Melrose BEER + BITES Returns on April 1, 2017, with Two Tasting Sessions!

It’s back! Last year’s debut of the Melrose BEER + BITES local craft brew tasting was such a success--it sold out--that organizers of the 2017 event announce this year’s tasting has been expanded to two separate sessions.

This year’s BEER + BITES will take place on Saturday, April 1, 2017, at historic Melrose Memorial Hall in Melrose, Massachusetts, to explore a wide array of locally produced beers and cider. Session 1 will run from 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. and Session 2 from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. Guests will enjoy 2-ounce pours of local craft beverages and complimentary appetizer "bites" from area food establishments. Additional food will also be available for purchase.

Participating brewers include Bantam Cider, Bent Water Brewing, Bone Up Brewing, Castle Island Brewing, Clown Shoes Beer, Collective Arts Brewing, Far from the Tree Craft Hard Cider, Harpoon Brewery, Ipswich Ale Brewery, Jack’s Abby Craft Lagers, Medford Brewing, Merrimack Ales, Mighty Squirrel, Newburyport Brewing, and RiverWalk Brewing. Food offerings will be anchored by La Qchara (Melrose), Wood + Fire (Melrose) and The Porch Southern Fare (Wakefield), Harrows Chicken Pot Pies (Reading), and Farm and Kettle (Lynn). A number of other food vendors with offer savory bites as well.

Limited space is still available for brewers and food establishments, but it is filling up quickly. Interested vendors should contact event organizers at info@melrosebeerandbites.com.

The event benefits Melrose Highlands Congregational Church and the programs and outreach it supports, including feeding ministries for A Servant’s Heart Food Pantry and Bread of Life, youth service opportunities such as Common Cathedral and City Reach, and support for area families through initiatives such as the MLK Jr. Day of Service, the City Mission Society’s Christmas Shop, and other programs.

In addition, a portion of event proceeds will go to the Bread of Life (Malden, Massachusetts) and its Building Fund, which will help the organization to build a new facility that brings all services under one roof, enables them to serve more people, and provides affordable studio housing for homeless individuals. In 2016, Bread of Life provided more than one million free meals to hungry, homeless, and isolated people, and its services include evening meals four nights a week in Malden, food pantries in Malden and Everett, grocery delivery to senior citizens in public housing in Malden, Everett, Melrose, Medford and Wakefield, and food delivery to homeless families sheltered in local motels.

Advance tickets are $40 online via Eventbrite (plus processing fees). Visit www.melrosebeerandbites.com for more information and access to tickets. If the tasting sessions are not sold out in advance, tickets will also be available at the door on the day of the event.

Melrose BEER + BITES is a 21+ event -- all attendees will be required to show a valid photo ID to gain admittance.

Memorial Hall is located at 590 Main Street in Melrose.