The Great Arizona Beer Festival is an annual charity event taking place in 2005 on April 2nd and 3rd, and benefiting Sunsounds of Arizona, a radio reading service for the visually-impaired.

I attended the beer festival even before I knew it was a benefit and had a great time. So, it’s not because I now volunteer for both the festival and for Sunsounds that I’m writing about the event. The whole thing is just a lot of fun, but mostly for the beer-lover. Tickets are pretty steep for the non-beer drinker, although if you’re more interested in the music and the food, designated driver tickets are for sale at a reduced price. Designated drivers, however, cannot drink any alcohol at the event.

The festival has perfect timing in downtown Phoenix on the lawn of the Arizona Center, just before summer hits the valley. The north end of the festival tends to be cooler being in the shade, but the south end has the main stage, which is never quiet, thanks to the event sponsor, rock radio station KDKB. Both sides have at least 20 beer booths to fill up the glass mini beer mug that comes with admission.

Most of the beers featured are from breweries in the western and southwestern US. Ace Cider and Widmer are the bigger names I can recall, but Four Peaks, Gentle Ben’s, and Thunder Canyon – all Arizona breweries – have always had tasty offerings. The Arizona Society of Homebrewers was also in attendance last year.

There is overpriced food to keep a person from getting too drunk too quickly (Shoestring fries, Mexican food, and hot sandwiches were for sale last year). Lines to the Portapotties (an inevitability at an event such as this) move surprisingly quickly, even toward the end of the afternoon.

Advance tickets are $30; they are $35 at the door. VIP tickets are available. The festival runs from 2pm to 6pm on both days, with the last pour at 5:45pm. Arrive early, as entry into the festival is a little cumbersome, and attendees can be found lined up to the street corner by 1:30pm. The beer festival also takes place in Flagstaff and in Tucson on different dates. More information can be found on the web at www.azbeer.com/phoenix. Cheers!