12 Oct 5th Annual Pints for Half Pints Encourages You to Drink Beer, Help Kids
By Drew Ogborn for Indiana On Tap
On Oct. 5, the Broad Ripple Kiwanis Club put on the group’s 5th annual Pints for Half Pints beer tasting event. For those of you who didn’t read the article leading up to the event, let me give you a backdrop.
The event is put on every fall. The Kiwanis Club use the proceeds of the event to support S.T.E.M. education in local schools. (That stands for Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.) The event hosts a handful of Indiana breweries, a local band and food trucks.
This year, the attending breweries were: Bier (as per every year), Big Lug Canteen, Broad Ripple Brewpub, Indiana City, Mashcraft, Metazoa, Outliers, and Three Wise Men. In addition, 21st Amendment donated wine, for those of you who have silly tastebuds…or those of you who can’t drink beer (my heart goes out to you).
There are two things that separate this event from others. First, you get full pint pours. Yes, you read that correctly. You pay $5 for a ticket that gets you a full pint, and the brewers are always happy to give you a small sample first. Secondly, you drink out of a commemorative glass that’s actually glass, with the logo of the event on it. I still use mine from last year at home.
The entertainment for the night, beyond just the music, is the raffling off of prizes. I did not get an exact amount of donated materials but I’d venture to guess it was in the $1,500 to $2,000 range. Also, watching the servers from the breweries attempt to do beer trivia is a hoot.
The main focus of the event is to support S.T.E.M. programs. I won’t go into the details of each program but here is a list of schools that BRKC was able to help support from the 2015 Pints for Half Pints event:
-Broad Ripple Magnet High School
-Eliza Baker School 55
-Rousseau McClellan School 91
-Sidener Gifted Academy School 59
The only criticism I would have would be the type of beer provided. While every beer I had was good, I was looking for that “wow” beer. One that’s new, or rare, or only brewed for special occasions. Now, I was an hour late to the event, so it’s very possible I’m just the idiot who missed out on something. I’ll never know.
Whether you support the STEM initiative put on the by the oval office several years ago, or you like going to events at the Speak Easy, or you love local beer, the event is likely to continue next year, where it will be its 6th and (hopefully) most successful year yet.
No Comments