Beer aficionados will have much to celebrate as the Kingston City BeerFest will begin tonight, June 15, and continue until Friday, June 16 at Jamaica Food+Drink Kitchen, St Andrew, starting at 5:00 pm.

Day one will end at 11:00 pm, and midnight on day two.

“We’re here to celebrate our evolving beer industry and its exponential growth in Jamaica to the point where we can stand here today sampling over 30 beers and beer products,” Nicole Maraj-Pandohie, managing director, Jamaica Food+Drink Kitchen, told the Jamaica Observer.

She explained that a small number of tickets are left and the aim of Kingston City BeerFest 2023 is more a curated educational experience rather than a mass market event.

Attendees will have unfettered access to a multitude of beers — favourites and newbies — from several major producers, distributors, and local breweries.

To highlight the combination of food and drink that defines the Kingston City BeerFest experience, a Beer Cocktail Competition was held at the launch event which took place on June 15.

Two teams of three were given 10 minutes to come up with beer-infused cocktail that would impress the special judges on taste and creativity. A secret ingredient that had to be used was introduced to spice things up. In the end it was Team Beer Vibes that got the judges’ nod.

“It was a fun, engaging activity for which I must credit the BeerFest team. It was an enjoyable experience with my teammates Nicole and Tonya,” said Stephen Reid, business development manager, Chas E Ramson, one-third of Team Beer Vibes.

Now in its second staging, Kingston City BeerFest, aims to own its space on the international culinary calendar to take advantage of the large food tourism market, shared Maraj-Pandohie.