Proceeds To Benefit The Cole Observatory at the Cobb Astro Park
(Hyannis, MA) – When March rolls around people usually start thinking about St Patrick’s Day, and in the beer world, that means STOUT! Cape Cod Beer is excited to announce the release of a new beer, called “STARGAZER Stout“, a milk stout by style.
Milk Stouts (sometimes called sweet stout or cream stout) are made by adding lactose, a sugar derived from milk. Because lactose is unfermentable by beer yeast, it adds body and sweetness to the finished beer. The beer will be available for purchase at Cape Cod Beer starting on 3/1. $2 from the sale of each growler sold will go to support the purchase of a new telescope mount for the David Cole Observatory at the Cobb Astro Park. This beer is only available at the brewery directly.
Why such an obscure charitable endeavor for a local brewery? It all started at a Barnstable Education Foundation fundraiser when school committee member Pat Murphy and local brewer Todd Marcus began a bidding war over a “Private Star Party with Mike Gyra at the Cobb Astro Park”. Both men, thinking it would be great fun for themselves and their kids, kept outbidding each other. But seated at the same table, a gentleman’s agreement was quickly struck: “I’ll buy it and invite you and your family”. Sold! Fast forward several months later when the Marcus and Murphy families visited the Astro Park and heard Mike Gyra discuss some technical difficulties that they were having with their automated Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope. Neither man was able to deny Mike Gyra’s ask for help. So after a couple hours of research and a visit to a Cape Cod Astronomical Society meeting, an expert was found to help solve the problem.
The 14 inch Schmidt-Cassegrain telescope housed in the observatory with a roll back roof, is computer controlled and able to take pictures of deep space. But they have had problems with tracking, making photos blurry as even the slightest movements across long distances cause problems. It appears that to support the weight and motion of the remote controlled telescope, a sturdier mount is needed. The cost of this new mount is about $6,000.
“We knew we wanted to do a Stout again this year,” explains Cape Cod Beer’s Brewmaster, Todd Marcus, ” because we have not done one since 2008. Using this beer release as a way to bring awareness and some funding for the new telescope mount was easy. Then the name and logo came to us and it got fun!” Cape Cod Beer is donating $2 from every growler of “STARGAZER Stout” sold. Tshirts with the new beer’s logo are also being sold at the brewery’s retail store to support the cause. The proceeds from the sale of the Stout will be given to the Barnstable Education Foundation, who will in turn provide it to BHS for the purchase of the mount. Donations are also being accepted at the brewery or can be made directly to the BEF, earmarked for the Astro Park. The BEF is an independent, registered 501c3 corporation and all donations are therefore tax deductible.
Marcus further explains, “We’re really glad that the BEF was willing to help us with this. This way any additional donations that people want to make can be tax deductible. Besides, the BEF fundraiser is how we got involved in the first place! We’re sensitive to people’s concerns about kids and beer, so having the BEF help us out makes it more appropriate. It’s not like we expect our name out there for kids to see. We get it, we have kids in the school system; in the end we just want to help.
To celebrate the release of STARGAZER Stout, Cape Cod Beer will be hosting a STARGAZER Stout release party at the House of Bud’s at 959 Bearses Way in Hyannis on Tuesday March 1st, starting at 6:30pm. The public is welcome to attend.