The L train shutdown has inspired a board game, a documentary and now, a beer.
Blue Point Brewing announced Thursday it will be releasing a new beer called “What the L?” to help commuters through what is now a partial shutdown of service.
The company came up with the name about a year ago — well before Gov. Andrew Cuomo threw a wrench in the plan to stop service between Manhattan and Brooklyn for 15 months to make crucial repairs to the Canarsie Tunnel. Now, construction will be on nights and weekends, reducing service, but not stopping it completely.
“The chaos over the past three weeks” just made it more clear they needed to make a beer related to the shutdown, said Jenna Lally, president of the Long Island brewery.
Another week, another change. We don't know What The L is going on either. Don't worry, we'll get through it together. #BluePointWhatTheL pic.twitter.com/NOHkUNX9ga
— Blue Point Brewery (@BluePointBrewer) January 24, 2019
“When Cuomo said that the shutdown wasn’t necessary, it was like, this is perfect,” she said.
“What the L?” will be released on April 27, the day construction on the tunnel is expected to begin. It will first be sold along the L train route in bars, bodegas and grocery stores.
The beer is a Helles-style lager (“it fits perfectly with the name” Lally says) with 5.2 percent ABV.
Lally described the drink as “light and crisp” and the “perfect beer to unwind after a crazy commuting day.”
The label art was made by local artist Winston Tseng, who had used the design on fake MTA posters that popped up in February last year. “Your Train Is Delayed, January 1 — December 31, Days, Nights, Weekends,” the posters said.
Blue Point previously made a beer called “Delayed,” tied to construction at Penn Station that was expected to cause delays on the Long Island Rail Road.
