Back in February, comedian Ricky Gervais singled out Vancouver brewery Parallel 49's Ruby Tears on Twitter for being "the best I'd ever tasted."
For a bit of a lark, the "Yeast" Van-neighbourhood brewery did temporarily rename (re- rename?) Ruby Tears "Ricky's Tears" on their taproom menuboard.
Then they made Gervais - someone who loves animals, beer, and Vancouver with great enthusiasm for all - an offer he couldn't refuse.
"We would like to donate 25 cents per pint of Ruby Tears and $1 from the sale of each six-pack province-wide to an animal charity of his choosing," shared Parallel 49.
Gervais chose Esther the Wonder Pig, a social media darling with over half a million Instagram followers and a Hollywood movie deal, who hails from across the country.
This week, P49 revealed the fundraiser has wrapped up and Esther and the eponymous sanctuary she calls home is the beneficiary of $8,000.
"Thank you for stepping up Ricky and to all of you P49 and Esther fans for raising funds for the sanctuary to continue its mission of compassion for animals during these tough times," said Parallel 49.
Esther has two human 'dads' - Steve Jenkins and Derek Walter - who thought they'd adopted something called a 'teacup' pig - which didn't actually exist. Their new little Esther was going to grow up to be a big, commercial-sized pig.
"We called her Esther the 'Wonder' Pig, because we wondered what we were going to do, how big she was going to get, and where we were going to go!" said Walter at a May 2019 event.
When it became obvious there was no longer room in their small Georgetown, ON home for their two dogs, two cats and the growing Esther, the couple took the plunge and crowd-funded to buy a 50-acre farm sanctuary just outside of Campbellville, ON.
The Happily Ever Esther Farm Sanctuary is now home to 65 animal residents, all of whom were abused, neglected, or abandoned farmed animals.
Parallel 49 calls their Gervais-inspired fundraiser a tale of supporters "enjoying Ruby Tears for a great cause, and a new-found friendship between a Vancouver brewery and an Ontario Wonder Pig!"
Gervais is currently still scheduled to appear in Vancouver August 26 and 27 as part of his "Supernature" tour, however it is unclear if the show will be able to go on. The venue and promoter have not yet cancelled the event, however it seems likely large gatherings will remain restricted in B.C. for the forseeable future due to COVID-19, putting the event in jeopardy. Additionally, it is not known if border crossing and self-isolation restrictions will remain in place into August in Canada or B.C.
With files from KitchenerToday
