The first Ales for Tails was held on the 16th December 2016 and proved to be a great success. Over 30 brews were donated and poured by members of the Durban Homebrewers to 200 craft beer lovers on the day. There were also over 70 non craft beer drinking attendees who had the option to drink a variety of wines, ciders and cold drinks. Mike Egling from Tops Hillcrest was the main sponsor for the event and without his support the event would not have been such a success.
R68,130 was donated to the Kloof & Highway SPCA. The cash was raised from entry tickets, food & beverage sales and a raffle. The happy winner of the raffle walked away with 291 craft beers which were donated by various breweries from around the country.