The Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival offered attendees more than 1,000 different beers from 160 breweries.
ATLANTIC CITY -- Paul Brown from Good Time Tricycle Productions was all that stood between thousands of beer lovers and their beer in the Atlantic City Convention Center Friday night.
Just past 8 p.m., he swung open the barricade to let the festive crowd pour into the Atlantic City Beer and Music Festival.
Now in its 11th year, the 2016 festival, "Celebration of the Suds," offered the beer aficionado or novice a chance to sample more than 1,000 different beers from 160 breweries.
"No beer festival in the country has as much stuff to do," said Brown during Session 1.
Local breweries served alongside some of the best national breweries, including New Belgium Brewing Company, Dogfish Head Brewery and Samuel Adams.
Nearly 40 New Jersey breweries -- such as Cape May Brewing Company, Tuckahoe Brewing Company in Egg Harbor Township and Glasstown Brewing Company in Millville -- participated this year.
Dashboard Confessional was the headliner of the festival Friday.
A limited number of tickets still remain for Saturday's Session 2, which runs from noon to 4 p.m., with musical act Manchester Orchestra as the headliner. Tickets can be purchased online or at the box office.
Session 3, which features Reel Big Fish as the headliner from 6 p.m to 10 p.m. Saturday is sold out.
For a full list of breweries participating visit www.acbeerfest.com.
Tim Hawk may be reached at thawk@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @photogthawk. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.