Beer Tasting in Farmington Benefits Leukemia & Lymphoma Society

Farmington resident Lynn Gaunt and the in downtown Farmington have become quite a team.

for her Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Team in Training hike in Zion National Park in Utah. Now, she's mentoring a team of people who will host "Beers in America" on Sunday, a fundraiser featuring Farmington resident Dan Bristow of Kalamazoo-based Imperial Beverage as beer expert and tasting guide.

"I laid the groundwork, but they're responsible for ticket sales and getting raffle items," Gaunt said. "We're trying to do this as a team."

Greg and Carole Burris of Shelby Twp. got involved with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society because they really believe in the organization.

"I read about it on the website, and thought it was a great cause," Carole Burris said. "I love the fact that the donations stay in Michigan."

Greg Burris believes new breakthroughs in research make fundraising even more important. He recently read about research into a treatment for CLL, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, that "completely eradicated it in two of three test patients ... This study would never have seen the light of day, unless a charitable organization had funded the tests."

"It makes these kinds of things much more important," Greg Burris said. "We need to pump as much funding into this research as we can."

(Read more about the research on the University of Pennsylvania's website.)

The Sunday 4 p.m. fundraiser is limited to 50 tickets, on sale at Basement Burger Bar for $35 each. Bristow has gotten beer donated for the event and has a line-up that features interesting samples from around the country – from Dead Guy Ale out of Newport, OR to Three Philosophers Quadrupel Ale from Cooperstown, NY.

"I tried to make it interesting and pull beers that, every day, you're not going to have," Bristow said. "When you get into craft beers, people have been drinking them in Michigan for a while. They want to know what else is out there. It's amazing how complex a lot of them are."

Bristow enjoys talking about beer and has stories about the brewers and breweries. But he won't be the only one doing the talking on Sunday. Gaunt will take a few moments to talk about the cause, and cancer survivor and Leukemia & Lymphoma Society hero Alicia Buisst of Brighton will speak as well. Buisst is training to do a half-marathon.

Guests will enjoy four flights of beer with surprises in between each flight, Gaunt said. There'll be a raffle featuring a $50 gift certificate from Hamlin Pubs and a custom cowboy hat decorated with beer caps, courtesy Scott Colburn Boots and Western Wear in Livonia.

And the volunteers can't say enough about Bristow and Basement Burger Bar co-owners David and Jamil Azar, as well as Jeff Abdelnour of in Farmington Hills, which has donated to the event. 

"These guys, I can't believe how generous they are," Gaunt said. "It's way above and beyond what their job descriptions are."

"It's fun on our end, too," Bristow said. "Everybody looks for a way to donate to charity."

"Beers of America" will likely sell out. Tickets are available at Basement Burger Bar or call Gaunt, 313-408-7942.