Celebrate St. Patty’s Day with an Eye Towards Coastal Conservation

Hyannis, MA – Just in time for St. Patrick’s Day, Cape Cod Beer has handcrafted a traditional Irish stout, which they are calling “Stellwagen Stout” – where a dollar from the sale of each new growler will go to support the Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary, an 842-square-mile marine protected area at the mouth of Massachusetts Bay. Stellwagen Bank stretches from three miles north of Cape Cod to three miles southeast of Cape Ann, and is home to more than 17 species of whales and countless other types of sea life. Stellwagen Stout, a traditional dark brew, with a pleasant roasty-flavor and a rich, creamy head, will be available for a limited time starting March 1st, in 64 oz refillable “Growlers” to go, directly from the brewery and in package stores throughout Cape Cod & Plymouth.

In an effort to bring to light and to support conservation efforts on Stellwagen Bank, Cape Cod Beer is donating a portion of the proceeds to the “Stellwagen Alive! - Friends of Our National Marine Sanctuary” group. Stellwagen Alive! is a Massachusetts nonprofit public benefit corporation whose mission is to raise public awareness of sanctuary resources and management issues through programs of scientific research, monitoring, exploration, education, and outreach.

"We are delighted that Cape Cod Beer is supporting Stellwagen Alive! through the sale of their Stellwagen Stout” said Jennifer Bender Ferre, Executive Director of Stellwagen Alive!. “We’re a relatively new organization and love the fact that Cape Cod Beer sought us out to help spread the word about our conservation efforts on Stellwagen Bank. It’s great when local businesses make an effort to work together with local organizations to do good work – and by bringing attention to our organization through their product they are helping us get the word out about our mission and goals. So this St Patty’s Day, raise a pint of Cape Cod Beer’s Stellwagen Stout in honor of one of the richest and most productive marine ecosystems in the nation!” 

“We feel strongly about taking care of the places that make this place we call home so special, and a whale watch on Stellwagen Bank last summer inspired us to learn more about protecting this precious resource.” explains Brewmaster Todd Marcus. “We’re environmentally focused in most everything we do and make every effort to be as “green” as possible – with the exception of “green beer”. Cape Cod Beer has always made every effort possible to maintain a “green footprint” in terms of our manufacturing process, whether through recycling water in the brewing process, recycling spent grains as feed and compost or recycling all the cardboard packaging, paper waste, glass bottles, metal caps and plastic cups used at events and at the brewery. In the development of our new system we added extra insulation and modified systems to reduce our power and fuel requirements as much as possible – not just to save money in the long run – but to conserve energy throughout our manufacturing process.”

"We are delighted that Cape Cod Beer is sponsoring Stellwagen Alive! Cape Cod Beer is a neighborhood brewery -- it's quality beers add richness to life. Similarly, the richness of sea life in the Stellwagen Marine Sanctuary is part of the quality of where we live. So hoist a mug to the fishes and thank you Cape Cod Beer!" John Williamson, President Stellwagen Alive!

Stellwagen Stout will be sold in growlers in package stores across Cape Cod and throughout Plymouth. $1 from the sale of each new growler sold will go directly to support Stellwagen Alive! programs.

Cape Cod Beer is Cape Cod’s only distributing microbrewery located at 1336 Phinney’s Lane in Hyannis with beer on tap in over 150 locations and in 80+ package stores throughout Cape Cod and Plymouth. Brewery hours are Monday thru Friday Noon to 6pm, as well as Saturday 11am to 2pm. To find out more about Cape Cod Beer, please contact us at 508-790-4200 or see our website at www.CapeCodBeer.com.

Stellwagen Alive! is a 501(c)3 non profit public benefit corporation. Stellwagen Alive! hopes to create a new paradigm of what it means to be a sanctuary in New England. Our programs will contribute to a constituency-building dialogue that will assist in defining emerging management goals, address the need for collaborative research and coordinated education/outreach efforts, and discuss the importance of the involvement of communities and the development of an essential stewardship ethic -- vitally important to the protection of sanctuary resources. Stellwagen Alive accepts tax-deductible donations and gifts from individuals, private foundations and corporations. For more information, go online to www.StellwagenAlive.org

For detailed information about Stellwagen Bank National Marine Sanctuary visit: www.Stellwagen.NOAA.gov

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