"Weather Alert Day" Blonde Ale takes home 2nd-place prize at Hops for Hope

Children in need of medical care are now one step closer, thanks to those who attended the 10th annual Hops for Hope event Saturday at North Hills.

The event pairs local breweries with businesses from around the area, in an effort to raise money for Children's Flight of Hope.

The non-profit's CEO, Pat Nelli, told WRAL's Out and About that this event has raised over $3 million in the last nine years, helping fly 2,500 children and their families round-trip for medical treatment.

"I think we all want to be a part of something bigger than ourselves," Seth Ellington told WRAL News.

Tent by tent, the beer flows and so does the energy in Midtown Park.

"It's about energy. It's about excitement. It's about fun, and it's about community. It is hard for me to imagine a more important purpose than changing and saving the life of a child," Nelli said.

It's that purpose that convinced the Hollands' family to drive from Holly Springs for Saturday's festival.

"It's been a great day to be out with the family. We've enjoyed a lot of great beers. And again, like she said, it's been a wonderful afternoon to celebrate and to help out Children's Flight of Hope," the family told WRAL News.

We experienced the joy first-hand, from behind the keg. Fainting Goat Brewing Company in Fuquay-Varina brewed a WRAL-themed "Weather Alert Day" Blonde Ale specifically for Hops for Hope.

"It's a hurricane cocktail-inspired blonde ale," Michael Bendel explained. "It has notes of tropical fruit, and then we'll add fruit purees. Orange, pineapple, guava, passionfruit, key lime and cherry."

It was so good, Fainting Goat and the "Weather Alert Day" Blonde Ale took home the second-place prize in the "People's Choice" category!

Once you cast your vote, you actually get to pet a goat. How cool is that?

WRAL News is working to learn the total amount of money that was raised during Saturday's event.