This weekend brings the perfect festival for any Canadian beer lover. It is hosted outside on a weekend in January, and involves craft beer, the National Football League (NFL), local food, live entertainment, games, and prizes. The festival is called Brewzapalooza, and will be in the parking lot across from Town Hall at 82-90 Broadway.

There will be 13 craft breweries sampling their beer, including Pommies, Creemore Springs, Maclean’s Ale, Steam Whistle Brewing, Elora Brewing Co, Muskoka Brewery, Waterloo Brewing Co, Beau’s All Natural, Side Launch Brewing Company, Royal City Brewing Co, Wellington Brewery, Spirit Tree Estate Cidery, and Mill Street Brewery.

The event is being put on by Mike Beattie, the general manager at Mill Creek Pub, and Ryan Latorre, owner of Barley Vine Rail Company. The two of them have been busy planning for about eight months.

Although it is their first time putting on this festival, they have already sold quite a few tickets. In the future, they are hoping to do two festivals like this every year, one in the summer and one in the winter.

Tickets can be bought online at www.brewzapalooza.ca. They are $15 a day or $25 for both days. If guests buy tickets ahead of time, they get a free beer mug at the door.

“One thing I’ve been trying to stress to people is that this is all outside,” said Mr. Beattie. “We’ll have burn barrels, but it’s not tented. Be sure to bundle up.”

There will be several local restaurants serving food onsite, including Mill Creek Pub, Barley Vine Rail Co., Orange Bistro, Soulyve, Fromage, The Edge Wine Bar and Grille, and Mochaberry.

Live entertainment for the weekend includes Justin McDonald Band, Falcon Jane, Stu Gunn band, Mip Power Trio, Wasted Measures, and Devin and the Dark Light.

The schedule for when each group plays is posted online. There will also be several television sets showing NFL playoff games.

On Sunday afternoon, there will be a brew your own beer competition, where anyone in the community can bring a bottle of beer that they brew, and it will be tested by a panel of judges who are brewery representatives.

The tasting will be at 3 o’clock, and the judges will announce the winner at 4 o’clock. Anyone who wishes to enter can register once they arrive. For this season’s festival, the prize will be bragging rights, however in the future they are hoping to continue this contest and provide prizes.

The festival will be open on Saturday from 3 to 11 p.m. and on Sunday from 12 noon to 8 p.m.

“It’s going to be a lot of fun,” said Mr. Beattie. “I am very much looking forward to it.”