For 16 years in a row, the Crohn’s & Colitis Foundation of America has held the best kind of fundraiser: a wine and beer tasting festival. Each Autumn, Sippin’ by the River takes over the Festival Pier at Penn’s Landing for a daylong outdoor event with music, food, and plenty of beer and wine. All proceeds benefit the national CCFA organization and the 1.4 million children and adults suffering from Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis.

For the price of entry, each festival-goer was treated to unlimited tastes from the vendors. Over 25 breweries and beer distributors set up tables under tents outside, offering pours of more than 60 different beers. Most outfits were from the Philadelphia region, including city favorites Victory Beer, Yuengling, and Sly Fox. Among those representing surrounding counties were Lancaster Brewing Co., Allentown/Bethlehelm Brew Works and Weyerbacher. And there were showings from slightly further afar: Cricket Hill Brewing from New Jersey, Great Lakes Brewing from Ohio and Sam Adams from Boston all made the trip.

At the Boaks Beer booth, a wait in the thick queue entitled you to all five of their samples, and all were commendable. The flight began with Abbey Brown, a highly carbonated, almost soda-like Belgian brown ale, and led to the Double BW, a true session unfiltered wheat beer with Belgian and Asian influences. Next up were the chocolaty-cool Monster Mash imperial stout and the Two Blind Monks, a rich Belgian dubbel. The tour finished with a new beer, just released this October: the Wooden Beanie, which saw the Abbey Brown aged in Jack Daniels barrels with vanilla beans. It was immensely pleasing on multiple levels, like beer-liquor-candy.

In the enclosed Wine Tent, eight importers and vineyards offered sips of 25 different reds, whites and bubblies. The wine room was slightly more refined than the beer booths outside, providing clear hard plastic cups and water for rinsing between tastes. A small stage presented talks on Wine 101 throughout the day, given by Melissa Monosoff, Master Sommelier at Savona Restaurant and local wine experts Rob Peters and Rich Unti.

Eats like pretzel necklaces, hotdogs, desserts, lemonade and more were available to purchase from sponsors Dietz & Watson, Hard Rock Cafe, Ellis Coffee Co. and others. There were other distractions as well, like fancy tobacco choices from John Hay Cigars and two slick cars to ogle from Audi & Infinity of Willow Grove. The main stage was kept hopping by the band DAME, MCed by Dawn Timmeney of NBC-10 and Marilyn Russel of 95.7 Ben FM.

The fall air breezed over the jovial crowds, pleasantly buzzed in the name of a good cause. We’ll be looking forward to returning to Sippin’ by the River next year.