Elissa IPA, soft drinks, and light refreshments will be served.

Bottles of Saint Arnold Elissa IPA will be available beginning May 12th throughout Texas at grocery and liquor stores, bars, and restaurants. It is already on tap at pubs in Galveston, including Connolly''s, Molly''s, and O''Malley''s. In Houston, Saint Arnold Elissa IPA is being served at Volcano, Flying Saucer, Rudyard''s, and Stag''s Head, to name just a few.

The idea for creating an Elissa IPA was born at sea, on last year''s ELISSA spring Day Sail. One of the members of the volunteer crew, Greg Branan, brought on board a home-brewed ale--which he had christened ELISSA. It was a great hit with everyone on the ship.

After tasting Branan''s brew, another long-time crew member, Alan Heald, was so excited about the concept that he pitched the idea of creating a commercially available product named Elissa to the Saint Arnold Brewing Company. The idea took off, especially since Saint Arnold was already considering the development of an India Pale Ale--a type first brewed in the late 1700s in England in a style designed to withstand the rigors of the long ship transport to India. ELISSA herself is the type of sailing ship that could very well have been employed in the transport of India Pale Ale casks.

A portion of the proceeds from the sale of Saint Arnold Elissa IPA will be donated to the Galveston Historical Foundation for ELISSA''s preservation. The ale-bottle neck label features a silhouette of the ELISSA, and the six-pack carton includes educational text that focuses on the connection between India Pale Ales and tall ships. The carton text also tells that today ELISSA is maintained and sailed by volunteers. It invites people to come visit her at Pier 21.