Prince George, B.C. – Kiwanis AleFest is back this weekend with its second annual craft beer festival in Prince George.  However, if you haven’t already bought your tickets you’re out of luck because all three sessions of what’s becoming a very popular event are sold out.

Marketing and Communications organizer Eric Ball says this year’s AleFest includes some improvements over the first year in 2015.  “We’ve increased it to three different tasting sessions (from two) and there are 15 different breweries joining us from around British Columbia, some as locally as our brand new Crossroads Brewery that was announced Thursday and then of course from Barkerville Brewing, Three Ranges and then out west towards Prince Rupert, Wheelhouse Brewing and Sherwood Mountain.”

The craft beer tasting festival kicked off Friday night at the Two Rivers Gallery and continues with two sessions today, from 3 to 6 pm and from 7:30 to 10:30 pm.  Ball says along with the more than 60 brews to sample they have food from “five local restaurants, music from the Coldsnap Music Festival and the silent auction for people if they’re interested as well.”  There are also Craft Beer Tasting 101 sessions and those in attendance get to take their Kiwanis AleFest tasting glass home after the event.

Asked if Crossroads Brewery already has product for sampling Ball says “Crossroads did a partnership with Three Ranges Brewery in Valemount on the creation of a beer.  So the beer was created at the Three Ranges Brewery and they will be sampling some of that here this weekend at AleFest.”

Now the money raised through the Kiwanis AleFest goes to very worthwhile causes.  Last year’s event raised $11,008 to sponsor a community room at Ronald McDonald House BC and to build a fund for a future Kiwanis legacy capital project for kids in the community.

Ball says proceeds from the three sessions this year will again be going to the sponsorship of that room serving people of the north at Ronald McDonald House.  “Kiwanis Prince George supports Room 412 for children and families that need to visit Children’s Hospital and take care of these families while they’re there.”  He says “money also will be put aside for projects in a different community in each of the next couple of years.  We have a couple of plans in place to build a few different things.”

As noted this is the second Kiwanis AleFest and both this year and last, tickets for the event have been in high demand.  Ball says “for anybody that’s interested in ticket information for next year, they can go to www.kiwanisalefest.ca and click on the little tab that says “stay connected”, fill in your name  and email address and you’ll get a personal email in the fall to remind you that tickets will be going  on sale for next year.   He says tickets for the 2017 AleFest should be going on sale in early October this fall.