also on board after someone from Rebellion mentioned they can make a beer with edible sparkles in it.

"Of course, Flo Mingo had to jump on that," he said.

He then asked Rebellion if there was a way to make a beer that was loud and bold like Flo Mingo and could be used to raise money for Lulu's Lodge.

"Rebellion Brewing jumped all over that," he said.

Heise said the brewery is always looking to help charities or causes that could use extra support.

"Youth are so important and to be displaced — for anyone to be displaced — from a home is certainly a cause worth supporting," said Heise.

Van Mackelberg said he has raised about $150,000 as Flo Mingo since the centre opened, and that as a member of the LGBTQ community, Lulu's Lodge has significant meaning to him.

"When I grew up, I knew that it wasn't safe for me to live my true, authentic life so I stayed in the closet and I didn't come out until I was thirty four years old," he said.

Van Mackelberg grew up in a small community in Manitoba, he said. He had a lot of support when he came out from certain family members — his ex-wife, children and friends — but he didn't get the same support from his parents.

At the age of 34, he said he could deal with not having them in his life, but "there's no way that a kid should not have the support of their parents just because of who they are."