On Tap: Summer festivals still hoping to brew good times for a cause

The combination of enjoying great craft beer and helping a great cause has been at the heart of the State College Brew Expo since Mike and Malissa Martin took over running it 10 years ago. Thanks to their efforts, the event, held each August has raised nearly $52,000 for Coaches vs. Cancer.

The Martins took the expo from an indoor event and helped to create a memorable festival-like experience by moving it to Tussey Mountain, where visitors could enjoy trying various craft beers in a beautiful outdoor setting.

Earlier this year, the Martins announced they were stepping away from running the expo and were looking for interested people to take over directing it. In mid-March, they were in talks with several potential parties who would pick up and carry on the event.

“We did it for 10 years. It just seemed like it was time for us to step away with all of our other commitments, such as we both work full-time and have two young children, and I’m a founding board member for Team Ream and co-director of Coaches vs. Cancer,” Mike Martin says. “It was a very difficult decision! The event was a big part of our lives. It was our baby before we had babies!

“We are most proud of the money we were able to donate to CVC.”

He says he hopes they will be able to find someone who will keep the expo running this year and beyond.

“We just want to see it continue,” he says. “It was a big part of us, and we want it to continue for many years to come!”

 

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Another craft beer event that helps a good cause takes place a little to our south. The annual Pints for Pets was to be held May 16 at Peoples Natural Gas Field in Altoona, but has been postponed until further notice by the coronavirus pandemic. The event started in 2007 and raises money for the Central Pennsylvania Human Society. It has so far raised more than $1 million for the humane society in its first 13 years.

If it takes place this year, the event is expecting 90 or more brewers and distributors.

“Almost every type of brewery you can think of will be there,” says Ben Mazur, who is the chairperson for this year’s event. “Pints for Pets is one of the largest [beer events] in the Mid-Atlantic in terms of the number of breweries and the number of offerings, with many breweries bringing four or more beers to try.”

Mazur has been helping with Pints for Pets in some capacity since it began. He says the event hasn’t changed much since it started.

“If it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it,” he says. “Yes, every year there are changes behind the scenes to improve the efficiency of the operation and increase the share of the proceeds to the humane society, but most of those changes are not seen by the general public.”

Mazur, however, has seen changes in the number of beer festivals, which has changed who comes to Pints for Pets.

“When we started there were only a handful of beer festivals – brewers may have only four or five festivals in any given year,” he says. “Now, there may be three or four brew fests in a weekend! Also, years ago, it was hard for beer lovers to find great beer. Now distributors and bar owners are smarter, and now many establishments have great selections.

“Attendance for the event has been steady. The only difference we see is that our draw from outside the region is growing.”

One popular question Mazur and the organization receive is about bringing pets to the event. While Pints for Pets does benefit the Central PA Humane Society, pets aren’t allowed to attend for safety and liability reasons.

Besides great beer, the event has live bands performing, and the concession stands at the ballpark will be open for food purchases.

“The location at the ballpark with the Alleghenies is impressive,” Mazur says. “Locals in the Altoona area say that Pints for Pets is the unofficial kickoff to summer here in the Southern Alleghenies.”

 

For more information about Pints for Pets, visit pintsforpets.com.

David Pencek is a freelance writer in State College.