LOS ANGELES – Shock Top announced yesterday that it is responding to the critical drought situation in California by teaming up with crowdfunding site Indiegogo and state water organizations for a new “Shock the Drought” program to identify, fund and distribute water-saving innovations that have the potential to make a real impact on reducing water usage in the state.

Each month this year, Shock Top will fund an impactful water-saving invention on Indiegogo, spurring water conservation projects past their fundraising goals and releasing thousands of products to a state thirsty for solutions. In the meantime, consumers can discover, pledge and adopt water-saving tips at ShockTheDrought.com.

"We love the State of California. In fact, one out of every four Shock Tops are enjoyed in the state, and we want to help by bringing our innovative thinking and unique brand spirit to rally support and make a positive impact on this very serious issue," said Jake Kirsch, vice president, Shock Top. "Working together, we can Shock the Drought by sharing great ideas, pledging support and funding new inventions, and we're excited to lead this charge."

Shock the Drought will bring much-needed solutions to Californians who are invested in protecting their home state. In fact, after months of water restrictions, California residents are more inspired than ever to take a role in fighting the drought, according to a new survey from Shock Top. Nearly half (47%) feel a greater responsibility to help the state and a vast majority of Californians (88%) make an effort to conserve water on average five times per day. Nearly all (96%) Californians have done at least something to reduce their water usage, including taking shorter showers (74%), re-wearing clothes before washing (48%) or even flushing the toilet less often (48%). Even so, one in two Californians (49%) report that they'd like to find even more ways to conserve water.

To broaden awareness, Shock Top has partnered with news platform Water Deeply, California's statewide conservation education program Save Our Water, Los Angeles water education program Save the Drop, and the Solano County Water Agency to provide tips, information and educational materials for the Shock the Drought campaign.

"We appreciate the help of Shock Top to spread the word about the need to conserve and direct people to Save Our Water to identify specific actions," said Jennifer Persike, deputy executive director for external affairs and operations at Association of California Water Agencies and lead for Save Our Water. "There is tremendous drought awareness, but Californians are still learning which actions are most effective in saving water."

Shock Top is part of the Anheuser-Busch family, which has an impressive history of water conservation and has been dedicated to helping reduce its water use for many years. In fact, Anheuser-Busch reduced water usage at its Los Angeles and Fairfield breweries by more than 40% over the past 10 years (2004-2014). In 2014 alone, water usage has decreased by 9% at its Los Angeles brewery and 6.7% at its Fairfield brewery. The California breweries are on track to reduce water usage an additional five percent by the end of 2015, and the company recently announced a $20 million investment at its Los Angeles brewery for water efficiency and treatment upgrades.