The individuals that make up the New York City area’s craft beer community are no strangers to giving back by strengthening the small business world, collaborating with other owners, and providing jobs. Therefore it should be no surprise to anyone that when a tragedy with the magnitude of Hurricane Sandy occurs, these self-starting men and women snap to it without anyone needing to give them a push. The New York City Brewers Guild (NYCBG) is all about community and helping out others. On Tuesday night, they made this abundantly clear at Williamsburg’s Brooklyn Brewery when they hosted “Drink For Good: A Hurricane Sandy Fundraiser.” The LocalBozo.com team was in the house on this unseasonably warm evening to support this extremely important cause and sample some great craft brews.

At 7pm, the doors of the popular brewery swung open wide and guests filed into the large space picking up collectible tasting glasses with the NYCBG logo adorned on it. During this evening of fundraising and celebration, three worthy causes ( Rockaway Surf Club, Red Hook Initiative and Coney Recovers  ) would split raised monies equally. The event which was all but sold out costing $40 for entry, provided these organizations with a solid take from the night. Like most of the attendees, I scanned the room seeing what suds to try first and like a bear to honey, the guys from Bronx Brewery were there front and center to provide my Pale Ale fix. After a few pours and some catching up with their team, it was time to sample some uncharted territory over at the Smuttynose table. The crew from the New Hampshire brewery came with a bottled brew totally new to yours truly. Their “Vunderbar Pilsner” pours a bright gold, which intrigued me right away. But it was the taste that really cut the mustard. Each sip provided an equal creamy balance of lemon and other citrus fruits. This brew is highly drinkable and will definitely be on my shopping list.

It’s only fitting that after a couple tastings you grab a little something to eat, because it’s all about staying power. Inside the brewery, guests could snack on an array of delicious potato chips that were kindly donated by the good people at North Fork of Long Island. For more substantial eats, the folks at Wafles and Dinges and Munchie Mobile were more than happy to fill you up. After a brief brew hiatus, the imbibing resumed with a scrumptious “White Aphro,” a Belgian style wit ale from Empire Brewing Company. Notes of ginger, lemon peel (can’t get enough lemon flavor in beer) and lavender created a killer mix for ones palette. And speaking of intense brews, absolutely nothing held a candle to what the fun crew from Shmaltz Brewing Company rolled to Brooklyn with. Their “He’Brew Jewbelation Sweet 16 Anniversary Ale” is a beer not to be taken lightly. This dark, America Strong Ale is 16% ABV, which made it not only one of the strongest brews of the night, but perhaps one of the strongest I’ve ever had. “Sweet 16″ doesn’t live on a massive alcohol content alone, the flavor is beautifully intense providing one with notes of chocolate and mint. I recommend you pick up a bottle for the taste and an extreme beer experience!

With the tasting well underway, and everyone in the house mixing nicely it was time to focus on the matter at hand that joined us all together. The team from the New York City Brewers Guild and Brooklyn Brewery took to the microphone to praise the efforts of the fundraiser and thank everyone involved. It must be said that everyone who worked the event did so on a voluntary basis, making “Drink For Good” a true blue fundraiser in every sense of the word. Every aspect of the highly enjoyable night was geared toward giving to those who need relief in order to rebuild lives and businesses. We continue to urge you, our readers to do your part and help out. Sometimes it will be fun and involve great beer and an amazing crowd like Tuesday night. But in the end, we must all do our part.

- Jay Rubin