The Pointer UW-Stevens Point Student Newspaper
Kyle Florence kflor654@uwsp.edu
This coming Saturday, Sept. 22, The Stevens Point Brewery will once again host Pointoberfest.
The annual celebration is promoted by Pints for Prostates, a campaign which furthers prostate cancer awareness by appearing at beer festivals and other events across the country.
“It’s sort of a way to subtly create awareness among men that go to beer festivals. They’re definetely not in your face about it, but there will be prostate cancer survivors bartending and walking around,” said Julie Birrenkott, Director of Marketing at The Stevens Point Brewery.
Now in its fifth year, Pints for Prostates is a grassroots campaign which emphasizes the importance of regular health screenings and the early detection of prostate cancer. “It’s for a great cause and it’s going to be a great time,” said Marketing Assistant and University of Wisconsin – Stevens Point student Samantha Stroschein.
Pointoberfest will take place at The Stevens Point Brewery, 2617 Water St., and run from 4 p.m. – 8 p.m., with advance tickets available for $20 up until the day of the event.
Guests will receive a souvenir mug upon entering the festival and have the opportunity to sample all Point Craft Beers and Ciderboys Hard Ciders.
In addition, live music will be provided by the Wisconsin-based country outfit Tuscan Road, while Rockman’s Catering will provide German food available for purchase throughout the duration of the event.
“It’s a unique opportunity to sample everything that is made here ?locally and I think that more people should really start to support local business and support local job growth in the area,” Birrenkott said. “We’re brewing more original, different types of beer than we ever have in our history.”
“There’s something for people of all ages—older generations, young college students—and I think that we’ll have so many things on tap that if you haven’t tried something, you’ll have the chance to all under run roof, and that never happens,” Stroschein said.
Additionally, both Birrenkott and Stroschein were adamant that Pointoberfest will supply enjoyment to all who attend, including those who may not particularly enjoy beer.
“We started making Ciders in 2012, so obviously those weren’t available during Oktoberfest season, so hopefully this year we can draw not only beer lovers, but cider lovers as well,” Stroschein said.
Birrenkott said in addition to ciders, a number of other beer alternatives would also be made available to patrons, such as wines and craft brewed, non-alcoholic beverages.
Nicholas Riesing, a Stevens Point resident who attended the festival last year, insists that the event is well worth the admission price.
“Last year me and a group of people went without really knowing what it actually was and ended up having an absolute blast. With all those different craft beers under one roof, it’s hard to go wrong,” Riesing said. “I’ll definetely be attending again this year.”?
