In a town where beer fests are growing as common as outsider references to Eagles fans pelting Santa Claus with make-believe snowballs, it’s getting harder and harder to make any one festival stand out. So we say kudos to the folks at Elfreth’s Alley, who are dressing up their Brew Fest 2012 this Saturday in Prohibition-era costume. (This is not to be confused with the Prohibition-themed and costumed Bathtub Beer Fest happening at the Constitution Center on November 15).

This weekend, Elfreth’s Alley’s Speakeasy Costume Ball, which runs from 6-9pm and costs $20 for a general admission ticket, will award prizes for the best look-alike Eliot Ness and educate participants as to his and Prohibition’s lasting influence on contemporary Pennsylvania with a talk by beer writer Lew Bryson and historical archivist Bob Skiba. There’s also a Bootlegger Homebrew Contest (clever, guys, clever) and a so-called “Rumrunner” raffle for $2000 worth of prizes. Honestly, that’s a lot of hooch to lubricate your brain and tongue, for not a lot of jack. Proceeds benefit the Elfreth’s Alley Assocation.

Elfreth’s Alley Speakeasy Costume Ball [Event page]