Devil’s Foot Partners with Noda Brewing & Bear’s BBQ on Hurricane Helene Milestone Collaborations
One year after Hurricane Helene devastated Western North Carolina, Asheville’s Devil’s Foot Beverage and Charlotte’s NoDa Brewing Company are marking the milestone with a new release: Stronger Through Water, a blackberry sparkling water created in tribute to the generosity that sustained this community in its time of need.
In the days immediately following the storm, clean drinking water was nearly impossible to find in Asheville and surrounding areas. NoDa Brewing, with the support of others from the community, rushed to help friends in need by canning water and driving truckloads directly to The Mule, Devil’s Foot’s Taproom, which in turn became a distribution hub for the community. Thanks to NoDa and the outpouring of support from others in the beverage industry, Devil’s Foot and other local businesses were able to receive and distribute more than 16,000 gallons of clean drinking water in just a matter of days — a lifeline for neighbors across the region.
That experience is what inspired Stronger Through Water, Devil’s Foot’s first sparkling water offering. Crafted with 100% Real Fruit, no artificial flavors or added sugars, and only 1g of sugar per can, the release serves as a reminder of the strength that comes when communities show up for one another. The name and can design carry this story forward noting: “When Hurricane Helene struck, our friends at NoDa Brewing sent trucks of water to help our community. That act of generosity inspired us to mark the anniversary with our first no-sugar craft offering — made with farm-fresh NC blackberries. A reminder that we’re always stronger through water.”
“In those first days after the storm, when we had no phones, electricity or water, seeing those trucks from NoDa pull up to The Mule with clean drinking water was overwhelming,” said Ben Colvin, CEO of Devil’s Foot Beverage. “Unknown to us, our friends in Charlotte had been canning water as soon as they saw Helene’s impact, and with the help of the wider beverage community we were able to get thousands of gallons of water to the people who needed it most – literally dropping pallets of water cans on street corners and apartment complexes. Stronger Through Water is our way of honoring our friends and colleagues while giving back to our community that continues to rebuild.”
“When we learned how hard Asheville had been hit, our first thought was simply, ‘What can we do to help?’” said Jacob Virgil, President, NoDa Brewing Company. “Delivering water was the immediate need, and to see that turn into a collaboration one year later is humbling. It’s proof of the bonds that connect our communities.”
The launch of Stronger Through Water comes alongside another meaningful Devil’s Foot collaboration: a Sparkling Blackberry Blueberry Lemonade created with Bear’s Smokehouse BBQ, which supports Linked4Life, a local initiative providing free mental health counseling for Asheville food and beverage workers. Together, these releases reflect Devil’s Foot’s ongoing commitment to pairing craft beverages with causes that strengthen the community.
Stronger Through Water and Sparkling Blackberry Blueberry Lemonade will be available beginning September 2025 at The Mule (Devil’s Foot’s Asheville taproom), NoDa Brewing taprooms in Charlotte, online, and through retailers across Devil’s Foot’s distribution. A portion of proceeds will benefit Asheville GreenWorks, a nonprofit dedicated to creating a more climate-resilient future through environmental conservation and education.