Great Arizona Beer Festival Rockin’ the Rail Life

**Updated info for this years Great AZ Beer Fest in Tempe**

This headline definitely got my attention…

22nd ANNUAL GREAT ARIZONA BEER FESTIVAL TO FEATURE ARIZONA’S LARGEST FESTIVAL SELECTION OF SPECIALTY AND MICRO-BREWED OFFERINGS

Remembering last years festival at Tempe Beach Park, I have been looking forward to this years event. The Great Arizona Beer Festival in Tempe is a really fun event.

To get to the Beer Festival in Tempe, just hop on the light rail and head to the Mill Avenue Station. From Mill, just head North to Tempe Beach Park and you are ready to sample over 200 beers. Well, you probably won’t make it to 200 but, I think you can have fun sampling a “few.”

Purchase tickets for the AZ Beer Festival on line or at these cool locations:

1) Dave’s Electric Brewpub – 502 S. College,

2) Tempe Sun Devil Liquors – 235 N. Country Club,Mesa

3) SunUp Brewing – 322 E. Camelback, Phoenix

4) Robbie Fox’s Public House – 640 S. Mill, Tempe

5) Rock Bottom Brewery – all 4 Valley locations

6) Tops Liquors – 403 W. University, Tempe

Our friend Sarah (one of the Arizona Beer Festival’s publicists) recently told me that “we anticipate having more beers than last year…which was 203! Still waiting on a few last-minute registrations before we have the final count, but as far as we know, that should be the most beers at any festival in AZ.”

While this might be Arizona’s biggest and best beer festival, there is also a LOT of entertainment and some really good grub for all to enjoy. Check out the live music, cornhole beanbag games, some serious paintball action and a ton of food vendors on site to keep the munchies at bay.

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When: March 6th and 7th

Where: Tempe Beach Park, 54 W Rio Salado Pkwy. Tempe, AZ

What Time: 2pm – 6pm

More Info: Visit AZbeer.com, friend AZ Beer Fest on Facebook follow AZ Beerfest on Twitter

Getting There: Take the light rail to the Mill Avenue Station. If driving, leave your car at one of the Park and Ride lots for FREE.

How Much: General Admission tickets are $40 ($10 off the gate price) Bring your Designated Driver for just $20. VIP tickets are $80.00 Beer Fest VIP’s enjoy early admission (1pm), catered food and casino games in private VIP Pavillion, and free Festival T-shirt.

VIP tickets also include entry to "The VIP Experience” presented by 944 Magazine. Enjoy a private VIP seating area with catered food, electronic lounge, separate restrooms, early admittance (1pm), a free event tee shirt and a gift bag. From the Beer Fest site we also get this description: “ General admission and VIP tickets include entrance to the event, a souvenir tasting mug, 24 sampling tickets and enjoyment of live music on stage.“

So, come on out to the Great Arizona Beer Festival in Tempe. It is sure to be a LOT of fun… A press release went out last month about the event and I am passing it along incase you missed it. _____________________________________________________

TEMPE, Ariz. ­ (Jan. 15, 2010) ­ Thousands of beer lovers from throughout the region are expected to flock to Tempe Beach Park the weekend of March 6-7, 2010 for the 22nd Annual Great Arizona Beer Festival.

The annual festival is the primary fund raising event for Sun Sounds of Arizona, a reading service for people who are blind or whose disability prevents them from reading printed material, such as newspapers, magazines and best-selling books.

Presented by azcentral.com, the festival is dedicated to the enjoyment of fine craft brews. More than 7,000 beer aficionados, Arizonans and guests attend this weekend-long festival each year to celebrate and sample more than 200 specialty and micro-brewed beers ­ more than any other festival in the state ­ from all over the Southwest and beyond.

The festival also features live music, games, a variety of great food, and fun for people age 21 and over. This year¹s live entertainment will be provided by local bands Big Nick and The Gila Monsters (Saturday, March 6) and Major Lingo (Sunday, March 7). Additional event sponsors include 944 magazine, which is the presenting sponsor of the VIP Experience. Casino Arizona is the Safe Ride Home Sponsor, KDKB is the official FM Radio sponsor, and Yelp.com is also a featured sponsor.

This year¹s event will include several exciting new components, such as: · For the first time in the history of the festival, select beers will be judged by a panel of representatives from azcentral.com, 944 magazine and DRAFT magazine. · The VIP Experience, presented by 944 magazine, will feature casino-style gaming including blackjack, Texas Hold Em poker, roulette and craps, with opportunities to win and bid on raffle and live auction prizes with casino ³winnings.² All proceeds benefit Sun Sounds of Arizona.

The VIP area will also feature a variety of other games and catered food. · Guests can try their luck in the virtual paintball laser shooting gallery, a new attraction that offers a realistic paintball experience without the mess of traditional paintball presented by Tempe Paintball. A perfect score qualifies guests for a prize drawing. · Also, returning this year, the popular beanbag game Cornhole will be hosted by tournament organizers Cornhole Arizona. · The Designated Driver pavilion area will feature free massagesprovided by Arizona School of Massage Therapy, a variety of non-alcoholic drinks provided by The Pop Shop, and designated parking. · Leading up to the event, the GAZBF will host a variety of online contests and promotions through azcentral.com, 944.com and their fan pages on social media sites Facebook and Twitter.

³I think this year’s event is going to be a great one! In addition to great beer and vendors, we have a lot of new ideas to entertain the crowd,² says Sue DesParte, chair of the 2010 event. ³I¹m also looking forward to raising as much money as possible, since every nickel we earn goes directly to Sun Sounds of Arizona.² Tickets are $40 in advance and $50 at the gate for general admission, including up to 24 different beer samples, or $80 in advance/$90 at the gate for VIP admission. In addition to catered food, shade, VIP entertainment and games, separate restrooms, and other amenities, VIPs may also enter an hour before the festival starts and will receive a free event T-shirt and gift bag.

Designated drivers receive general admission entry to the festival for only $20 and VIP entry for $30. The Great Arizona Beer Festival will be held on Saturday, March 6 and Sunday, March 7 from 2 to 6 p.m. Tickets are available at www.azbeer.com and at participating pubs and retail outlets. Call 480-774-8300 for details.