A new brew is being tapped TONIGHT, June 29, at 4pm for a great Irvington cause! Irvington Development Organization is teaming up with Black Acre Brewing Co. to launch a new brew called “Street Lamp Blonde”. Black Acre is donating $1 per SLB beer to help fund the new streetlights that will be purchased for the Irvington Streetscape so come out, quench your thirst and help a great cause! HUGE thanks to Black Acre for their initiative and support in this project. Aren’t our IRV merchants wonderful?! For more on this exciting new venture, here’s our press release – read on!

“Street Lamp Blonde,” a New Brew for an Irvington Cause

“We decided to brew a beer specifically for the project and name it the Street Lamp Blonde.”
–Justin Miller, co-founder, Black Acre Brewing Company

 Indianapolis – A brand-new brew, Street Lamp Blonde, is set to be tapped at Black Acre Brewing Company in historic Irvington at 4pm on Friday, June 29.  Beer connoisseurs will enjoy this thirst-quenching summer treat for the taste but will also be assisting in a great cause: new lights along Irvington’s Washington Street.

Justin Miller, one of the founders of Black Acre, explains, “We thought that with the Irvington Streetscape currently under construction, it would be a good opportunity to both boost awareness about the project as well as raise money for its continued maintenance and upkeep.”

Drivers and pedestrians navigating East Washington Street in Irvington over the past few weeks have noticed extensive renovations taking place. The expected result will be a scenic streetscape along the downtown corridor.  As part of the streetscape, the Irvington Development Organization (IDO) is planning to invest in 30 additional streetlights.  However, the new lamps do not come without a price tag.

IDO Executive Director, Margaret Banning, describes the relationship between a neighborhood and Indianapolis Power & Light (IPL), “The city and IPL have an agreement that when a neighborhood or business wants extra lights, the requestor is responsible for the electricity bill.  Each light costs around $400 a year in electrical expenses.”

To manage the additional maintenance fees, IDO will be launching a campaign designed to involve interested local businesses and individuals.  In the meantime, when the owners of Black Acre learned of the opportunity to assist in the mission, they figured they would help – with beer, naturally.  “We decided to brew a beer specifically for the project and name it the Street Lamp Blonde.  It’s a light, refreshing summer beer brewed with lemon peel and lemon grass.  One dollar of every beer sold will go toward the electric bill for the new street lamps,” Miller said.

“We wanted to find a way to support the streetscape and IDO. We’d heard about the cost of power for additional lighting and wanted to do our part to help what we believe to be a very important project for the Irvington neighborhood,” he continued.

Banning is thrilled with the collaboration, “When we welcomed Black Acre to Irvington, we knew it would be a great asset to our corridor.  At the time, we didn’t fully appreciate what a tremendous partner and supporter they would be for IDO.”

“One of the reasons we wanted to install the additional lighting was to make the business corridor safer and more vibrant into the evening hours.  With the entry of Black Acre into our commercial district, Irvington is generating more nightlife, and all the businesses and their patrons will definitely benefit from the added ‘energy’. Our aim is to accent Irvington businesses, attract new visitor and ensure a secure hub,” explains Banning.

Black Acre plans on making the Street Lamp Blonde available as a recurring beer throughout the summer and will donate a percentage of the proceeds each time they brew it.  The brewery is located at 5632 E. Washington Street in Irvington.