The big event on the beer calender this month is the Florida Brewers Guild BeerFest in Ybor City on Feb. 24.

It features beers from across Florida, all of which are available to sample for the price of admission.

In addition to local brewers, some booths to keep an eye out for are Abbey Brewing out of Miami Beach, Big Bear Brewing from Coral Springs, Orlando Brewing, McGuires and Sarasota Brewing.

The fest also features music, raffles and the announcement of the winners of the Best Florida Beer Championships. But arriving at that glorious moment when the best Florida beers are crowned takes a lot of work, done by a dedicated bunch of beer lovers.

The BFBC is a not-for-profit organization that promotes the celebration and consumption of locally made craft-brewed beer. Judging has taken place throughout February at multiple sites and includes both commercial and home brewed beer. This year the home brew competition received 366 entries encompassing 23 styles.

It fell to Mark Stober and Jeff Gladish of the BFBC to organize the judging. With a team of volunteers including about 40 judges and stewards, the judges carefully evaluate each beer, giving feedback to the brewers (important for correcting flaws) and assigning gold, silver and bronze medals in each category.

The entries range from the common pale ale to experimental brews such as a Peanut Butter Porter and a Smoked Ancho Chili Stout. The latter brews beautifully illustrate one of the appeals of home brewing. If there isn't a commercial example for the flavor you crave, you can make your own.

The BFBC also judges commercial brews. Bob Sylvester, an award winning home brewer who recently turned his hobby into St. Somewhere Brewing of Tarpon Springs, headed up the professional competition.

Beers are brought to the judges "blind," meaning the judges don't know who brewed the beer or what its commercial name is. After carefully evaluating the beer based on factors such as appearance, aroma, head, flavor and style correctness, the beer is assigned points. Brews with enough points receive a bronze, silver or gold.

Naturally it is a lot of hard work for the judges (seriously) and also for the brewers who lug kegs from all over the state. So when it's over, of course there's a party. The Brewers Ball is held the next day at Skipper's Smokehouse. All the gold medal winning beers from the competition will be there.

I've been to a few beer fests in my day, and for pure fun, the Brewers Ball is one of the best in the country.