Extol Sports May 2017 | Page 16

Good for What Ale’s Ya Fest of Ale brings 100 breweries, beer aficionados to New Albany Riverfront Amphitheater BY MANDY WOLF DETWILER | PHOTOS BY DANNY ALEXANDER If you’re a Kentuckiana beer connoisseur or just plain like a pint or two on a hot day, there are fewer places to enjoy a brew than the Fest of Ale at the New Albany Riverfront Amphitheater. Now in it’s 12th year, the event not only brings together more than 100 breweries with beer fans, it also raises money for the WHAS Crusade for Children. This year’s Fest of Ale will be held 3 to 7 p.m. June 3 at the amphitheater. Hosted by Keg Liquors, there will be more than 250 craft and imported 14 EXTOL SPORTS / MAY 2017 beers to sample. Keg Liquors owner Todd Antz is the son of a Jeffersonville firefighter who spent plenty a day raising money for the Crusade for Children. Looking for his own way to help, Antz spearheaded Fest of Ale more than a decade ago, which raised more than $16,000 for the Crusade in 2016. “Last year was our first year at the New Albany amphitheater,” Antz says. “That was a huge change from us over where we had held it in Clarksville before. Just that setting of the river in the background (and) there was so much open space that we were able to set up and use. We’ve learned from that first year.” Don’t expect random guys pouring small tastes of ales. Representatives from breweries big and small will be on-hand to field questions and talk about their offerings. “We have over a hundred different breweries represented, and we’re one of the few beer fests in the area that I’ve seen actually brings in the majority of the actual brewery employees themselves,” Antz says. “Through the event and my stores, we’ve just established good relationships