Blue Point Brewery has teamed up with Project9line of Islip on a special beer called the “9Line Lager.”
Proceeds from the beer’s sales will go toward helping the nonprofit group assist veterans suffering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injuries.
The beer became available on Wednesday in the Patchogue tasting room at $5 a pint. The brewery plans to launch the canned version of the lager on July 1.
The timing is right, as the U.S. gets set to honor its fallen troops on Memorial Day.
“People think it’s just the start of barbecue season,” Blue Point’s James Connelly, also a U.S. Army veteran.
He said the brew is a good reminder of the sacrifices servicemen and women make.
“Us serving this beer… it makes it a little bit more real that there is a reason for Memorial Day,” he said.
Connelly, the warehouse manager at Blue Point Brewery, said the idea came back in the fall when he was having a beer with two co-workers and fellow veterans.
“We were just hanging and that’s when we thought about doing a veteran’s beer,” he said.
Connelly and his two Marine co-workers, Mike Stoneburg and Mike Goodrowe, went on a quest to find the best veteran’s organization to benefit.
With Project9line’s involvement in the arts, along with Patchogue’s rich art community, it made it a “good fit” for being the benefactor for the donations, said Connelly.
Project9line provides training for veterans in music, mixed martial arts, comedy, graphics, and performance wellness.
“Our mission is bridge the gap between civilians and veterans using the arts,” said Marge Ryan, COO of Project9line.
In January, Blue Point Brewery staffers met with Project9line, during which they formulated a plan to brew and release the 9Line Lager around this Memorial Day weekend.
“We really have been able to impact and change peoples lives,” said the nonprofit group’s president and founder, Patrick Donohue.
Donohue, who served in the 101st Airborne Division, was delighted to partner with Blue Point Brewery because of his connection to Patchogue.
He holds degrees from both of Patchogue’s colleges with an undergrad degree from Briarcliffe College and postgrad degree at St. Joseph’s College.
“I was just the commencement speaker at [Briarcliffe’s] graduation and now they are closing and Blue Point is moving in, so it’s close and personal to me,” he said.
On Saturday, Project9line will be on hand at the Blue Point Brewery on River Avenue to help mark Memorial Day, and will have a tent set up to talk to visitors about their organization.
Read more about Project9line.
Top: The Blue Point “9Line Lager” label. (courtesy)
