Windsor

Fine N' Dandy beer sales donated in honour of cancer-fighting brewer

Two local breweries came together Monday to pay tribute to a fellow brewer who died of cancer.

Jeffrey Craig's recipe lives on in his dandelion tea-based beer

Walkerville Brewery and Craft Heads Brewing Co. present a cheque to the Canadian Cancer Society, after raising funds through the Fine N' Dandy project. (Stacey Janzer/CBC)

Two local breweries came together Monday to pay tribute to a fellow brewer who died of cancer.

Walkerville Brewery and Craft Heads Brewing Co. presented the Canadian Cancer Society with a cheque of $4,390 that they raised through the Fine N Dandy project in honour of Jeffrey Craig. 

Craig helped create the Fine N' Dandy Belgian Saison using dandelion tea, but sadly the beer master succumbed to his esophageal cancer last August. 

"We gave him an open door to brew at our place, because I know as a brewer you want to keep on brewing," said Bryan Datoc, co-owner of Craft Heads. "It's a yearly thing we want to do for Jeff and the Canadian cancer society."

Friends Jeff Craig (left) and Bryan Datoc (right) created Fine N Dandy to benefit charity. Craig died from cancer in August but his friends continue to brew the beverage and raise money in his honour. (Lisa Xing/CBC)

Datoc said the two businesses plan to sell the beer every April and donate profits cancer research.

"It's Jeff's recipe," Datoc said of the light-tasting brew. "Jeffrey really liked the one variation and that's what we sell today."

Datoc said he hopes to be able to sell the bottled brew to more businesses that would like to get involved in the initiative moving forward. 

"It's one of those things where you get the community involved, kind of raise awareness and get some money donated to a society that needs it."