On Monday, February 18th, Steve Gleason arrived at the Port Orleans Brewing Company to receive a $26,000 check from his former Saints teammate and Port Orleans Brewing Company CEO, Zach Strief. Zach Strief began working closely with Gleason and his ALS foundation, Team Gleason, to create a beer to honor Gleason since his 40th birthday in March 2018. Since the launch of the Gleason IPA on August 25, 2018, more than $26,000 has been raised and the beer is currently being sold in nearly 600 establishments locally and regionally and is looking at expanding to stores and restaurants on the Mississippi gulf coast.
Gleason arrived around 1:30 PM and was introduced by Zach Strief and Gleason’s father in law and Team Gleason cofounder, Paul Varisco. After the introduction, Steve was presented with a giant $26,000 check made out to his foundation. He then said a few words to the crowd about working with Zach and ensured the crowd that he taste tested all the different versions of the beer through his feeding tube during the making of the very special Gleason IPA.
After the brief speeches, it was time for everybody to try the Gleason IPA straight from the tap! Free beers were handed out to all in attendance and Steve stayed around until almost 4:00 PM to take pictures and talk to everyone. It was not only a good day for Zach, Steve, and everybody in attendance but also a great day for the Team Gleason Foundation.
To learn more about Steve Gleason and the Team Gleason Foundation click here teamgleason.org.
