DOUGLAS, Mich. — A new light lager from Saugatuck Brewing Company is supporting the Michigan DNR and its lake sturgeon conservation efforts.
Lake Street Light is a "crisp, refreshing brew," according to a release from the brewery, "inspired by the beauty of Michigan’s lakes and waterways."
"We call it sipping with a cause," said Saugatuck Brewing Company CEO John Miller. "It's really about what we can do as people to help the place we love, which is Pure Michigan."
When the 96-calorie beer is purchased at a partner store or poured at Saugatuck Brewing Company's pub and barrel room, a portion of the proceeds from the sale will be donated in support of lake sturgeon, a freshwater fish that can live for 96 years — and then some.
"If you say you’re trying to help the environment, it’s too big," Miller said about the branding behind the Lake Street Light x Lake Sturgeon Program. "You have to put a face to things, or a fin to things, in this matter."
A fish of cultural and historic significance in Michigan, lake sturgeon nearly went extinct in the 20th century. While no longer considered an endangered species, the DNR says it still needs protection.
"If you can do things right for lake sturgeon, the odds are really good you're doing things right for all these other species," said Patrick Ertel, a resource specialist for the department.
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Depending how much is raised by the campaign, the DNR says the money could be put it toward habitat restoration, food and webcams in rearing facilities or acoustic tags for tracking sturgeon as they swim and spawn throughout the Great Lakes.
"If it's this much, we could do this. If it's that much, we could do this," Ertel said about the possibilities of the partnership.
A previous, five-month partnership between the department and Saugatuck Brewing Company raised around $10,000 to fund the restoration of trout habitats in Michigan.
Like the prehistoric fish it supports, the Lake Street Light campaign will be longer lived
"This is going to be for the long haul," Ertel said. "We're going to see how big the profits go."
Saugatuck Brewing Company says the beer is about creating and contributing to a culture that cares for Michigan's natural resources, too.
"Being in the craft beer business, our consumers expect a lot of us. They expect us to participate in the worlds in which we work," Miller said. "At the end of the day, if you improve the quality of the environment for this one fish, it really affects all fish, and it affects all of us who participate in the outdoors here in Michigan."
Lake Street Light is currently available at Saugatuck Brewing Company's pub and barrel room in Douglas and will be distributed to stores in April.
