While writing this, I tried to pour a Black and Tan using a spoon and got a mixed up amber beer rather than the desired half black and half tan drink I wanted. And that does make a difference. Not only does it lack the esthetic appeal of a properly poured Black and Tan, but the contrasting flavors are missed entirely.

You see, as a drink, the Black and Tan offers the best of two different classic beer styles. The stout, or porter, starts you out with a silky, creamy, dry body. This is followed by the snappy crispness of a lager or fruity, citrusy hoppiness of an ale.

To Inform and Imbibe
So why the turtle shape? Bill Arnold, Brütül's founder, is an environmental biologist with experience in protecting aquatic environments. He has helped to restore habitat for salmon and trout. He has also done marketing for a world wide firm specializing in wetlands remediation. He claims to have 'taken an interest in black and tans' while in college. When he decided to start a business, Bill naturally wanted to combine his interest in beer with his background in marketing and wetland preservation. The result is the Brütül.

"I enjoyed pouring layered beers almost as much as drinking them,
and I thought a black and tan tool with a "churchkey"
bottle opener would be a handy item."

"What is so nice about layered beers, is you get to enjoy three distinctly different flavors in the same drink: the top beer (usually dry stout or porter); the bottom beverage (pilsner, ale, lager, cider, champagne, etc.) and a blend of both in the middle. I also like the "production value" of the black and tan. I have friends that layer three and four beers in the same glass. Black and tan parties can get very competitive."

For the design of his flagship product, called the Lagerhead® Turtle, Bill looked to nature, turtles and tortoises in particular. He chose the alligator snapping turtle (Macroclemys temminicki) as his design model. The shell is the base over which the stout is poured, the claws rest on the lip of the glass, and the head doubles as a bottle opener. Because this species of turtle is endangered, it is the perfect bar tool to help both inform and imbibe.

Saving Turtles Is a Snap
But the alligator snapping turtle isn’t just the inspiration for the form, it is also the beneficiary of the function. That is to say, part of the sales proceeds are used to fund the Lagerhead Foundation, a charity that Arnold founded dedicated to protecting turtles and their habitat. The foundation started out by translating foreign research into English in order to help coordinate information sharing among turtle scientists around the world . Eventually Bill hopes the foundation will attract funding partners, like big beer companies, in order to launch larger projects like securing water rights, or conservation easements for sensitive lands slated for development.

The alligator snapping turtle is one of the largest freshwater turtles in the world. Commercial harvest and habitat degradation has reduced it to 10% of its historic range. The adult alligator snapper spends much of its time in riverine habitat: deep river channels, sloughs, and side channels, whereas the juveniles need shallower water and well-vegitated stream margins for cover. Bill says, "The ideal project for the Foundation would be to secure a parcel of land that already has diverse aquatic habitat values - most likely with a conservation easement - and create an area for the preservation and study of the species...in perpetuity."

He actively encourages naturalists and scientists to contact him with projects that may be a good fit for the Foundation. So far he has received responses from Louisiana, Florida, and Alabama related to the snappers, Maryland and Virgina for other turtles, and Japan, Vietnam, and Australia for sea turtle work.

Asked about what he sees coming down the line for Brutul, Bill responded:

"I personally am very interested in methods and technologies
coming online that help the big brewers conserve water and
better manage their wastestreams. Brewers that adopt the better
practices will also have a great competitive advantage."

"The Lagerhead Foundation is funded almost entirely from Brutul gear sales, which Bill says have been very strong recently. We are currently working with two brewing companies in the Southeast to help promote the Foundation. I can't divulge which brewers, but they all have a strong track record with environmental stewardship and conscientious brewing practices. We are also beginning to attract attention from private and corporate donors. If our projections hold, we should be able to launch some new projects this summer."