Bottoms Up Baja Beer Festival features IPA competition BY MONICA MILBERG
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Members of the Arizona Society of Homebrewers will judge IPAs. (Photos courtesy Arizona Craft Brewers Guild)
The Arizona Craft Brewers Guild is bringing back to Tucson the Baja Beer Festival from 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 7. It’ll mark the first event in Arizona to conduct a statewide IPA competition. “Brewers from across the state will be submitting their different IPAs,” says Laura Reese, a festival spokeswoman. “It hasn’t really been done yet in Arizona.” Arizona Society of Homebrewers members will judge the IPAs. Meanwhile, beer lovers can sample more than 200 beers during the festival, held at the historic Armory Park. General admission tickets are $35, and include 20 tasting tickets. VIP tickets, which sell for $60, provide 25 tasting tickets, one food
voucher and early entries. All attendees will receive a commemorative tasting mug. “This event was created to really showcase the brewers in Arizona, specifically Baja Arizona,” Reese says. “Oftentimes, the majority of the brewers present (at beer festivals) are big national brands, but over half the brewers represented at this event are from Arizona.” Proceeds will benefit the guild, an organization that works to strengthen the local craft brewing industry in Arizona. It isn’t all about beer, though. Patrons can listen to local music and play games, or indulge in culinary creations prepared by chefs from the Gastronomic Union of Tucson, a collection of more than 30 creative professionals. Along with beer samplings, select brewers will partner with union chefs to create beer-inspired dishes. “It’s a very communal gathering,” Reese says. “The majority of the brewers here are from Arizona, so they’re all friends, which translates to a real communal feel among the attendees, too.”
FOR MORE INFO
Patrons can taste more than 200 beers at Armory Park.
6
| APRIL 2018
What: Baja Beer Festival When: 2 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 7 Where: Armory Park, 221 S. Sixth Avenue Cost: $10 designated drivers, $35 general admission, $60 VIP Info: bit.ly/2oRWZEt
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