Miami Metrozoo hosts beer festival to draw new crowd

How do you get young adults to come to the zoo? One word: beer.

BY RODOLFO ROMAN
SPECIAL TO THE MIAMI HERALD
Miami Metrozoo will play host to a party, but not for the animals.
Local beer lovers will have a chance to taste domestic and imported brewskies at the inaugural Brew at the Zoo at Metrozoo, 12400 SW 152nd St., from 5 p.m. to 11 p.m. Saturday.
The social gathering helps bring a young crowd said Cindy Castelblanco, the zoo's director of marketing and integrated communication.
``We partnered up to make this happen at the zoo, which is a first for us and a chance for us to bring a segment of the population to the zoo that usually is not our regular visitor,'' Castelblanco said.
Beer lovers can taste from a list of more than a hundred beers. Local brewers like Florida Beer, Holy Mackerel Beers, Inlet Brewing Company and Titanic Brewing Company will have their products available.
Other well-known beer companies like Samuel Adams, Polar, Aguila and Asahi will also offer tastings.
Aside from the beer, food lovers can dig in on several meals such as roasted barbecue chicken with Caribbean style BBQ sauce or an old school sloppy Joe sandwich. The food is not included with entrance fee.
The Dan Band, which has appeared in movies like Old School and The Hangover, will perform live. Also, Juke and King Bee will hit the stage. Zoo spokesman Ron Magill will emcee a Call of the Wild Contest.
In the contest, participants will try to mimic the best animal call or sound that they can.
The winner gets a membership to the zoo and other prizes. A DJ will be spinning the turntable and a lot of head banging will be taking place with an air guitar contest.
As an added bonus, Brew at the Zoo ticket holders will receive a discount to the zoo's admission through Sept. 30.
``We want everyone to have a great time at the inaugural Brew at the Zoo event,'' Castelblanco said. ``We encourage everyone to drink responsibly or assign a designated driver for the evening.''
Advance tickets start at $25, but a $65 VIP ticket includes the Taste of the Wild Catering, a tented area and spirits like Finlandia Vodka of Finland, Tequila Herradura and Jack Daniels. The entrance fee will help benefit the zoo.
Miami Metrozoo teamed up with the Miami New Times, which has presented other beer festivals in Broward.