months of planning, and boom. it's done.

Our 5th Annual Brew + ‘Q came and went in the blink of an eye. Problem is, we’re not quite over what a splendid, sunset soiree it was, because everything came together in an oh-so-perfect way. The weather held...meaning the only thing "pouring" was suds (and sauvignons). Our friends, neighbors, clients, and followers (like, 2,000+ of them) packed into our parking lot for three solid hours worth of good food, dead-ass beats, and warm-fuzzy embraces. It does NOT get better. But, we gotta make one thing abundantly clear: without a whole-lotta hardworking CHC employees, some incredible local businesses, and a few rad volunteers (you know who you are), this barbecue blow-out wouldn't exist.

First and foremost, our biggest COLLECTIVE hug goes out to the good--no, the best--folks at Saturday's Waffle. You've seen this happy, bowtie-bound gang here for four years straight, and we're never anything less than thrilled to see them. They show up, they smile, they dish magic, and they ask for nothing in return. Quite frankly, we owe them a whole lot more than a hug (and when they ask, we're good for whatever it is). But they weren't the only sugar-coated reason to attend...

We also had some straight-up cookie dough at the party. Yup, yup. Dough Co. (owned/run by one of our very own COLLECTIVE agents) rolled into the parking lot last Friday and handed out morsels of the stuff of all our childhood dreams (and we promise...you'd be well off to visit them in Sugar House for the flavor of choice and a glass of milk. Really, dough). And if attending kids at the party weren't happy enough, we also had the most adorable ice cream truck in town for the night. Normal Ice Cream (AKA, Alexa Norlin, maker of soft-serve miracles) had a line that wrapped around the lot...but it wasn't without the sweet benefits of a good wait. Watch for this silver bullet around town, because Normal is not a joke.

Obviously, though, this party was about
more than sugar.

It was also about meat. And cheese. And beer and wine and music. To Pat's BBQ, thanks for blessing us with the tender, slow-cooked grub that Utahans have come to know and love from you. Your pulled pork sandwiches warmed us to the soul (being about 48 degrees out, we needed it). And, oooh, to Raclette Machine: what a warm, savory god-damn surprise of the best kind you were. Freshly-melted cheese (straight off a giant wheel, no less) scraped right onto fresh bread? Sign us up for every day of the week, and also weekends, as well. To our pals at Laziz Kitchen and Even Stevens, where was our city before you came along? Before your beer and cheese pretzel sticks, your man'oushe, your brussel sprouts, and kafta burgers (among other things)? Certainly not a place we loved this much.

And since a Brew + 'Q is just a lame-ass 'Q without the beer, we want to tip our COLLECTIVE hats to the sud-synthesizing minds at Uinta Brewing Co. and Bohemian Brewery. Surely, without your appearance last weekened, we'd have had little more than a few hungry folks in a chilly parking lot. A hearty "cheers" to you both (and thanks, Bohemain boys, for the crowd-pleasing firepit). To Black Feather Whiskey (available only at our VIP after-party)...you have not heard the last of us. Your collaborative cocktail with our friends at HSL made for merry drunks and a full dance floor, and we owe you bigtime. Music? Obviously. We never fool around when it comes to sound, and our hands-down favorite emcee, Concise Kilgore, was on hand to make the masses move (dude never disappoints). But we tossed in an extra harmonic treat, too, in the form of one Mr. Joshy Soul. Crowd-pleaser? That's a gaping understatement. See for yourself below.

Oh, you weren't here?

Well, that's a damn shame, and we'll assume you've learned your lesson. When it comes to loving one's city as hard as one can, we feel like we're up there with the best of them, and this year's Brew + 'Q was a shining (like, blinding) example of the sentiment.

See you next year, SLC.