The best craft brews of the Midwest were showcased at the 2014 BrewAthlon. Hosted at Sunset Hill Farms Park in Valparaiso, the Brewathlon provided good food, over 40 different craft brews to try, live music, and funds to help a worthy cause.
The event started with a 5K Run/Walk that got participants thirty and ready to try some crafty beers. A wide tent was set up with brews from all over the Midwest including local crafts such as newcomers, Four Fathers Brewing.
Kimberly Oswald, one of the owners at Four Fathers, was ready with samples to get their name out there. “We are still so new, so coming out and talking to people and meeting them is one of the best parts of the job. Craft beer people are so much fun! It is a great cause to support and we hope to continue doing these events,” Oswald said. Four Fathers brought along four of their craft beers including: Abolition, Neptune, Dr. Terminus, and Triple Berry Neptune.
To accompany all of the different brews to try, vendors lined the lot selling Chicago style hotdogs, pizza, BBQ and delicious pretzels.
Jung Lee, Brand Manager at Indiana Beverage, gave his take on the craft beers at the event. “There is a great variety here today. We are here, going around and talking to volunteers and the crowd, answering any questions about the beer or style that they are trying,” Lee said.
The BrewAthlon wasn’t only about the beer though, as all the proceeds from the event went to the non-profit organization, Foundation for Molecular Medicine, to support cancer research.
One of the major sponsors of the event was NITCO, who were happy to be helping fund such a personal and vital non-profit. “We at NITCO, support what the organization is doing with early cancer detection. WIth the therapies today, the earlier you catch it, the better chance of survival,” said Tom Long, Chief Operations Officer at NITCO.
Frank Szczepanski, Chief Operating Officer at Foundation for Molecular Medicine, gave his take on the event and what the organization is doing for the cause. “All of these proceeds we make today go into the foundation for cancer research and curing cancer faster here in Northwest Indiana. We give scholarships to students looking to study medicine and we help give grants for people who need help paying their medical bills. The big long-term goal is to build a center for research here in Northwest Indiana.”
Sunset Hill Farms Park proved to be a perfect place to host the event, with lots of open space to run and set up the beer garden. The Porter County Parks & Rec were happy to host and help out with the event.
“Porter County Parks serves as a facility for all sorts of community festivals, like the BrewAthlon. We are really here to not only host, but help out with the Molecular Medicine cause. This is the first Beer Fest we’ve had out here, so we are really excited to make this an annual event,” said Dana Yake, Communications Director for Porter County Parks.
A great day of craft beer, running, and food helped raise funds for a great cause in Northwest Indiana. Sponsors of the event included: NITCO, Strategic Financial Group, Masterson Insurance Agency, Edward Jones, Simko Signs, Indiana Beverage, Family Express, Cavalier, Porter County Parks & Rec, and Aloha2.