Special hops for Doggies for Duchenne 5K

Even though Braden Woods’ Helen Wiegman does not often drink beer, she made an exception during a special event Jan. 21 at World of Beer in East County.

This particular beer, a pineapple pale ale, was different.

“I must say, this is pretty tasty,” said Wiegman, who is a member of the Lakewood Ranch Running Club.

The Humane Society at Lakewood Ranch and “Another Day for Gray,” an organization that raises money for Duchenne muscular dystrophy research, both hope a lot of people feel the same way as Wiegman.

Proceeds from the sale of “Doggies for Duchenne” beer at the Doggies for Duchenne 5K race Feb. 11  in Lakewood Ranch will benefit the two organizations.

The Big Top Brewing Co. was asked by World of Beer CEO Dean Lambert if it would consider brewing a special beer for the race. The brewing company answered the call.

“We hope the proceeds from the people buying our beer will help,” said Mike Bisaha, the CEO of Big Top Brewing. “We basically said to the charity, ‘Here’s all this beer, and you can turn these kegs into hundreds of dollars’ worth of money raised for your cause.’”

Big Top donated three kegs of “Doggies for Duchenne” to the cause.

A sample of the beer was offered at the pre-race event at World of Beer. It appeared to be a hit.

“It’s really got a lift to it,” Bradenton’s Cassandra Decker said. “It has a nice, fruity aftertaste to it that is really refreshing, rather than having a gross, hoppy taste.”

Bisaha said it is a win-win situation for the charities and his company.

“When we started this company three years ago, we knew that everything about Big Top is centered around Sarasota,” Bisaha said. “And the things that are important to our community are important to us. People get to drink our beer, while money is being raised for a good cause.”

With the beer set to be served after the race, Bisaha and Lambert agreed it should be something refreshing and fruity, rather than something more on the heavy or bitter side.

“I gave Mike some ideas, because it wasn’t going to only be associated with a charity, but also a road race,” Lambert said. “Something like a stout or a heavy beer isn’t something anyone would want after a race.”

Monika Oberer, a close friend of Grayson Tullio, a 13-year-old from Lakewood Ranch with Duchenne who is the inspiration for “Another Day for Gray,” is a coordinator of the Doggies for Duchenne event along with Rebekah Boos.

 “Rebekah’s passion is to help the dogs, and my passion is to help Grayson,” Oberer said. “For this event, everybody is helping each other. There is no greed. People just wanted to come and give, which is huge for us.”