Crack open a cold one to clean the harbor

As we approach National Oyster Day on Monday, August 5, Patchogue’s Blue Point Brewing Company is once again donating some proceeds from the sale of its Good Reef Ale to help a worthy cause.

The Blue Point folks have partnered with the Billion Oyster Project to assist in reviving the oyster population in New York Harbor. So for every pint of Good Reef Ale sold, the company will donate five oysters to the nonprofit’s goal of restoring 1 billion oysters to the water by 2035.

Good Reef Ale, a dry-hopped, light-bodied Belgian Ale with a clean citrus character, is available at Whole Foods markets in the New York metro area and on draft at locations throughout New York City and Long Island. 

Oyster reefs provide essential environmental services by improving water quality, creating habitats for thousands of other species and helping protect shorelines from storm damage. Each oyster can filter up to 50 gallons of water per day.

So far the Billion Oyster Project, founded just five years ago, has planted 28 million oysters and installed 12 reef sites with the help of 6,000 students and 9,000 volunteers.