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Wednesday night's pub crawl was a big success as over 200 people sampled the newly presented LÖWMAN BRÄU beer at 10 area pubs. The beer is being brewed at Big Al Brewing in White Center, and will only be served in West Seattle and White Center pubs. The name is a portmanteau with a play on West Seattle's Lowman Beach and of course Löwenbräu beer. Tonight the 10 participating pubs donated the proceeds from those beer sales to various charities, and will continue to do so as long as the beer is served. Big Al plans to have a fall/winter beer and so on, to continue with the charity.

The participating pubs and their charities include:

THE BRIDGE: Dogs For Dogs
MISSION: Summer Concerts at Hiawatha
SHADOWLAND: West Side Baby
WEST 5: SW Historical Society/Log House Museum
LOCÖL : Roxhill Elementary
FEEDBACK: West Seattle Helpline
EASY STREET: West Seattle Food Bank
BIG AL: White center Food Bank
COMPANY: West Side Baby
BEVERIDGE PLACE: Camp Long Environmental Education

The concept of an exclusive West Seattle beer was the brainchild of Feedback Lounge co-owner Jeff Gilbert. He told the West Seattle Herald that he sold 16 dozen t-shirts with the beer's logo within two and a half hours. Proceeds to go to West Seattle Helpline like the beer.

"It defines the taste of West Seattle," Gilbert said of LÖWMAN BRÄU. "I came up with the idea a year and a half ago. It took me a while to convince my business partners because they understood the logistics of it. I don't deal in logistics. I deal in fantasyland, promotion. I cold-called Al and pitched it to him. He listened to me. I asked how many kegs he'd need to sell to break even. That was our starting point. I said, 'I could do that.' He believed in what we were doing. I said, 'It's only for West Seattle. It's not going anywhere else. That got him interested. I said, 'Weve got our community, West Seattle, here. Let's put a ring around it.'"

"I love the fact that someone brewed a beer in our area, for our area," said Aaron Debnam, manager of Seattle Fish Company in West Seattle, who was pub-crawling from Feedback Lounge to the Beveridge Place next door.

"Lowman Beach is a very local place, and good for them, Debnam added. "You drag your boat across the park, on the beach. I put my canoe in there. If they launch a new West Seattle beer I think a really good name for it would be 'Kenyon Hall'. It's unappreciated, but if you know it, and have experienced it. it's appreciated. Also, they could name a new beer 'Alki' after the beach that is a special, special area to have your West Seattle experience."

Gary Sink, is the owner of Beveridge Place. "We've always been community-oriented here," he said. "My wife and I were involved with Longfellow Creek Legacy Trail before we owned the pub. Now we have less free time to volunteer, but still want to give back to the community."

West Seattle's Teri Ensley of the kitty rescue Furry Faces Foundation was stationed at BEVERIDGE PLACE, her organization's "south headquarters" cheering on other participants.