This past Saturday evening was bustling with various activities throughout the Valley. With the Big Pour in Scottsdale, the Phoenix Parade of Arts on 5th Street, Phoenix Green Streets on Roosevelt, Rock Support for Decent Shelter at Trinity Cathedral and more, it was hard to select the right adventure to take. Since I am so with the times, I have relegated Twitter as my guide to what event will fill up my evening. I noticed a buzz about Phoenix Brew Party and, after perusing its nifty website, the beer snob in me decided it was a noble venture.
This event is hosted and conceived from a local non-profit group that is helping our community in its own way. Communitas is doing its part for our community. It hosts some pretty intriguing events: Taco Day, a taco-eating frenzy that supports a new charity each year; On Bike with Love, where you form a charitable bike gang that delivers care packages to the needy; and many more.
So, I approach this event with some suspicion. After all, who gives away free beer with no strings attached? Apparently Communitas does. At a house on 7th Street and Coronado, there was a yard full of guests and a porch full of some of the finest local brews you can imagine. It started off with some judging from some local patrons, and then it came the mob’s turn to judge. We were encouraged to vote for the beer we preferred by placing a dollar or two in the bin next to each keg — a charitable gesture. The proceeds were not kept, but collected to help some of our local transients with acquiring necessities. This is all well and good, but inside this lovely 1920s bungalow resided a table loaded with homemade goodies — everything from pulled pork barbecue to seafood pasta. If anything, these people know how to throw a party and support their community.
I feel inclined to jump on board with them. Check them out. Become a part of the cure.
All photos by Andrew Langdal
