Gladstone’s Love Potion Benefits Children’s Charities in Honour of Local Hero

Award-Winning Brewery Releases Love-Themed Fundraiser Beer in Advance of Valentine’s Day

When Dr. Brad Harris was taken from us in March of 2022, the Comox Valley and wider BC brewing community lost a great ally. He had founded the legendary “Craft Beer and Wilderness” event and the Royston Nano brewery, an unofficial brewspace with a One Barrel system built in his garage. With this brewery and in collaboration with others, he managed to raise hundreds of thousands of dollars for local charities like YANA (the You Are Not Alone society, offering help to Comox Valley families who need to travel to access medical treatment for their children) and the BC Children’s Hospital.

After he passed at the age of 49 we held several events in his honour and raised even more money while celebrating his life. Now 2022 BC Brewery of the Year, Gladstone Brewing is bringing back a collaboration with Brad from 2018 called Love Potion and it will be released on February 14th, Valentine’s Day, just a few days shy of what would have been Brad’s 50th birthday.

Brad’s specialty was big, hazy IPAs, and having seen the list of big juicy hops going into this brew he would feel very proud to have his name on those cans. The Valentine’s Day event at Gladstone is open to everybody, with food specials and lots of opportunities to try the latest, freshest iteration of Love Potion. There will also be live screen printing to personalize Love Potion shirts!

I’m sure many of us will be raising a beer in memory of Brad, to celebrate his birthday, and to help raise even more money for local charity YANA, which supports parents of sick children in BC. Brad’s daughter Linden had childhood cancer and has been in remission since her treatment, but that terrifying experience gave Brad and his partner Dennyse Harris an appreciation for both organizations. Brad confided in me that he hoped to eventually raise a million dollars for charities through beer.

Brad was the first friend I made when I moved to the beautiful Comox Valley, helping me and my family settle as well as introducing me to many new friends. He was exceptionally popular as a family doctor, local fundraiser, and fun dude. The massive turnout at his celebration of life (standing room in the car park only), and the subsequent outpouring of love and appreciation proved his motto to be true: “It’s not just beer, it’s love.”

https://www.whatsbrewing.ca/event/yana-love-potion-beer-release-party/

A brew fit for love