Thousands of people descending upon Mill Avenue on March 8 and 9 to drink beer is not necessarily surprising, but once a year, it's a special occasion at the 20th Annual Great Arizona Beer Festival.
"It's a blast," said Richard Mears, computer information systems junior. "I love it, [and] you couldn't ask for a better day."
About 70 vendors set up at Tempe Beach Park under sunny skies and presented about 170 different beers to patrons, said Bill Pasco, Sun Sounds of Arizona director.
The event is the biggest annual fundraiser for Sun Sounds of Arizona, a nonprofit organization that provides a reading service to people who are visually impaired.
When asked why anyone would put on a beer festival to raise money, Pasco laughed.
"Well, we thought about wine tasting, but everyone does that," he said.
Beers from all over the nation and the world were on-hand, and vendor Michael Zietal of Silesia Brands Inc., who brought beers from Croatia, Slovenia, Poland and Turkey, was happy to introduce his lagers at the event.
"We [are here to] uncover the secrets of Europe," Zietal said. "The iron curtain is gone so you have a taste of different worlds."
ASU education alumna Martha Romero soaked up some rays and enjoyed different beers with three friends.
"Normally, I drink Bud Light, but I'm here to drink fancier beers," Romero said.
The $50 admission got the visitor inside the fenced-in area in Tempe Beach Park, complete with a 3-ounce plastic mug with 24 tickets.
Each ticket — redeemable for a 3-ounce sample of beer — brought in a festive crowd.
Reach the reporter at: jeffrey.mitchell@asu.edu.
