COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (KOAA) — Getting out and exploring Colorado Springs and the surrounding area doesn't need to break the bank.
We're highlighting businesses, organizations, and happenings that you can engage with for under $40; the focus for this article (and outing) is the annual Pilgrimage of Pints.
Dating back to 2016, the Pilgrimage is a self-guided brewery, meadery, and distillery tour that includes nearly 30 businesses local to the Pikes Peak region; this year, the event runs from May 2nd until June 13th.
The self-paced trek acts as the lead-up to the annual Feast of Saint Arnold (operated by the same team), which is an enormous, family-friendly beer festival that donates the vast majority of its proceeds to the non-profit Westside Cares.
According to Westside Cares, the Feast of Saint Arnold has donated upwards of $300,000 over the years since its 2013 inception.
All the beverages served at the Feast are donated by the businesses featured in the Pilgrimage of Pints (plus a couple extra), and this leads us back to our main topic.
The Pilgrimage of Pints was created primarily to serve three functions:
- To drive traffic back to the businesses donating their time, efforts, and beverages to the Feast of Saint Arnold.
- To break folks out of their regular routines and experience a wider array of local establishments.
- To get locals excited for the upcoming Feast of Saint Arnold.
The Pilgrimage is highlighted by occasional visits from "Saint Arnold" to the various breweries on the route; hailed as the "patron saint of beer," visits include a brief speech to regale bar patrons with the story of how Saint Arnold saved lives in medieval times.
"What he figured out," commented Six Brown, who portrays Saint Arnold both for the Feast as well as the Pilgrimage of Pints, "was that if people drank the beer instead of the water, they wouldn't get sick! Because the water wasn't purified and would carry the plague to people."
This story apparently gave rise to the organizer's favorite and often-repeated maxim, "Don't drink the water, drink the beer!"
Registration (and cartogram) for the Pilgrimage of Pints is free, and those who visit (and make a purchase at) 15 participating locations will receive 50 percent off their ticket price to the Feast of Saint Arnold.
To learn more about where you can find Saint Arnold or updates on the upcoming Feast of Saint Arnold being held at the Chapel of Our Savior Episcopal Church on June 14th, click here.
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