Critz Farms brews special ale to benefit endangered red wolf

By kAte Hill Staff Writer

Critz Farms and Critz Farms Brewing and Cider Co. in Cazenovia have brewed a limited-release Endangered Species India Pale Ale (IPA) this year in partnership with Syracuse’s Rosamond Gifford Zoo.

The “highly drinkable and refreshing” blood orange IPA is brewed using local malt and hops from the Bineyard in Cazenovia.

According to Critz Farms Co-Owner & Operations Manager Patrick Allen, the business will donate $1 per pint sold of the Endangered Species IPA to the zoo’s Fu- ture of the Red Wolves Campaign.

QR codes will also be posted around the farm for people to donate directly to the campaign.

“Conservation has always been a guiding principle for everything we do here at the farm,” said Allen. “As farmers, we are stewards of the earth and take that responsibility seriously. If we can help raise awareness and a little bit of money for a great cause, all while drinking beer, everybody wins.”

According to the campaign, the red wolf is the most critically endangered species of canine and one of the most endangered animals on earth. Known as “America’s wolf,” it is the only wolf species native to the United States.

Conservation organizations are working to raise awareness of and lobby for stronger protections for wild red wolves, while institutions involved in the Species Survival Plan, including the Rosamond Gifford Zoo, are working to build up the population by breeding the animals in human care and releasing them into the wild.

To give the red wolves the best-case scenario for reproducing, the zoo has launched a capital campaign to make updates and improvements to their habitat.

Critz first brewed its endangered species ale in October 2020 to raise funds for