Valley Eats: Ten weekend food events, from a $30 beer tasting to a free Filipino festival

Phoenix-area restaurants and breweries are running a dense schedule of one-off events this weekend, ranging from free community gatherings to ticketed tasting experiences.

The calendar includes a Halloween candy and beer pairing in Fountain Hills, a literary-themed burger pop-up in Mesa, and a food drive aimed at restocking local pantries.

Bone Haus Brewing in Fountain Hills is hosting a sensory beer tasting on Thursday. Rachel Benkowski, the state's first woman advanced cicerone, will lead the session. The event pairs Halloween candy with a flight of four Bone Haus brews. Tickets cost $30 and include the flight.

Worth Takeaway in Mesa is hosting a "Bob's Burgers"-inspired pop-up on Friday and Saturday. The menu features burgers with names like Gene and The Giant Peach. The Giant Peach burger includes two beef patties, cheddar, peanut butter, and peach-bacon jam. The restaurant partnered with The Shop Beer Co. to brew a cherry turnover farmhouse ale for the event. Nearby businesses are participating, including Pair Cupworks serving special espresso and matcha lattes and Burritoholics serving a burger-style Bob-Rito. The pop-up runs from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. both days.

A Halloween food drive is taking place from Friday to Sunday at dozens of local cafes, restaurants, bars, and shops. This is the second year of the drive, which organizers say was created in response to federal cuts to SNAP food aid. Participating locations include Copper Star Coffee, The Dirty Drummer, and Gracie's Tax Bar. Volunteers will distribute collected pasta, rice, beans, and applesauce to smaller food pantries, mutual aid groups, and community fridges around Phoenix.

Süss Pastries is reopening on Seventh Avenue on Saturday after a four-month closure. The bakery is celebrating with a free event from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. that includes food, coffee, shopping, and spooky fun. The bakery has invited friends like Light Heart Coffee and Sandwich Street to the event. Süss will bake Halloween-themed treats, including a chocolate cake filled with blood orange jam and cream cheese mousse.

The 15th Arizona Filipino Festival will be held on Saturday at the Saigon Center in Chandler. The free event runs from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and features food from restaurants, food trucks, and pop-ups such as Lumpia Queen and Flippin Rice. The festival also hosts live performances and competitive eating contests. Attendees in costume will receive a free ube butter mochi bite.

Moxie Coffee Co. is taking over the parking lot in the garage behind its midtown location on Saturday. The free event starts at 9 a.m. with coffee pours. Vendors like Sorelle, Bagelwick, and Kave Bakery will serve breakfast bites and bakes. A DJ will play music while guests browse local art and products. Costumes are encouraged.

Newell Vintage is hosting an afternoon market on Saturday at its North 24th Street location. The market, called Marche D'Halloween, will feature Middle Child Cafe and bakes from Courtney's Bakehouse and Fioré. Fioré will serve pan de muerto. The market will also feature rare and vintage finds from shops including Gouter Goods and Drenched Collections.

The Arizona Craft Beer Fest moves to downtown Mesa for its fifth installment on Saturday. The event is hosted by PHOENIX magazine and the Arizona Craft Brewers Guild. Local brewers including Phantom Fox Beer Co., Sana Sana Cerveceria, Desert Monks Brewing, and Saddle Mountain Brewing Co. will be pouring. Attendees can grab a bite from vendors like Eighty Twenty Burgers and The Dog Father Gourmet Hot Dogs and More. General admission tickets are $50 and include 20 five-ounce pours.

Several bars around the Valley are transforming with macabre decor and crafting special cocktails through Sunday. Little Rituals is serving haunting cocktails. Sunny's Lounge is hosting the Psycho Killer Cocktail Club where guests can solve a crime. Porter's Haunted Saloon is serving drinks from a blood bag.

Pull Up! presents Halloween Hangover on Sunday at the Egyptian Motor Hotel. The event starts at 3 p.m. and features food from Chite, Otra Pizzeria, Fat Fats Chicken Shack, and Homage Key Lime Pies. The bar will mix cocktails to help guests recover from the weekend. Tickets cost $7, and food and drinks are available for purchase once inside.