Giving Back to the Bay with a Limited IPA from Kidd Squid in Sag Harbor

Buy a local craft beer, spread holiday cheer, and help restock Sag Harbor’s waterways in the process.

The collaboration kings at Kidd Squid Brewing Co. have found another ingenious way to tap into precious local resources – this time teaming up with Cornell Cooperative Extension to launch a limited run of Brew for the Bay Sag Harbor, an IPA with a serious kick and a serious mission.

The eclectic Sag Harbor brewery in the 19th century railroad station is selling Brew for the Bay to raise funds and awareness for two local Sag Harbor marine projects – eelgrass revitalization and oyster bed restoration.

All purchases of Brew for the Bay Sag Harbor will directly fund these two initiatives. What’s more, every purchased can seeds ten oysters and plants five shoots of eelgrass.

“This is direct giving with a happy limited edition liquid gift from Kidd Squid in return,” said Rory McEvoy, owner, brand guru and brewmaster of Kidd Squid Brewing Co. “Every penny after tangible costs goes to fund eelgrass and oysters in Sag Harbor.”

Cornell Cooperative Extension’s Back to the Bays Stewardship’s overall mission is to protect water quality; restore commercially and recreationally important finfish and shellfish; rebuild coastal habitat; maintain biodiversity in our bays; and protect shorelines from erosion.

“We are so grateful to have the opportunity to collaborate with Kidd Squid on our Brew For the Bay. This is a great way to raise funds and awareness of the habitat and shellfish restoration work we will be conducting in the Sag Harbor area through our Back to the Bays Initiative,” said Kimberly Barbour, Back to the Bays Director and Senior Resource Educator for the Cornell Cooperative Extension Marine Program. “Back to the Bays is centered on inspiring stewardship and generating community support of Cornell Marine Program’s restoration projects, and these types of collaborations really help us further our work.”

Brew for the Bay Sag Harbor is crafted with Sagaponack-grown Foster Farm two-row malt barley and hopped with an experimental hop developed and grown in upstate New York. At 6.6% ABV, it is a smooth and hazy IPA.

Added McEvoy: “We’ve always been fans of the work of Cornell Cooperative Extension. Back when I was a kid I took part in their summer bay camp.  During this past summer we hosted two talks by them, one on eelgrass. This past October Shawn Sachs and CCE organized an eelgrass restoration at Havens Beach in Sag Harbor. The idea has been brewing for a while, but with Shawn we pressed forward to make it happen this holiday season.”

This is an extremely limited run, however, with just enough brewed to fund these two projects. The official Brew for the Bay Sag Harbor launch is December 15 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the brewery’s tasting room at 11 Spring Street in Sag Harbor.

Pre-order your Brew for the Bay Sag Harbor at kiddsquid.com/cce/.