Who wouldn't support a cause that offered a night of free beer tasting for a donation? For the past 17 years, the Multiple Sclerosis Society has been doing just that; each year a host of beer producers brings their best beers to be sampled by donators in a convention-style setting. This year the location chosen to hold this event was the Crown Plaza Hotel in Warwick, RI.

The number of vendors can be overwhelming if you’re a first timer to the tasting event. Stepping into the actual room where the vendors can send a beer lover into euphoria. From left to right, up and down, almost every kind of beer you could think of was there. We consider ourselves avid beer drinkers, but even we had to restrain ourselves from going to every vendor we didn’t know to taste their products.

We decided that we had to talk a walk around the whole event before we decided where to start sampling. As we surveyed the event, we noticed that there was not the usual “liquor store” beer selection. The big name beer companies like Budweiser and Miller, didn't offer their usual beer products... instead, they brought some of their newer product lines.

Some beers that were there we had never even heard of, and that’s how we decided to sample. If we hadn’t heard of it, we decided to see if we liked it.

Of course it wasn't all beer. Food was offered to the guests throughout the evening. Outside the event hall, a dinner was available buffet style. During a night of beer tasting, this can be very helpful. Inside, a local chocolatier and bakery offered treats for those who had a craving for something sweet.

The highlights of the event were the silent auction and the raffle. Throughout the night, people were able to make bids on specialty items for the auction and were able to purchase raffle tickets. At the end of the evening the winners were announced.

Even though this event included a lot of “sampling” the real reason for this event was to raise money for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. This event raised over $25,000 dollars. In 2004 alone, the Rhode Island MS Society has raised over 1 million dollars, a first-ever for the state.

For the last 17 years beer producers have answered the call of the M.S. Society by donating their finest brews and we were happy to support the Society’s’ efforts. We encourage you to join us next year to support a worthy cause and have a great time.

More? Read about the 15th annual After Dark Beer Tasting in this article by Linda Eagleson.

Mat Johnson and Brian Maksymowicz are college students who enjoy the night life. As Entertainment Editors, they bring their extensive experience of hot spots around Rhode Island.

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