Magic in the Air, the Brews, the Zoo

2010 Denver Brew at the Zoo.

Frankly, a long, overwritten blog post about last night is probably unnecessary; I took tons of photos and think the photos do the night much more justice.  But I’ll give a little summary, show the highlights.  Why not?  I need to do something while I nurse this hangover (a result of The Shoe, not this event).

Last night, Olive, Hector, and I went to the Denver Zoo for the 13^th Annual Brew at the Zoo.  It’s officially Denver Beer Fest week and there are tons of beer events (biggest being GABF), but Brew at the Zoo is probably my favorite.  Olive said, “Beer, ribs, and Elephants.  F#@*ing Awesome!”  My sentiments exactly.

Not to be trite or overly sentimental, but there’s something magical about this event.  It’s September; there’s a slight chill in the air.  It’s at night.  It’s dark.  You’re in an environment that replicates nature—canopies of trees, foliage, and, of course, animals.  It’s warming.  It’s like you’re a kid again, excitable, in awe, regardless of your age.  A tiny, 80+ year-old woman was enraptured by the swimming hippo.  So was I.

And then there’s the beer.  You get a good little buzz going and the warming becomes something more—a tingling, soulful kind of thing.  I’m maybe exaggerating or being a bit revisionist.  Either way, this event crushes the ordinary Friday, the ordinary bar scene or sitting at home on the couch.

So what is it?  Simply put, a party at night in the zoo.  The Denver Zoo shuts down early.  A bunch of breweries (40+) and restaurants setup booths throughout.  At 7pm the doors open up and people come in to drink, eat, listen to live music, and check out the animals.

The breweries were predominantly craft brewers from Colorado, though there were a few from other states (Deschutes, Alaskan, Shiner).  Everyone got a 4-ounce tasting cup.  You could try as many beers as you like, eat as much as possible, but honestly, it was much more social and people weren’t really gorging themselves.

Overall, it was a rather civil, grownup event.  Guys dawned their nice, button-up shirts; blazers and dress shoes were common.  Women wore sexy dresses, did their hair.  Though it was unlimited beer, I didn’t see a single person get out of hand, do anything harmful to the animals, or even litter.  The event was sold out, so at capacity, yet everyone was courteous, friendly, and smiling.  My only issue was insanely bright lights that blinded me every time I walked in their direction.

And the event was for charity.  That made me not mind the $65 entrance fee.  The purpose, as stated on the event’s site was to “…Benefit Denver Zoo’s Red Apple Fund for Life-Long Learning, which makes it possible for all individuals – no matter their economic circumstances – to discover the wonders of animals through participation in Denver Zoo education programs.”

Like many others, the night for us was a leisurely, counter-clockwise stroll around the zoo.  We weren’t too terribly aggressive about the food or drinks.  We tried about 8 beers apiece (my full list below), had a few plates of food; with the exception of one beer, everything was delicious.  We got to see a number of animals:  giraffe, zebra, peacock, bison, elephant, hippo, camel, hyena, lion, and alligator (or croc?).  As we left, we were given a free souvenir tasting mug. All in all, it was a great night.  Here are some of my favorite pictures:

Elephants graze in front of the setting sun, while I raise a cup of New Belgium Ranger IPA.

The party from a distance.

Delicious food.  Olive is a happy camper.

Giraffes are cool.

The beers I enjoyed:

• Odell IPA
• New Belgium Ranger IPA
• Dry Dock IPA
• Del Norte Bock
• Left Hand Milk Stout
• Bristol Oktoberfest
• Elk Mountain Mineshaft Kolsch
• Avery IPA

Related Articles

• Baby Tigers At Denver Zoo Turn One Month Old (PHOTOS) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Denver Beer Fest’s Most Alluring Food And Beer Pairings (VOTE) (huffingtonpost.com)
• Great American Beer Festival: 5 Lesser-Known Breweries From Colorado At The GABF (huffingtonpost.com)