A frenzy of flurries may have come to call, somewhat unseasonably, on Saturday, April 9th, but it was not enough to deter Crime & Punishment Brewing Co. from their mission. When the owners of the brewery discovered that Kelley Elementary School (1601 N. 28th St.) was facing budget cuts to their arts and music programs, the local brewpub immediately set their wheels to turning.

The first endeavor was on Monday, March 21st. A dollar from every sale on this date was donated to the cause of raising money for the school. While there was a decent turnout, with over $120 raised, the owners felt that they could do more.

“We had several goals when we first opened,” explained Mike Wambolt, one of the owners of C&P, “A main mission was to integrate ourselves into the community via local art, music and non-profit opportunities. This seemed like a great chance to give back.”

To promote the event, the owners created some incentives to bring additional customers through the doors. They contacted homebrewers Mike Hawkins and Mark Ricketts, patrons of the brewery, who had been discussing their own concoctions with the owners for some time. Mike and Mark brought along homemade beer, mead and kombucha for customers to taste, with suggested donations going towards the school. Ricketts also utilized his cooking skills to prepare succulent chicken on the grill, also available to customers for a donation towards the school’s waning arts program.

The brewery also used this event as an opportunity to release their newest stout: The Gulag Uprising is a Russian Imperial Stout (12.29% ACL). The combined efforts of the new stout and the samples of food and drink brought in a heavy flow of customers between the hours of 12-4 PM on Saturday. Members of the community came out to support the school, and the reach of the brewery stretched farther than the immediate Brewerytown area.

Heather Johnson and Ian Sonderstrom, who know Hawkins, admit that they had never been to the brewery before the event.

“I’d heard of it before,” Johnson said, “never had a chance to come. It is always nice to go out and do something that you enjoy while being able to support a good cause and the efforts of your friends.”

This was far from Crime & Punishment’s first attempt at working with local groups for a cause. The brewery also worked in the past with Give and Go Athletics Inc., a non-profit mentorship program designed “to meet the emotional, educational and physical needs of youth.” The brewery also used The Pope’s visit in September to promote one of their special brews, the sour wheat beer Jesus Wept.

Amidst a sporadic onslaught of April snowflakes and fragrant smoke from their industrial grill, the owners of Crime & Punishment made the best with the conditions the weather had presented them. A large amount of support was found to help raise money for the Kelley Elementary School, and more exciting partnerships await on the horizon.