NORFOLK - Divots Brewery recently added a special new beer to its menu.
Divots opened in 2014 becoming the first microbrewery in Norfolk.
The brewery is attached to the SandBar and Grill making it a pretty popular spot for locals to get a meal and something to drink.
Now there is another beer to the list of beers brewed on location.
Brewmaster Jeremey Kirby told me about the new addition.
"It's an IPA brewed with Belgian yeast, pretty aggressive hops and its got a fruitiness that comes from the Belgian hops."
Sounds good, right?
Well, there is one more thing that makes this beer special to Divots and the people of Norfolk.
Its name, Ben's Belgian IPA.
Named after Ben Kohlhof, who was a long time patron of the Sandbar.
During a trip last month to the People's Republic of China, Ben passed away in a traffic accident.
Jeremy says the brewery wanted to honor their longtime customer and friend.
"He was a craft beer lover and a member of a lot of craft beer groups, so we thought it is was pretty fitting to name a beer after him. We just happened to have one on deck and didn't have a name for it yet, so it worked out really good.
The bar owner and staff did not feel like that was enough.
Jeremy explained, "We had a celebration of life for Ben. We had a special beer release party and people could buy beer and then get their second one for a donation and size of their choice."
45 people donated over $1600 and Sandbar owner Donna Herrick matched that contribution.
The proceeds went to the Kohlhof family to cover some of Ben's final expenses.
