Flying Dog Brewery, based in Frederick, Maryland, has built its craft beer brand on the foundation of an edgy, truthful, fun-loving culture. That culture is showcased further through the names of their brews and the custom artwork by Ralph Steadman on each of the cans and bottles.

At first glance, one might think this hip, for-profit brewery has only one set of constituents in their sights: consumers. That assumption, however, would be incorrect. In the past few years, Flying Dog has partnered with two Maryland nonprofits to brew two unique, specialty beers that benefit their respective environmental causes.

Save the oysters, one beer at a time

Flying Dog dreamed up the Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout as a way to support the Annapolis-based nonprofit, Oyster Recovery Partnership. Since 1994, ORP has planted more than 5 billion spat-on shell oysters in the Chesapeake Bay. The Pearl Necklace was originally released by Flying Dog in November 2011 as a limited edition, but it was later brought back as a permanent, year-round offering due to its popularity.

Holly Manthei, senior director of brand marketing for Flying Dog, explains the reasoning behind their strategy:

"We wanted to develop an easier and more transparent way to give back to the [Chesapeake Bay]. When you make a donation to a charity, sometimes it's tough to see the immediate impact. Working with the Oyster Recovery Partnership, we were able to develop a really simple equation: Drinking Pearl Necklace Oyster Stout and eating farm-raised oysters directly enables the Oyster Recovery Partnership to replant oysters back in the bay."

The beer doesn't just bring awareness to the issue. For every bottle of Pearl Necklace sold, ORP is able to plant 10 oysters in the bay. "It's that simple," Manthei says.

Why are oysters important?

Sarah Walker, marketing and outreach manager for ORP, says oysters are considered a "keystone species," which play a critical role in sustaining the environment in which they reside. In the case of oysters, not only do they provide habitats for other bay species, such as Maryland's famous blue crab, but one oyster can also filter up to 50 gallons of water per day.

"Without oysters, the quality of [the Chesapeake Bay] would diminish drastically," Walker said. "What oysters do the bay for is so important."

A dash of Old Bay in your beer to keep Maryland "True Blue"

On May 2, Flying Dog released the highly-anticipated Dead Rise Old Bay Summer Ale. This time around, their beer was made in partnership with Free State icon Old Bay to benefit the Maryland Department of Natural Resources' "True Blue" campaign.

Flying Dog's chief marketing officer, Ben Savage, and director of fisheries marketing for DNR, Steve Vilnit, were at the release party to share the mission behind the "True Blue" initiative, as well as why it's so important.

Savage shared that a surprisingly small number of restaurants across the state of Maryland use local crab meat in their crab dishes. Moreover, the state does not mandate any disclosure for these establishments as to where they source their crab.

This presents two problems. First, these practices are putting thousands of commercial crabbers out of business, Vilnit says. Second, there is a health and safety issue, as consumers don't know what they're eating or where it's coming from.

Through the True Blue certification program, restaurants, retail stores and other food service establishments can proudly display to patrons they support Maryland's local crabbing industry. In addition, diners can rest easy, because they know exactly what they're eating. Factors Row, a restaurant in downtown Annapolis, is an example of a restaurant participating in the True Blue program.

Flying Dog also released The Dead Rise Cookbook, as part of their campaign. The cookbook features exclusive recipes put together by well-known, local chefs such as Bryan Voltaggio and Mike Isabella. Proceeds from the cookbook also benefit True Blue's certification program and consumer awareness projects.

Only time will tell whether or not the Dead Rise ale will be as successful as its Pearl Necklace stout counterpart. For now, it's planned as a seasonal, May-through-September brew, available in states on the East Coast, wherever Flying Dog is distributed.