Brooklyn Brewery Partners with Ukrainian Craft Company, Ships Coriander amid War for Collaboration Beer

Ukrainian craft brewery MOVA, based in Dnipro in eastern Ukraine, has partnered with Brooklyn's 18th Ward Brewing to create Ukrainian Golden Ale. Despite the ongoing war, the Ukrainian company shipped authentic coriander across the Atlantic to ensure the beer's traditional spicy character.

The collaboration produced approximately 4,000 cans of Ukrainian Golden Ale. The limited-edition beer is available at 18th Ward Brewing's taprooms in Brooklyn and New Rochelle, as well as at Umbra, a Brooklyn-based music venue and bar that partners with the US brewery. 18th Ward Brewing is also working to expand distribution to other bars throughout the New York area. The cans are labeled as a joint brew between the Ukrainian brewery MOVA and the New York-based craft brewery.

To create the collaboration, MOVA shared their Ukrainian Golden Ale recipe with their US partners. Brewers from both countries worked together to select matching hops and malt varieties available in the US market. However, the authentic Ukrainian coriander—grown in Ukraine's agricultural regions—had to be shipped internationally to maintain the beer's traditional flavor profile.

This light-colored beer features a robust, balanced foundation that combines pronounced hop character with a soft malt base. The brew showcases floral-citrus notes, subtle caramel sweetness, and the distinctive spice of Ukrainian coriander.

"It's deeply symbolic that coriander harvested in Ukraine traveled across the ocean to brew Ukrainian beer in America," said Bohdan Tochka, MOVA's co-founder and head brewer. "These collaborations help keep Ukrainian culture alive during these difficult times."

Ukrainian Golden Ale is the world's first officially recognized Ukrainian beer style, which was added to the European Beer Consumers' Union style guidelines in 2023. Originally developed in 2009 by Ukrainian brewers, active promotion of the style among the global brewing community began only in 2021. Today, Ukrainian Golden Ale is brewed by breweries on all continents.

According to Bohdan Tochka, MOVA's collaboration with 18th Ward Brewing is part of a global movement to popularize the Ukrainian beer style and demonstrate Ukraine's cultural values through taste.

"The more collaborations with breweries worldwide, the better. It would be great if all breweries brewed Ukrainian Golden Ale, like Czech lager or Belgian blonde," said Tochka.

The MOVA brewery operates from Dnipro—a major industrial city in eastern Ukraine that has experienced frequent missile attacks since Russia's full-scale invasion. Despite wartime challenges, the brewery has maintained operations and continues exporting its beverages to European markets including Norway, Denmark, Poland, and the Netherlands. The company plans to further develop its export operations.

In 2025, the brewery's non-alcoholic varieties won gold and bronze awards at the World Alcohol-Free Awards—marking the first victory for a Ukrainian producer in this prestigious international competition.

18th Ward Brewing is a family-owned brewery founded in 2019 with locations in Brooklyn and New Rochelle, New York. The brewery has received multiple awards at the New York State Craft Beer Competition and was featured in the New York Times.