BAR HARBOR — A new black ale released by Atlantic Brewing Company Sept. 15 is part of an initiative to support military veterans and service members.

Brewer Jon Hill called Proteus Black Ale a cross between “an England-style dark mild and a German Schwarzbier.”

“It’s nutty, roasty, a little bit of smoke in it. It’s a lower-alcohol beer, only four and half percent, so it’s pretty easy to drink,” Hill said. “It’s still summer, and it can get kind of hot, so I wanted something drinkable.”

The recipe was crafted by Hill, but most of the brewing was handled by Ray Edgar, a veteran and brewer, from Geaghan Brothers Brewing Company in Brewer.

“I came up with the recipe, and we asked Ray to come down, and he pretty much brewed it by himself,” Hill said.

The Black Ale Project was started in 2016 by Dave Pappas, a retired Marine and noncombat veteran of the Persian Gulf War. He wanted to raise awareness for charities that support veterans.

Participating breweries brew a black beer, and the proceeds are donated to a charity of their choice.

“My positive experiences with the craft beer community and my desire to help fellow veterans encouraged me to start the project,” Pappas told the Islander in an email.

Hill, a Navy veteran, said that Atlantic’s profits from the Proteus ale will be donated to the United States Coast Guard unit in Southwest Harbor.

The Coast Guard is very important to Mount Desert Island residents, he said. “Around here, the Coast Guard is like the police or the fire department or the EMTs. A lot of people in trouble will call the Coast Guard instead of calling 911,” Hill said.

Proteus Black Ale is on tap at two locations: Atlantic Brewing Midtown at 52 Cottage St. and Mainely Meat located at Atlantic’s brewery at 15 Knox Road. Hill said that 24 kegs have been filled and no bottles will be released.

According to Pappas, 12 breweries have raised over $25,000 to date as part of the Black Ale Project.

CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story misstated the number of participating breweries.