Virtual beer festival hosted by Pittsburgh-area women will bring performances from G. Love, Flavor Flav

Alyssa Smith and Michelle Dangelo Arnoni are best friends. They were having a girls’ night, drinking and laughing, when they came up with an idea.

Fill a box with 24 beers and have a virtual beer festival during the pandemic.

“We really want to connect people and bring a little happiness,” Arnoni said. “We feel like people are missing in-person beer festivals. This is a perfect way to still hang out with your friends, and you don’t have to worry about drinking and driving.”

Beer Fest 2U will bring the brews to beer drinkers. Festival participants will receive a BeerFest box with two dozen limited-edition, select craft beers to sample during a livestreamed, interactive tasting event from 4-6 p.m. on Oct. 24.

Participants need to buy a ticket by midnight Monday.

Arnoni, who owns Brentwood Distributing in West Mifflin, offers delivery from more than 2,000 brands through Beverages2U, a company she started that will deliver beer, non-alcoholic beverages and other items to homes.

She will handle the beer and Smith, CEO of Premier Connects, will take care of the virtual part of the event. Premier Connects is an executive event company that helps business people connect via meetings and conventions, many which are being held online.

The two plan on doing the event every year.

And it’s not just about the brew. The event is a fundraiser for Tip Jar Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, a national virtual way to give tips directly to one’s favorite bartender.

Part of the proceeds will be donated.

Every year they will choose a different charity.

“So many of my customers have been hurt by the pandemic,” Arnoni said. “We want to give back to the service industry and help them as much as we can. I know these people personally and this has been so hard on them.”

People can have the beer boxes delivered for $99, or pick them up for $79 at the Brentwood Distributing warehouse located at 1200 Lebanon Road in West Mifflin.

A party pack for four is $360.

“There is a wide range of styles,” Arnoni said. “It’s a nice mix. There is also some swag in there too. Fall is such a great time for beer drinking.”

Some beers have been brewed for this event and others haven’t been released to the public yet. She said there will be virtual musical performances as well as chances for attendees to win prizes, enjoy brewery talks and engage with celebrity guests. Among them are: former Pirates pitcher and broadcaster Steve Blass and comedian Pittsburgh Dad. Iceburgh from the Pittsburgh Penguins will attend. There will be streamed entertainment by rapper Flavor Flav, formerly of Public Enemy, singer Alana Solomon and Philadelphia-based musician G Love.

For all those food lovers out there, chef Jason Capps from Bella Serra will be part of the event. For those who buy tickets, you will receive the recipe the week of the event for his bayou beer barbecue shrimp with Great Lake Brewing’s Hazecraft IPA.

“We felt the time was right to bring everyone together in Pennsylvania, at a time when we all could use a cold beer and a little fun,” said Arnoni. “We didn’t want beer lovers to miss out of an annual event that they look forward to, and we also wanted to make our festival a way to give back.”