LIVINGSTON — Two Staten Island beer clubs are pouring pints to raise money for an autism nonprofit.
The Richmond County Beer Club and home brew club Pour Standards will host the "Brew for Autism" beer tasting event on Jan. 25 to support Autism Speaks.
"A lot of families on Staten Island are affected and living with autism, and we want to be able to support those families and the community," said Sean Torres, president of Pour Standards.
"Beer is a great way to get people together, and if people are going to buy tickets and participate in a beer event, it's only an added benefit for it to go to a good cause."
The event will feature 25 home brewers from around the city bringing samples of their beer for attendees to try, Torres said.
The clubs also got kegs donated from several breweries around the country, including Kelso of Brooklyn and Barrier Brewing Company.
Doug Williams, president of the Richmond County Beer Club, said his group joined forces with Pour Standards to bring in commercial breweries and raise more money than previous fundraisers.
"We're trying to get everybody involved and have it be on a bigger level than last year," Williams said. "To be able to brew a beer and raise money for a fundraiser is pretty cool."
Aside from the brews, the fundraiser will also have raffles the include tickets to St. John's basketball games, home brewing classes and a cigar box guitar made by Staten Island MakerSpace founder Scott Van Campen.
So far, Pour Standards has done three events to raise money for nonprofits, including $3,000 for Hurricane Sandy victims who work at Staten Island University Hospital.
"We're hoping to continue these types of events," Torres said. "Aside from spreading home brew and beer culture, we also want to provide support for our community organizations."
Brew for Autism will be on Jan. 25 from noon until 4 p.m. at the Great Hall at Snug Harbor. Tickets are $65, and all proceeds will be donated to Autism Speaks.
