16 Mile Brewery holds fundraising happy hour

The kegs were tapped, the bar was packed, the lot was full and in less than two hours, all 500 Delaware Bay oysters were shucked and sucked down by the more than 75 guests who attended 16 Mile Brewery's Happy Hour for Healthy Estuaries to support local waterways and its first brew for a cause: Delaware Bay Oyster Stout.

Partnering with the Center for the Inland Bays and the Partnership for Delaware Estuaries to brew the beer and host this event, a portion of proceeds from the sale of 16 Mile's oyster stout will be donated to oyster and shellfish replenishment projects in the bay, 16 Mile owner Chad Campbell said.

"We started the 'collaboration brews for a good cause' this year, and the first is the Delaware Bay Oyster Stout," Campbell said. "Part of the proceeds go to respective charities and the Delaware estuary is a charity we are fond of... Look for us to join hands with other local charities as the year goes on. We have a lot of good things coming up."

Incorporating oysters into traditional Irish beer recipes has a long history, making Delaware Bay Oyster Stout a natural fit for the company, Campbell said.

"We were looking for a unique beer recipe and got the idea of an oyster stout," Campbell said. "Having the Delaware estuaries close to our heart and a great oyster stout recipe, we decided to see if we could get a case of Delaware oysters for brewing. The Delaware estuaries partnership obliged, so there are actual Delaware oysters in the beer."

The Centers for the Inland Bays and Partnership for the Delaware Estuaries got oysters donated for the beer, Campbell said. Another 500 oysters were donated for the happy hour event by East Point Oyster Company, and shucked by Henlopen City Oyster House volunteers including owner Chris Bisaha.

"Five hundred oysters in just under two hours," Bisaha said as he finished shucking the last few oysters. "A walk in the park."

Jennifer Adkins, executive director of the Partnership for Delaware Estuaries, explained the importance of supporting and promoting the cause.

"Our event tonight is a collaboration of two businesses," Adkins said. "Basically we are here to celebrate and recognize the importance of our estuaries in Delaware, particularly with the shellfish."

In recent years, she said oyster-specific diseases have dramatically reduced oyster populations in Delaware waterways.

To help renew the oyster population, Adkins said her organization will use the money they receive from 16 Mile to plant clean shells on historic oyster beds to provide a clean, disease-free habitat.

Guests such as Lewes resident Larry Folly were invited on a tour of the growing brewery, and raffles raised funds to further support the Centers for the Inland Bays.

“Supporting the Inland Bays and the native oyster populations, and having the 16 Mile beer, there’s just no downside to being here and supporting the Inland Bays association,” Folly said.

For more information on 16 Mile Brewery, native shellfish populations and the centers for the Inland Bays, visit the websites of these businesses at www.16milebrewery.com; www.delawareestuary.org; or www.inlandbays.org.