Pints for Prostates Assists Us TOO International's Efforts

On Saturday, if you are heading to the World Beer Festival in Durham, N.C., or the Fall Beer Festival in Austin, Texas, please take time to check out the Pints for Prostates booth at each event. You will have the chance to get information on prostate cancer and also make a donation to help support the efforts of Us TOO International.

The World Beer Festival will be held at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park at 409 Blackwell St. in Durham, N.C. The Oct. 4th event, which is sold out, runs during two sessions, from Noon to 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. This event, created by All About Beer magazine, is one of the best beer events in the eastern United States.

The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium is holding its annual Fall Beer Festivals in Austin on Oct. 4th from Noon to 10 p.m. at The Triangle, 815 W. 47th St. A portion of the proceeds from the event will be donated to the Pints for Prostates campaign to support the efforts of Us TOO International. The event will include Belgian ales, German lagers, cask-conditioned beers and some of the best beers in Texas.

Rogue Ales, one of America’s most respected craft brewers, has stepped forward as a sponsor of Pints for Prostates, a campaign developed to use the universal language of beer reach men with information about PSA testing and prostate health screening.

Pints for Prostates was created to raise the awareness of men about prostate cancer and the need for regular health check-ups. The campaign supports the efforts of Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, a not for profit group founded and governed by prostate cancer survivors that works to support, educate and advocate for men with prostate cancer.

“Rogue Ales embraces the idea of communicating with men over a pint of ale. The Pints for Prostates campaign appealed to us because it uses a friendly way to get an important health message to men,” said Brett Joyce, President of Rogue Ales. “We hope every man in Rogue Nation listens to the message and asks their doctor for a PSA test.”

“Having a brand like Rogue involved in the campaign will help us reach more men in their late 30s and early 40s, when statistics show they often skip regular physicals and avoid doctor’s offices,” said Rick Lyke of Charlotte, NC., a 47-year-old cancer survivor who founded Pints for Prostates earlier this year after successful prostate surgery. “The beer community is coming together to support Pints for Prostates and we’re going to be able to reach millions of men with a life saving message.”

All funds raised through the Pints for Prostates campaign go directly to Us TOO International, a 501(c)3 group recognized by Charity Navigator for its effectiveness and efficiency as a charity organization. Founded in 1990, Us TOO is based in a suburb of Chicago and has 325 local chapters. One in six men is at risk of developing prostate cancer during their life time. Approximately 200,000 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the U.S. this year.

“Early detection is the key to fighting prostate cancer and we believe Pints for Prostates can help us reach men who might otherwise miss this critical message,” said Thomas Kirk, President and CEO of Us TOO International. “The idea of reaching men about health issues through beer sounded a little strange at first, but it fits perfectly with our mission to educate and empower men and their family members so they can take an active role in their health care.”

Pints for Prostates, in conjunction with some of Us TOO’s 325 local chapters, is planning a number of events during September, which is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and October. You can get more information about the campaign at www.ustoo.org/pints.

Celebrating its second century, Rogue Ales is an Artisan Varietal Brewery founded in Oregon in 1988, as one of America’s first 50 microbreweries. Rogue has 550+ awards for taste and quality and is available nationally and in 20 countries.

The good folks at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery in Charlotte, N.C., tapped their Oktoberfest seasonal beer this past Thursday and used the event to help raise funds for the Pints for Prostates campaign.

Rock Bottom donated raffle prizes and Us TOO International had a table set up with information about prostate cancer. The Charlotte Beer Club turned out, along with local homebrewers and workers from Uptown offices out for a meal after work. The event raised nearly $600, which goes to fund the efforts of Us TOO International as it supports, educates and advocates for men with prostate cancer and their families.

Thanks do out to Dave Gonzalez, head brewer, and everyone with Rock Bottom for supporting the event.

As far as logos go, it’s a small one — but it sure is fast!

Thanks to Dan Pikarsky and the folks at Tuttle Motorsports, Pints for Prostates is part of the O’Reilly Auto Parts NHRA Nationals taking place in Dallas, Texas.

Steve Torrence drives the top fuel dragster, which is sponsored by Vis Viva “Living Force Energy” drink. Speeds in the top NHRA class exceed 300 miles per hour. You can catch the action this weekend on ESPN2.

The Flying Saucer Draught Emporium is holding annual Fall Beer Festivals in Austin and Fort Worth, Texas, in the coming weeks that will help spread the word about the importance of PSA testing and prostate health screenings. A portion of the proceeds from the events will be donated to the Pints for Prostates campaign to support the efforts of Us TOO International.

The Austin event is taking place on Oct. 4th from Noon to 10 p.m. at The Triangle, 815 W. 47th St. in Austin.

The Fort Worth event is being held on Oct. 11 from 2 p.m. to 10:30 p.m. is the Flying Saucer parking lot at Sundance Square.

Beer fans attending these events will get to sample a range of great beers. Pints for Prostates will have an information booth set up at both festivals.

Flying Saucer Draught Emporium in Charlotte, N.C., hosted an event on Tuesday evening for Pints for Prostates.

A good crowd, including members of the Charlotte Beer Club, had the chance to get information on prostate cancer, while participating in a raffle. Donations by Carolina Beer of a kegerator, Widmer Brothers Brewing of a golf bag, pub signs from Dogfish Head Brewery and Highland Brewing, along with several gift baskets of beer , gift certificates from Toppers Pizza and The Flying Saucer for the raffle, plus donations from patrons, helped raise more than $1,600 to back the efforts of Us TOO International as it works to support, educate and advocate for men with prostate cancer and their families.

A special thanks goes out to Daniel Parks, Jason Causey and the entire staff at The Flying Saucer for helping to organize the event and make it a special evening.

Garrett Harkey was the grand prize winner, taking home the Danby kegerator from Carolina Beer. True to form upon having his winning ticket verified, Harkey said “I’ve never won anything in my life.”

Publisher Austin C. Wilson and Editor-in-Chief Erika Rietz at DRAFT magazine have lined up firmly in support of the Pints for Prostates campaign.

The September/October issue of DRAFT includes a full-page donated ad backing Pints for Prostates and they turned over the BeerMe column so I could tell my personal story and urge men to get a PSA test. Additionally, DRAFT is allowing Pints for Prostates and Us TOO International to share space in the publication’s booth at the Great American Beer Festival from Oct. 9-11 in Denver, Colo. So, look for us at the GABF.

We really appreciate DRAFT’s help in reaching more men with the critical message about prostate health screening.

Anne Ausderau, editor at Southwest Brewing News, along with publishers Bill Metzger and Hans Granheim, are helping to spread the word about Pints for Prostates in the August/September issue of the brewspaper. In addition to donating space for an ad, Southwest Brewing News also ran an article about the campaign.

Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery in Charlotte, N.C., will hold its Oktoberfest beer tapping party and  help raise funds on Sept. 18^th from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. to support Pints for Prostates, a campaign developed to use the universal language of beer to reach men with information about PSA testing and prostate health screening.

Pints for Prostates was created to raise the awareness of men about prostate cancer and the need for regular health check-ups. The campaign supports the efforts of Us TOO International Prostate Cancer Education and Support Network, a not for profit group founded and governed by prostate cancer survivors that works to support, educate and advocate for men with prostate cancer.

“We’re pleased to be helping Pints for Prostates spread the word,” said Dave Gonzalez, head brewer at Rock Bottom in Charlotte, which is located at 401 N. Tryon St. “Our Oktoberfest Tapping Party is the perfect time to get the message out because we’ll have a great crowd of beer fans gathered to try our new seasonal beer.”

Patrons attending the Rock Bottom event can make a donation to support the efforts of Us TOO International, which works to support, educate and advocate for men with prostate cancer and their families.

 “Pints for Prostates is an awareness campaign designed to reach men through the universal language of beer. We want to communicate with them in a friendly and non-threatening way about the need for regular PSA testing,” says Rick Lyke, a 47-year-old Charlotte, N.C., marketing executive and drinks journalist who was diagnosed with prostate cancer in February. “Early detection is the key to fighting prostate cancer and a PSA test and a physical exam are the best method to catch it early.”

“The idea of reaching men about health issues through beer sounded a little strange at first, but it makes perfect sense,” said Thomas Kirk, President and CEO of Us TOO International. “Our mission and program goal is to educate and empower men and their family members so men and their loved ones can take an active role in their health care. One in six men is at risk of developing prostate cancer during their life time and early detection through the monitoring of PSA levels is critical to getting the disease under control. Pints for Prostates will help us reach more men at a time when a growing number of men are at risk.”

Pints for Prostates, in conjunction with some of Us TOO’s 325 local chapters, is planning a number of events during September, which is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and October.  You can get more information about the campaign at www.ustoo.org/pints.

Title: Great American Beer Festival

Location: Colorado Convention Center, Denver, Colo.
Date: Oct. 9-11, 2008

Four Sessions: Thursday & Friday 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m. and Saturday 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. & 5:30 p.m. to 10 p.m.

This is the nation’s premier event dedicated to American craft beer. Look for Pints for Prostates in the DRAFT magazine booth at the festival. Get tickets at the Brewers Association website.