All of us need to celebrate our loved ones with autism and other special needs, and Mesa, Arizona, the nation’s first Autism Certified City, a special travel destination for families this spring and summer for all of the hospitality it has to offer.
Mesa is proud to “go blue” for Autism Acceptance Month in April with Visit Mesa’s fourth annual release of Spectrum IPA and a bar crawl to support the Mesa For All Foundation, a nonprofit, dedicated to improving the daily resident and visitor experience by elevating Mesa’s already leading position as an accessible, equitable and inclusive city through purposeful education and innovative technology.
Much to its credit, Mesa recently celebrated its fifth anniversary of being designated as the first Autism Certified City in the nation by the International Board of Credentialing and Continuing Education Standards (IBCCES). In the past five years, 50 businesses and 7,921 community members have completed autism-specific training, demonstrating the community’s strong commitment to inclusion.
For the fourth year, Visit Mesa is partnering with local brewmasters 12West Brewing Co. and Chupacabra Taproom for the annual release of Spectrum IPA, a West Coast-style IPA packed with Citra and Mosaic hops, showcasing assertive Pacific Northwest hop character and a dry, crisp finish. Starting April 3, Spectrum IPA will be available while supplies last at 12 West Brewing Co.’s downtown Mesa location, Chupacabra Taproom, and select Mesa businesses.
Visit Mesa will be celebrating the beer’s release at the Mesa For All Bar Crawl Launch Party in downtown Mesa on Thursday, April 3 from 4 p.m. to 9 p.m.
Tickets are $15 per person. The crawl will feature discounted pours of Spectrum IPA and other award-winning brews from participating downtown Mesa bars, breweries, and taprooms. “Spec(trum) Ops” Soda, created in partnership with Cider Corps, will also be available for purchase. Check-in is at Chupacabra Taproom from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Visit Mesa encourages participants to wear blue in support of Autism Acceptance Month.
A portion of the proceeds from the sales of the limited-edition brew and bar crawl tickets will benefit the Mesa For All Foundation. The foundation’s Camp Level Up, is a summer camp for neurodivergent youth, that provides professional pathways and social development through game design.
The camp is offered to young people ages 13 to 18 from June 16-27, 2025, at the Arizona State University Media and Immersive eXperience (MIX) Center at Mesa City Center.
“Visit Mesa is proud to continue this partnership with our local breweries and bring Spectrum IPA back for another year,” said Alison Brooks, vice president of marketing and destination experience at Visit Mesa. “This collaboration not only raises awareness but also directly supports initiatives that empower neurodivergent young people through efforts from the Mesa For All Foundation.”
For more information about Spectrum IPA and Mesa’s designation as the nation’s first Autism Certified City at www.visitmesa.com/spectrum-ipa.
Visit Mesa’s mission is to promote the value and vitality of Mesa’s visitor economy to create a better community at VisitMesa.com.
