Wow! You all REALLY love beer. Or maybe you love free things? Either way, we received an onslaught of entries for our Opening Tap ticket giveaway and we had a very hard time picking a winner. We noticed several themes running through the nearly 100 contest entries: people who wanted to win so they could invite their New York friends down to show off the amazing Philly beer scene (plus some unrelated Mets rants); people who wanted to win because they are rabid craft beer fans and, conversely, people who wanted to win because they aren’t rabid craft beer fans and are looking to better themselves by attending the event. And, in a true sign of the times, there were way too many Great Recession tales of job loss and layoffs and cutbacks. We truly wish we could wrap each and every one of you in the warm, foamy embrace of free beer, but there can only be one winner. And so …

The tickets go to Raymond S. Curry and his wife Deborah Martell. You know why? Because Ray was told on his birthday that he was getting laid off just in time for Memorial Day weekend and that just stinks. Congratulations, you two crazy kids. The Beer Gods have smiled upon you!

For those of you who didn’t win, there are still tickets available to Opening Tap, but the folks in charge tell us they are close to selling out! Buy tickets online here. There are no door sales.

For more beer news, check out these stories from our recent beer guide in the magazine:

Our Picks for Philadelphia’s Best Beer Bars
Get to Know the Founding Fathers of Philly’s Beer Scene

From the Weekender: Intern Casey’s Day-by-Day Guide to Beer Week