This past saturday, we hosted the 1st Annual PHX BrewParty. Having gotten into brewing my own beer over the past year as a way to combine two of my interests, creativity & beer, we discovered that a lots of our friends were into the idea as well.  Never wanting to miss a chance to spur the creativity of others (or to take advantage of a perfect creative party idea) we decided to throw a party that would showcase how good homebrewed beer can be, spur a little friendly competition between friends who brew, and spread a little community spirit along the way.

Well, now that the party is behind us, here’s some of the observations:

– it was good

– we had a really good and diverse mix of people (neighbors, friends, friends of neighbors, etc)

– we had some good music. My friend, Dee, and some of his DJ friends, brough it and it kept the party lively and fun.

– the beers were good – the Cream Ale took the prizes, but every beer was different, good, and consumed (we ran out of beer early)

– the labels were great – (having designers brew beer keeps the aestetic high)

– having a front yard party is the way to go – something about it being out IN the neighborhood breaks down the barriers of who IS and who ISN’T invited

– parties should be judged on their ability to unite people who don’t normally rub shoulders and by how well they capture a spirit of hospitality and community. (This is why we LOVE the throw parties)

– We love our neighborhood and the people we share life and proximity with.

– Everyone REALLY seemed to have a good time.  People hung around for a long time.  it was really good.

For those who missed it, here are some photos and videos to give you an idea of what it all looked/felt like:

BrewParty ‘08 Photos via Flickr

BrewParty ‘08 from Zack Newsome on Vimeo..

BrewParty ‘08 from Zack Newsome on Vimeo.