It's an annual event where 20+ breweries from the area show up to provide tastings of their (mostly) delicious ales. You get a commemorative tasting glass, unlimited samples, and "special animal encounters." (Unless you count the employee dressed in a giant giraffe costume, I'm not sure what they meant by "special animal encounters"...)
Anyway, tickets for this event sell out literally the day they go on sale, so I was really glad that Michelle reminded me to get mine, or I would have missed out on all the fun. I definitely hope to make this a yearly tradition as long as I live in Santa Barbara. It was just...SO...stinking...FUN!
I'll let the pictures (and captions) tell the rest of the story.
Here's our group! Ethan, Anna, Chelsea, Michelle and me! |
We found some co-workers (like D on the left) and also met some complete strangers (like the guy on the right). The great thing was, everyone we met acted like old friends! |
Another co-worker (A in the blue shirt) found the fabled penguin, so of course we had to get photographic evidence of that encounter! |
The penguin wasn't the only zoo animal we met! Ethan was super stoked to meet this giraffe. (Please note Ethan's kindred T-shirt.) |
Michelle and I found this wild meerkat! (Which apparently got mistaken for an otter by a lot of people. Really?) |
Gator AND Bill Murray in one shot! YES. |
Moose! And I think the girl in stripes had a tiger hat? |
And the official "special animal encounter" -- a "real life" GIRAFFE! Yep, we were excited about this one. |
Then there was this dude with a thousand cats on his shirt. |
And what event would be complete without a Charlie Sheen T-shirt? |
Did I mention that almost every one of these pictures with random people in animal costumes/attire came about by me walking right up and shouting, "PICTURE TIME!"? |
Cuz, yeah. That's basically what happened. |
And no one ever denied us the chance to take photos with random strangers! (Except the police detail that was there keeping the peace. They said no thanks.) |
Only at Zoo Brew can you wear a shirt with a cow on it and make instant friends with everyone around you. |
Eventually I discovered that the zoo was selling pretzel necklaces. GENIUS! Obviously this happened. |
But before that, I did manage to make friends with a guy wearing lederhosen who gave me one of his big pretzels. |
And to commemorate our first (but SO not last) Zoo Brew, Michelle and I got matching hats! (On the back, they say, "Drink Beer. Save Wildlife.") |
So. Much. Fun.
Next year I'll try to rope Joe into coming along! Maybe he'll wear a full-body costume just to avoid getting a sunburn. (Har har.)
I love that pic of you pointing at the guy's back. Did he know you were taking a pic of him when it happened?
ReplyDeleteLooks like fun! Allan did this a few years back, and had a blast, though he, too, missed out on the pretzel necklace! One of these days I'd like to attend the Zoofari Ball, which I think is later in the summer. Anything to support our beloved zoo! :-)
Nope, he didn't know I was taking that picture. Neither did the guy with all the cats on his shirt. Other than that, I think every picture (including tons I didn't post here) was a "PICTURE TIME!" occasion. :)
DeleteIt was so well organized and fun! I can't wait for next year. I'll definitely have to look into the Zoofari Ball; sounds fun! Do you get to dress up fancy?
Yeah! If I recall correctly, it's like a cocktail party, with a different theme each year. I also recall tickets being really expensive, though-- something on the order of a couple hundred bucks a pop? Another reason it's not immediately on our bucket list ;-)
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