‘Pints for Prostates’ party set for Oct. 8 at Redhook Ale Brewery

Men know their IPAs but they usually don’t know their PSA. Redhook Ale Brewery, 14300 NE 145th St. in Woodinville, will host the Eastside’s first "Pints for Prostates" party at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8.

Men know their IPAs but they usually don’t know their PSA.

Redhook Ale Brewery, 14300 NE 145th St. in Woodinville, will host the Eastside’s first “Pints for Prostates” party at 6 p.m. Friday, Oct. 8.

Pints for Prostates uses the universal language of beer to encourage men to have routine PSA tests and regular health screenings. The beer-to-peer program was founded by a prostate cancer survivor to bring health education to where men gather. It is an outreach event from Us Too, the international prostate cancer support network.

Kirkland-based Evergreen Hospital Medical Center will provide educational materials and information booths, plus coordinate the display of a da Vinci surgical robot. Guests can test-drive the robot and manipulate the robot’s arms during the event. A similar robot is used at Evergreen Hospital for minimally invasive surgery, particularly for prostate surgery.

Former Seahawk Mack Strong will make a guest appearance at 7 p.m. Kile Jackson of Woodinville and his band, the Hitmen, will perform at 9 p.m. Entry to the event is free. Redhook’s food and drink items will be for sale.

The Urological Association recommends men receive prostate screening tests beginning at the age of 40. The prostate is the small gland below a man’s bladder that produces fluid for semen. Prostate cancer, the second leading cause of cancer death in males, is the most common non-skin cancer in men in the United States. One in six men will develop prostate cancer in their lifetime. Us Too (www.ustoo.org) predicts that as Baby Boomers age, the number of men diagnosed with prostate cancer will increase by 40 percent, from about 230,000 to more than 300,000 a year. Prostate deaths are expected to rise to 50,000 a year.

Symptoms include difficulty in urination, difficulty emptying the bladder, pain or burning during urination and/or pain in the back, hips or pelvis that doesn’t go away.