Gage Roads Brew Co has released a new beer in collaboration with national surf published SurfVisuals.
Part of the proceeds from The Bay XPA sales will do towards the Australian Marine Debris Initiative (AMDI), a key program coordinated by marine not-for-profit Tangaroa Blue Foundation. The program helps clean Australian beaches and track ocean health and since it was launched in 2004, it has removed more than 16 million pieces of debris from Australian coastlines, weighing 1369 tonnes.
Bec Lauchlan from Gage Roads said the new beer collaboration and AMDI partnership is something close to home for the brewery.
“The coast is where we live and play. Protecting it is important to us, as well as to the people that enjoy our beers. We recently teamed up with AMDI to help make a difference. We’re excited to add to that partnership, bring the legends at SurfVisuals on board, and create a beer that not only tastes great but will help raise money for ocean health,” Lauchlan said.
Ben Nathan from SurfVisuals, a Melbourne-born company that publish independent surf photography, said it’s been a meaningful journey on many levels.
“As massive beer lovers, it was always a dream to have a beer we could call our own. The most exciting part of this project is to see firsthand the in-depth process of creating and producing a beer. Working alongside the team at Gage Roads is amazing, and to be able to creatively collaborate on a product we love is special to us,” Nathan said.
“As a surf community, environmental initiatives run through our veins. To be able to give back to programs such as AMDI, allows us to be able to protect our oceans for our future generations, so they can continue to enjoy the beach just as much as we do.”
Gage Roads teamed up with AMDI earlier this month, with the partnership also including a series of national beach clean-ups. The first, held last weekend in WA, gathered a great turn out of volunteers who collected over 29 kilos of rubbish in a single day.
When debris like this is collected through the AMDI program, the details are recorded in a database, used to track what is being found and where it comes from. AMDI’s Alison Dorn said through this they find that different beaches have different types of debris, but also that there’s one common theme throughout.
“Marine debris can harm marine life, pose a navigational hazard, smother coral and negatively affect tourism. Turtles and dugongs can become entangled in nets or ingest small plastic pieces and bags when they mistake them for food. Once released into the environment, plastics don’t biodegrade, they break up into smaller and smaller pieces, forever remaining in the environment,” said Dorn.
“As AMDI partners, Gage Roads are not only participating in marine debris collection and contributing to the Australian Marine Debris Initiative Database with their own teams, their support helps us extend our reach and engage new participants in beach clean-ups, data collection and source reduction activities.”
Lauchlan added: “Our team will be getting out there, with Gage fans and trade partners to make our individual coastal playgrounds a cleaner place. We also hope our partnership with AMDI will help drive awareness and financial support to help them keep doing their amazing work.”
Available now in Western Australia and coming to stores on the east coast later this month, The Bay XPA limited release 500ml cans come in at five per cent ABV, with beach and surf inspired packaging.
Gage Roads Head Brewer Ross Brown said: “The Bay XPA is easy-drinking and brewed with sessionability in mind. A clean malt body and restrained bitterness allows the juicy hop profile to burst to the forefront, bringing together citrus and tropical fruits, along with just a little bit of coconut.”