Brookhaven Beer Fest Expecting More than 2,000

Jonathan Colon knew that once planning started, the Brookhaven Beer Fest had the potential to be a big hit.

What he didn't know, he said, was how much of a hit.

The 34-year-old Brookhaven Heights resident and event planning entrepreneur said as of Friday afternoon, more than 2,000 tickets were sold for the fest scheduled Saturday from 3 p.m. to 8 p.m. He said he expects the event to sell close to 500 additional tickets on site.

"For a first beer festival, that's off the charts," Colon said. "Usually you expect about 1,000 or so people. We worked really hard to spread the word."

The Brookhaven Beer Fest will be a five-hour-long affair with live music featuring two rock bands - My Friend Ian's Band and High Fidelity - raffles, and an unlimited tasting of 153 types of beer. Advance ticket purchasers are guaranteed a commemorative tasting glass for the festivities. The event will be located directly behind the Brookhaven MARTA station on Apple Valley Road.

Colon and his business partner Shane Aubrey said they wanted to see something specifically for Brookhaven.

"We don't want to have to travel to midtown or another community to have a good time," he said.

Colon said the community shouldn't worry about tipsy drivers, either.

"Being on the line is a very big plus of doing this event," Colon said. "There will be heavy beer consumption, so in addition to MARTA, we're also going to have designated car service on site and have taxi services available."

A portion of the event's proceeds will benefit the Brookhaven Arts Alliance, who has partnered with the group and is serving as a co-host along with Spiral Entertainment, Trend Setting Productions and USA Entertainment.

"It's a win-win situation. We're going to raise money for a great charity, put on a great event for the community, and hopefully make some beer lovers very happy."