The Fremont Troll Stroll 2009 from Seattle Insite on Vimeo.

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By Ben Bradley and Will Giersch
In:Site Staff Reporters

Beer goes down great on a warm spring day, but the suds taste even sweeter when it’s for a good cause.

That was exactly the occasion on a recent Saturday afternoon in Seattle’s Fremont neighborhood, as the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) joined forces with local bars to present its eighth annual “Troll Stroll,” a charity pub-crawl that benefits cystic fibrosis research and care.

An unmistakably cheerful mood emanated throughout the neighborhood, and it was made all the better by the philanthropic cause of it all. Music blared and drafts flowed, but patrons could still be heard chatting about the meaningful good they were doing.

Eight years ago, a volunteer at the CFF, who had contacts at a couple of bars, successfully pitched the idea of raising money for the philanthropy. What began as a modest beer-tasting has grown successively every year since. This year, 1,600 attendees turned out for the Troll Stroll, raising upwards of $60,000—the highest total yet yielded by the annual event.

Cystic Fibrosis, also known as CF, is a hereditary disease which impairs the lungs, liver, pancreas and intestines. Although there is no known cure, the median age of survival has steadily increased: In 1959 it was six months whereas now it is 37 years.

That increase is largely a result of steady funding for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, according to Stephanie Watson, one of the coordinators of this year’s event. She said the foundation estimates that for each year of successful fundraising, the survival age for CF increases by a year.