The Men's Club has sponsored various formats of the Sukkahfest for 8 years. This popular well-attended holiday program often attracts people who do not typically attend Men's Club events. In recent years, this sit-down catered barbecue dinner has featured a theme with an expert describing various drinks as part of a tasting right before having the meal. Prior themes have been "Steak and Scotch", "Steak and Spirits", "Very good steaks and Vodka", and "Beef and Beaujolais". For this Sukkahfest, it was "Beef and Beer". With the increased popularity of craft beers, we identified a local brewery known for producing craft beers and arranged for an expert to give a presentation. Attendees sampled 5 different craft beers. We initially did research to be sure the beers being presented would be considered kosher. Although we had extensive lists available, we found that many local craft beers were not on the list. After speaking to a rabbi who is responsible for certifying what is kosher, we learned that as long as a craft beer is not flavored, it's kosher! We passed that information on to the brewery, and they chose 5 popular craft beers that are kosher. Men's Club volunteers did the grilling of the steaks, and over 40 people had an enjoyable evening in the Sukkah learning about craft beers and having dinner.

Our goals included involving Jewish men in Jewish life, promoting camaraderie, and fulfilling the mitzvah of eating in the Sukkah. But it's really more than that - it's providing value to our Temple in connecting people with one another. Attendees included women, some of whom were with their husband and some of whom attended by themselves. This program also attracts some younger members, which is a challenge for many of our other activities. We succeeded in attracting a broad, diverse group of attendees. While involving Jewish men in Jewish life is always a goal in our programs, we believe our Men's Club is strengthened by being open to all - not just Men's Club members, not just men, and not just Temple members. This program is an enhancement of our first two Sukkahfests where we had a more casual meal offering, without a tasting. The cost of $20pp made the event affordable to all and profitable to us. With the exposure we provided to the brewery and their craft beers, we did not incur any costs for the tasting. Attendees were given the opportunity to purchase any of the craft beers that evening at a discount.