Photo: Riverview Pale Ale glasses are displayed at a launch party for the drink. Photo by Sean P. Ray

By Sean P. Ray | Managing Editor

Going out to enjoy some beer is a favorite pasttime for many people. But what if you could do that while also supporting a major feature of the community?

That is the goal of Riverview Pale Ale, a new, limited-time alcoholic beverage made as a collaboration between Northside marketing agency Pipitone Group and Penn Brewery. As the name implies, sales of the beer will support Riverview Park, specifically going to Friends of Riverview Park, a volunteer group which supports its namesake green space.

According to Scott Pipitone, president and CEO of Pipitone Group, the idea for the ale came out of an earlier collaboration with Eat N’ Park to sell a limited-time beverage as a way to fundraise. Pipitone said that drink “sold out instantly,” proving the strength of the concept.

Scott Pipitone, president and CEO of Pipitone Group, addresses attendees at the launch event for RPA. Photo by Sean P. Ray

The new drink is described as “a pale ale that has a hint of haziness with notes of stone fruit, melon, lemon peel and tropical fruit” in a fact sheet available at the Sept. 14 launch party for the drink.

Pipitone said he loves pale ales and beer made from hops, helping inspire Riverview Pale Ale. He told the Northside Chronicle that when he finally got to taste the drink himself, it was “exactly what I was thinking of.”

Multiple local breweries have agreed to carry the ale starting in early October, including 412 Brewery, North Shore Tavern, Penn Brewery and more.

Gina Grone, executive director of the Northside Chamber of Commerce, said the ale was “such a good example of Northsider businesses working together” at the launch party for the drink.

The drink will only be available while supplies last, with 10 barrels being brewed in total. Each participating location will donate up to 30% of sales generated by Riverview Pale Ale toward Friends of Riverview Park. Each brewery will also have a donation jar to raise additional funds.

The goal of the effort is to raise $10,000 through the sale of the drink, branded howlers and from public donations.

In support of the fundraising efforts, Pipitone Group designed a logo and branding for the beer, and donated branded tap toppers, table tents, beer glasses and howlers with said logo.

The logo itself was inspired by an old map of Riverview Park and features the Allegheny Observatory seated atop rolling hills, as well as having the drink’s main ingredient, hops, on it.

Money raised from the fundraiser will go toward improvement projects at Riverview Park.