Philly brewers duke it out at inaugural Independence National Brewfest Pro-Am competition

Philadelphia has plenty of great brewers, but come this weekend, we'll find out exactly who is the best with the inaugural Independence National Brewfest.

Kicking off Saturday at 5 p.m at Local 22 Union Hall, Brewfest is a pro/am-style competition that pits teams of Philly's greatest home brewers and craft breweries against one another across multiple beer styles to determine the city's best local brewers. But don't expect it to be all Yards and Victory.

Participating breweries for Brewfest's inaugural run include the new Crime & Punishment, West Chester's Levante Brewing, 2nd Story Brewing, Manayunk Brewing, Vault Brewing and others. The full list is available here.

A panel of judges will determine the winner, who will in turn receive a lavish prize package that includes airfare, hotel costs, and entry into the upcoming Great American Beer Festival pro/am competition in Denver.

A separate "celebrity" judges panel — which includes yours truly, along with Philly.com blogger Tim Reardon, food writer Danya Henninger, and others — will determine Brewfest's Best IPA. Winners in that category will receive gift cards to local businesses.

It isn't all about the brewers, though. Brewfest will also have food available from Foolish Waffles, the Meat Wagon, and Mann's Sausages, along with entertainment from local bands Cellarside and Tektonic.

Tickets are available now, and run $40 for general admission, and $60 for VIP. Both include all the beer you can drink, but VIP tickets get you into an early VIP hour featuring special editions of the beers slated for — plus a much, much larger tasting glass.

Which, of course, is a great thing. Because after all, there's going to be plenty of brew to fill it. See you there.