Sandy Relief Beer Fundraising for Hurricane Victims

After about six weeks since a brew day in early December, a collaborative ale with ingredients donated from eight Long Island breweries – including Oceanside's Barrier Brewing Co. – hit the shelves earlier this week.

Proceeds from the Surge Protector IPA will go to benefit Barrier Brewing – an Oceanside microbrewery which suffered nearly $100,000 in damages due to Hurricane Sandy – as well we Long Island Cares.

Sixty barrels were brewed in total and shipped across Long Island, with just about 2,000 22-ounce bottles available for $16.99.

Participants in the relief effort included Blind Bat Brewery, Barrier Brewing, Great South Bay Brewery, Greenport Harbor Brewing Company, Long Ireland Beer Company, Port Jeff Brewing Company, Spider Bite Brewing Company and Blue Point Brewery. Clare Rose Distributors signed on to pump out the product for the cause as well.

The effort to create a collaborative beer amongst numerous Long Island breweries actually started before Hurricane Sandy hit. Long Island-based beer writer Niko Krommydas and photographer Matt Furman wanted to gather a bunch of breweries together for a video project, with the end result being a new beer released by Long Island Craft Beer Week this spring.

But Sandy changed those plans.

"Three weeks later, Sandy happened," Krommydas said. "Barrier basically got destroyed, so this shifted from a creative project we would do in March or April to, 'OK, let's do this now because they are in serious need and temporarily closed.'"

Visit sandyreliefbeer.com for more information, which will update where Surge Protector IPA can be found.