FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE –
March 30, 2011
23rd ANNUAL GREAT ARIZONA BEER FESTIVAL SETS NEW RECORDS
The Most Craft Beers and Highest Amount of Support for Sun Sounds Foundation
Tempe, AZ - (March 30, 2011) - Sun Sounds of Arizona announced today that the 23rd Annual Great Arizona Beer Festival held March 5 at
Tempe Beach Park welcomed thousands of beer aficionados and a record-setting number of brews. 235 varieties of craft and specialty beers were
provided by more than 60 participating brewers, including 12 Arizona breweries.
The event was the highest grossing year yet for Sun Sounds, recovering from the economic lull of the last 2 years - and after expenses,
netted $106,000 for the charity. The remaining funds needed to operate Sun Sounds programming are acquired through grants, individual gifts,
and the organization’s other two annual beer festivals: Flagstaff’s Made in the Shade Festival on June 25, and the Great Tucson Beer Festival,
October 8. Each of these large-scale festivals is organized by a local all-volunteer committee under the oversight of the Sun Sounds Foundation. Every
dollar raised from the event supports the work of Sun Sounds of Arizona, a service for people who are blind or otherwise unable to use printed material.
Sun Sounds provides access to newspapers, magazines and other printed information for people with disabilities that make reading print difficult.
“We were pleased to offer so many loyal beer fans the chance to sample more than 230 specialty and craft beers,” says David Noble, Development Director
for Sun Sounds of Arizona. “We work hard to bring together the largest festival selection of craft beers in the state, which also includes some limited
edition pours, as well as our annual competition. We were also fortunate to have great weather this year. It doesn’t get any better than having a good
time, learning about and sampling craft beers while raising funds for a worthy cause.”
This year again featured the Great Arizona Beer Competition. A total of 38 beers submitted by brewers from Arizona and across the country,
were judged in two blind tasting sessions by a panel of seven expert beer judges. Nearly half of the winners are Arizona breweries. Top honors in
three categories went to:
IPAs:
Gold Medal: Lumberyard Brewing Company, Lumberyard IPA - Flagstaff, AZ
Silver Medal: Oak Creek Brewing Company, Snakecharmer IPA - Sedona, AZ
Bronze Medal: Samuel Adams, Latitude 48 IPA - Boston, MA
Pale Ales:
Gold Medal: San Tan Brewing, Devil's Pale Ale - Chandler, AZ
Silver Medal: Lumberyard Brewing Company, Lumberyard American Pale Ale - Flagstaff, AZ
Bronze Medal: Deschutes, Red Chair NWPA - Bend, OR
Specialty:
Gold Medal: Crispin Cider Co., The Saint - Minneapolis, MN
Silver Medal: Grand Teton, The Pursuit of Hoppiness - Victor, ID
Bronze Medal: Kona, Koko Brown Ale - Kailua-Kona, HI
“We are so grateful for the hard work of our wonderful volunteers, as well as the generosity of our brewers, who donate the beer to help raise
funds for Sun Sounds,” says Sue DesParte, chair of the 2011 event and vice-chair of the Sun Sounds Foundation. “Our guests tell us they had a
great time sampling the many craft beers and enjoying all the entertainment. At the end of the day, it’s all for a good cause. I think we can all
cheer that.”
Sun Sounds Foundation thanks the sponsors, who helped make the event a success: Presenting Sponsor azcentral.com, VIP Experience sponsor
Phoenix Magazine, FM Radio Sponsor KDKB 93.3 FM, Print and graphics sponsor Alphagraphics, DRAFT Magazine which coordinated the beer judging,
GoMobile, Fiesta Resort, Safe Ride Home Sponsor Casino Arizona, Arizona Sports and Lifestyle magazine, AM 1060, and Yelp.
About Sun Sounds of Arizona
Sun Sounds of Arizona, established in 1979, is a radio reading and information access service for people who cannot read print due to a disability.
A public service of Rio Salado College, Sun Sounds and 500 volunteers across the state provide information access free of charge, 24 hours a day,
7 days a week using radio, cable systems, telephone and the internet. For more information, visit www.sunsounds.org or call 480-774-8300.
About the Great Arizona Beer Festival
Presented by azcentral.com, the Great Arizona Beer Festival is dedicated to the enjoyment of fine craft brews. The festival also features live music,
games, a variety of food and other vendors, and entertainment for attendees age 21 and over. Typically attracting nearly 7,000 beer connoisseurs
annually, the festival features more than200 craft, specialty and micro-brewed beers for sampling. The All of the funds raised support the work of
Sun Sounds of Arizona.
For more information, visit www.azbeer.com or call 480-774-8300.
Follow the Great Arizona Beer Festival on Twitter at GreatAZBeerFest, on Facebook, MySpace, Digg and on its YouTube channel GreatAZBeerFestival.
For additional information about this release, contact:
Heidi Capriotti
Marketing Coordinator
Sun Sounds of Arizona
480-774-8300
