Partnership brews up awareness of Alzheimer’s
PENN TWP — Nathaniel Sofranko usually spends his days working with hazy memories, not hazy brews.
On Sunday, coordinators of the Greater Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association gathered with members of the Butler Area Society of Homebrewers (BASH) to create a new beer that would not only be tasty, but function as a symbol of Alzheimer’s awareness and the estimated 280,000 Pennsylvanians with the disorder at an upcoming event.
A cloudy, purple beer turned out to be the perfect blend, which will stand out among the beers that will be sold at the Barrel and Flow Fest on Aug. 13.
“It’s a berry-based combo and we wanted to dye the beer purple and make it hazy because people with Alzheimer’s kind of have a hazy memory,” said Sofranko, development manager for the Alzheimer’s Association chapter. “It sort of represents the cloudiness of the brain which we thought worked perfect.”
The meeting of the minds between BASH and the Alzheimer’s Association was coordinated by Day Bracey, founder of the Barrel and Flow Fest. Bracey said he takes applications from organizations asking to receive funds through the event, which takes place in Pittsburgh’s Strip District, and introduces the chosen nonprofits to home brewers.
The pairing is meant to raise awareness of a cause, but also introduce nonprofit coordinators to the wide network of home brewers.
“We try to pair organizations up with a collaboration that we think will be mutually beneficial,” Bracey said. “Hopefully with this collaboration, they can raise money, but also home brewers can introduce them to the industry and help spread the word there.”
While Sofranko had never brewed his own beer before, he and a few other volunteers from the association were in good company Sunday. The members of BASH meet once a month to share their own creations and discuss tips to making certain brews, and about 15 members of the group aided in the making of the purple beer.
BASH member Nick Smith hosted the brewing gathering Sunday afternoon, and said he was happy to get involved with the cause after being introduced to the festival by Bracey.
“Everyone stepped in and helped out; it was nice,” Smith said. “The Alzheimer’s Association (members), they were great and wanted to see how it was done.”
Bracey said the festival will have around 80 breweries, along with dozens of food trucks and vendors. Proceeds from the event will benefit the charity organizations chosen by coordinators.
The brewers got about a half-barrel or 15 gallons filled with the purple beer, and Smith said he is looking forward to unveiling it at Barrel and Flow.
According to Sofranko, that fundraising is needed by the Alzheimer’s Association, because of the increasing number of patients in need of care.
“We are really just trying to think of ways to get the word out because a recent study showed that 6 million Americans have Alzheimer’s, and that number is only going to go up,” Sofranko said.
On top of awareness, the money needed for research is integral to the organization as well.
“Right now there is no cure for Alzheimer’s,” Sofranko said. “Right now we are putting a lot of money into research and the development of new drugs and treatments.”
Erin Ward, a committee member for the Alzheimer’s Association’s Longest Day event, said she has worked for years with people who suffer from Alzheimer’s and memory loss, which can also be expensive for patients. She said raising money to find a cure or treatment for Alzheimer’s will not only help current victims, but keep new patients from going without treatment for too long.
“If we don’t get a handle on it soon, the cost is going to skyrocket,” Ward said.
For more information about fundraising event, visit BarrelandFlow.com. To learn more about Greater Pennsylvania Chapter of the Alzheimer’s Association, visit ALZ.org.
