Photo via wildlifeflorida/Facebook
For every Secret Llama Oh the Humanatee! Imperial Hazy IPA purchased at select WOB locations, $1 will go directly toward planting seagrass at 10 key locations along Indian River Lagoon.
Tampa-born World of Beer has partnered with the Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida in efforts to restore manatee habitats along the Indian River Lagoon with a new IPA.
For every Secret Llama Oh the Humanatee! Imperial Hazy IPA purchased at select WOB locations, $1 will go directly toward planting seagrass at 10 key locations along the lagoon and manatee feeding ground.
The partnership started amid the nonprofit Fish and Wildlife Foundation of Florida’s efforts in combating the state’s manatee crisis. Manatee habitat and food sources have been in decline for years, Michelle Ashton, director of communications for the foundation, told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. Algal blooms across Florida’s water sources and other contributing factors, including stormwater and nitrogen runoff pollution are the main causes.
In 2021, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission recorded a record of 1,101 manatee deaths, largely due to starvation in the lagoon.
Ashton said the manatee crisis has been a long time in the making. The decrease in population is an indicator of overall environmental and water health not just for animals but for humans, too. Algal blooms and pollution can affect drinking water and supply and cause respiratory issues.
“The partnership with World of Beer is really about finding that long term solution and that really is habitat restoration,” Ashton told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay.
While World of Beer isn’t new to community-focused charity with its WOB Gives Back program, the brewpub had yet to touch on the environmental side of things, WOB’s vice president of purchasing Marc Sawyer said.
World of Beer’s proprietary line of beer, Secret Llama, will debut the new flavor in honor of the partnership. Secret Llama Oh the Humanatee! can be purchased now at the following WOB locations: Brandon, Coconut Creek, Destin, Doral, Downtown Orlando, Fowler, Gainesville, Miramar, Orlando, Tampa International and Viera.
No word on whether or not a manatee mating ball beer is in the works, too.
