Charity and Craft Beer Begins at Home

As the craft beer scene continues to grow, new festivals and events pop up every year. It’s hard to keep up, and I’ve finally come to realize I don’t have too.

First, there is the glaring money issue—this site does have “unemployed” in its name. Second, I have to face the fact that I’m getting older, and I don’t have the patience for some of the over-zealous knuckleheads at the very large events. As Tyrion Lannister from [*Game of Thrones*][1] said, “It’s not easy being drunk all the time. Everyone would do it, if it were easy.”

I love smaller events, where larger breweries feature experimental casks and up-and-coming breweries showcase their brews. One of these fantastic, more intimate, events was the recent [5th annual *Charity L.I. Beer, Wine, & Food Tasting*][2] at the *Bellport Country Club,* in Bellport, New York.

Warm and rainy outside. Cold and delicious craft beer on the inside.

Organized by Dave Shultzer of [*Bellport Cold Beer & Soda*][3], the money collected for this event goes to local Long Island charities such as [*Camp Pa-qua-tuck*][4], [Lighthouse Mission][5], and three scholarships to students at *Bellport High School*. It was great way to support the community and taste great Long Island beer.

And there were plenty of great beer to choose from. Some my own taste highlights of the event:

1. [**Spider Bite Beer Co**][6]: *Big 2 Ohhh*, a 9.8% ABV strong American golden ale put to cask with 3+ pounds of fresh ripe mangoes.

2. [**Greenport Harbor Brewing Co.**][7]: *Cuvaison*, a 4.5% ABV Belgian strong pale ale with Sauvignon Blanc grapes and juice from [**Martha Clara**][8].

3. [**Outer Lands Brewing Company**][9]: *Third Watch Espresso Stout*, a 5.1% ABV milk/sweet stout. A classic stout with strong, but not over-powering, Espresso notes.

And beyond, I also got to sample: [**Squid Ink Brews**][10] *Kolsch*; [**Rocky Point Artisan Brewers**][11] *Sommer Keller Bock Reserve*; and, [**Long Ireland Beer Company**][12] *Black Friday* imperial stout.

As a special note, I need to mention [**Barrier Brewing Company**][13] “Money” IPA. Confession: I didn’t try this beer, but multiple people mentioned how good this brew was, both at the event and afterwards on social media.

And, look what I won in the charity raffle!

Can’t wait to try this.

It was a fantastic night for breweries and the charities alike. If your local charity event or festival features craft beer, seek out these kinds of beers and breweries. You’ll be rewarded and knucklehead-free.

[1]: http://www.hbo.com/game-of-thrones/index.html “Warning: Flash site”
[2]: http://www.bellportcharitybeertasting.com/
[3]: http://www.bellportbeer.com/
[4]: http://camppaquatuck.com/
[5]: http://www.lighthousemission.net/Lighthouse_Mission_Inc./home.html
[6]: http://spiderbitebeer.com/
[7]: http://harborbrewing.com/
[8]: http://www.marthaclaravineyards.com/
[9]: http://www.outerlandsbrewing.com/
[10]: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Squid-ink-Brews/112484682153775
[11]: https://www.facebook.com/artisanbrewers
[12]: http://www.longirelandbrewing.com/
[13]: http://www.barrierbrewing.com/Site/HOME.html