Pints for Parks: Moontown Brewing Company Gives Back
Moontown Brewing Company in Whitestown started when friends Bobby Mattingly and Cody Peczkowski developed a passion for brewing traditional European beers at home.
Nearly four years since opening Moontown’s doors, they are now award-winning brewers, business owners, and philanthropists. Among their endeavors is a project called Pints for Parks.
Pints for Parks is a line of unique beers they created to celebrate Indiana’s state parks. Each new brew is named for one park, and a portion of sales goes directly to the DNR Division of State Parks. Mattingly said the inspiration for the project came as the pandemic started.
“We were inspired to give back when COVID hit,” Mattingly said. “We wanted to support Indiana since we both grew up here. We’re both outdoor enthusiasts, and we’re animal and nature lovers.
“We wanted to support Indiana’s natural lands and bring awareness to our state’s natural beauty. Indiana doesn’t get the rep it deserves for the natural beauty that it has.”
Mattingly said Shades was the first state park he visited as a child, and it remains a special place for him. His family spent a lot of time in southern Indiana during his youth and also enjoyed the outdoors at Brown County and Turkey Run state parks. Having grown up in Zionsville, northwest of Indianapolis, he said the difference between the prairie and farmland of northern Indiana and the rolling hills and forests in the southern part of the Hoosier state showed him that Indiana is rich in geological and biological diversity. His love for the outdoors grew from there.
Once the Moontown team decided they wanted to create a line of beer to support Indiana’s state parks, they discovered the Indiana Natural Resources Foundation. The INRF works with corporate sponsors that want to support projects and properties managed by the Indiana DNR, so it was a fitting partnership. The foundation steered the process and made it possible for Moontown’s dream of giving back to the parks become a reality.
“It is a joy to work with partners like Moontown Brewing Company,” said Jody Kress, INRF executive director. “They are genuinely committed to Indiana’s natural resources, and Pints for Parks is a creative and fun way to celebrate our natural legacy.”
A portion of each Pints for Parks sale goes to Indiana’s state parks. Pictured: Bobby Mattingly, Jody Kress (INRF) and Cody Peczkowski
Mixing business with philanthropy helps both the business and the projects it supports.
“It’s a good way to show people that you can always think of ways to benefit your business, but at the same time you can find a way to give back to something bigger,” Mattingly said. “The state of Indiana and its state parks will exist for generations after us.
“Pints for Parks helps us bring awareness to what is left of Indiana’s natural areas. It also helps us get creative, since each beer we make is brand new and inspired by the park it is named after. We are proud of Pints for Parks. It’s been embraced by so many people, and the beer sells very well.”
The fourth brew in the series will be Indiana Dunes, which is named for Indiana Dunes State Park. The beer will be a golden bock, which is a strong German lager. Mattingly and Peczkowski chose to make this park’s brew a golden color to represent the sands of Indiana’s dunes.
Indiana Dunes will be available at Moontown Brewing Company beginning Sept. 18, which is also the date of the brewery’s annual Oktoberfest celebration. Moontown invites you to come and enjoy a refreshing beverage and support Indiana’s natural lands.
If you would like to donate toward the INRF and the projects we support, visit our donation page.
Interested in becoming a corporate sponsor? Contact Jody Kress at [email protected] or 317-243-5447
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