Brew at the Zoo

The first annual Brew at the Zoo! To sum it up in one word: (in my Stewie Griffin voice) Excellent.
First off, who doesn’t like beer? No one, that’s who. Okay that’s a stretch, but even for those who aren’t keen on sampling ten different craft beers of their choosing, Brew at the Zoo offered wine. And boy did that wine go fast.
I’m a big kid at heart and I absolutely love the zoo so when I found out that the El Paso Zoo was hosting an after-​hours adult event I was elated! The cool part was there were animal encounters throughout the night… only animals that could be up in the wee hours of the night like the lizards and snakes, but the elephants were out and about too which was awesome. I didn’t mind that a majority of the animals were sleeping away hidden from the public eye, but I would’ve liked for them to keep the entire zoo open so you could’ve caught a glimpse or two of the animals that are always on display like the sea lions. The animal encounters were kind of cool because you got to take pictures with the different reptiles (but no touching… which is understandable because of the size of the event).
But you came to this review for the beer. The beer was awesome! I got introduced to a lot of different brews and left with some awesome knowledge like the fact that there’s a store in EP where you can buy all the brewing supplies you would need to make your own stuff at home. So cool! There were quite a few different vendors and they were from all over the country. I’m sure they’ll add more breweries next year, but honestly there was enough as is. And you also had the option to purchase the actual beers. Next year I’d just like to see more wine especially since there’s a list of wineries nearby.
There was food on hand, but only out of their cafes and a few stands. And it was very limited. Brats and pretzels were available in their cafes. The brats were pretty good (cut in half for some reason… even though you could only order two at a time). I picked up some chicharrones (sp?) and you know, they were chicharrones. There were a couple of other options, but I think they could benefit greatly from getting the Food Truck Circus involved next year… just saying. Options are nice.
This event was one of my favorite events in El Paso. I hope they do this every year and I can only imagine it getting bigger and better every time.

I like beer and I’m always looking for new and exciting places to drink it, that’s why I was very excited when our wonderful Unilocal ambassador Tanya shared this event.
At first, the price of admission seemed a little steep, but any such worries quickly dissipated once I learned that the proceeds benefited the EP Zoological Society, so it is fundraising for a worthwhile cause. Ultimately the $ 35 price of admission is similar to what other craft beer events in EP and you get just as many samples.
The brewery lineup was very good, mostly from Texas, like Adelbert’s (shout out to the 512!), but with a good number of other states well represented. We weren’t expecting to discover anything new but we were pleasantly surprised to see Nebraska Brewing which was new to us.
I think this event would be better in the afternoon rather than at night, that way we can check out the zoo’s exhibits during the event.
I really had a fun time, 2015 was the first year and I’m hoping for many future ones. The folks who put it together clearly worked very hard and they successfully sold out the event, I hope they take my feedback as constructive suggestions, I’m not mentioning them for the sake of being critical.
Loved, loved, LOVED the no kids allowed policy!

My wife joined a few friends for the 2015 Brew at the Zoo last night. We had a lot of fun, and it definitely proved to be a lot more than expected. This was an event that was PERFECT for groups.
There were a LOT of beer vendors, and the beer tents were scattered around the zoo. There were some lines, but it was not unbearable. The vendors did a great job or keeping things moving quick enough so the lines did not become stagnant, but also so they could also answer questions about their particular brewery. One thing that could be improved on is the lighting at the beer tents. Each brewery had a poster up that lists the beer they had on hand, and also gave some brief info regarding those selections. The posters were not lit very well, which made it difficult for patrons to make a choice prior to making it to the front of the line. This did contribute to longer wait times during lines, but again, those werent THAT bad to begin with. Adding more lights would just help to improve an already working system.
Other than the alcohol, this event had quite a bit to do other than drink. The park was open, and they had some fun games like Cornhole or DDR. There was also a stage set up, and there was Live music for most of the evening. One thing that proved to be a focal point for a lot of people was the Photo Booth that was set up. Inside the park, which as I understand, is a fairly new addition to the zoo, there was a steady stream of adults climbing up to zip down the slides. There is nothing like a bunch of adults getting excited for a childrens play thing! LOL!
The only true complaint we had was that there was only two locations to order food. This caused a huge backup, and the lines were pretty long. An addition of more food vendors would alleviate the lines for food, and provide a better experience.
Overall, our group had a lot a lot of fun, and we cannot wait for next year. This year, tickets were sold out by the time the event opened, so be sure to order you tickets in advance next time!