Rick Sobotka, Great South Bay Brewery founder and brewmaster, filled us in on a project between eight Long Island area brewers who are doing what they do best to help fellow brewers and the community rebuild after the devastation of Hurricane Sandy.

Sobotka explained:

Eight Long Island breweries came together to participate in the creation of a special-edition beer as part of the relief effort after superstorm Sandy.

On a rainy morning, brewers from Barrier Brewing Co., Blind Bat Brewery, Great South Bay Brewery, Greenport Harbor Brewing, Long Ireland Beer Co., Port Jeff Brewing Co. and Spider Bite Brewing Co. trekked to Blue Point Brewing Co. in Patchogue, N.Y.  for the project.

Profits from sale of the final product, to be named “Surge Protector, Sandy Relief IPA,” will be donated to Long Island Cares and to help Barrier Brewing Co. rebuild.

Surge Protector, Sandy Relief IPA

The recipe for the beer was a collaborative effort between the brewers. Blue Point hosted the event and offered its equipment for use. The malted barley that made up the base for the beer was a combination of eight different bags of grain—one from each participating brewery—symbolizing that there was “a little piece of each brewery being brewed.”

Barrier Brewing, located on New Street in Oceanside, suffered nearly $100,000 in damages after Sandy washed about three feet of seawater into the brewery’s facility.

The “Session” IPA, will be available on draft at local bars later this month, with a bottled version coming out early next year.

Last Updated: December 27, 2012