Patrons enjoy beer, animals at Sunset Zoo benefit
Oct. 18—Leopards and lagers. Pandas and porters. Kangaroos and kolsch.
Thirteen beer producers from around the region gathered at Sunset Zoo this weekend for the annual Brew at the Zoo event.
Visitors were invited to stroll the park and sip unlimited 2-ounce samples while live music played. Zookeepers provided animal encounters.
Melissa Kirkwood, marketing and development officer for the zoo, said the event, which was Friday, has been a longtime fundraiser. The Friends of Sunset Zoo group hosts it as a benefit that supports conservation efforts and some operating expenses.
"We partner with regional brewers to make Brew at the Zoo happen, so brewers donate their product and service and time, and patrons get to taste different types of brews," said Kirkwood.
Local brewer Manhattan Brewing Company, which opened last year, was one of the sponsors.
"We wanted to be completely involved with the community, whatever that means," said co-owner Jake Voegeli. "Brew at the Zoo is one of the biggest beer events in this town, and being a brewery-only (no restaurant), we wanted to make sure we were definitely headlining this place, definitely doing the best we can to be a sponsor here."
Manhattan Brewing Company created a beer for the event called Conservation Kolsch. Voegli said a portion of the beer sales will go to the zoo for conservation efforts.
During the crisp fall evening, patrons walked around tasting beer and food, and of course, seeing the animals.
Frank Jackson, who recently moved to Manhattan from Georgia, came to the event with some friends and his wife.
"I saw a big sign on Anderson Ave, that said Brew at the Zoo, caught my interest. I looked it up online (and thought it) looked really interesting. We bought tickets for the four of us to see what the Manhattan zoo has to offer."
Emily and Jeremy Walker came to the event because they had never been before.
"We've seen it advertised, our friends have talked about it, and we thought it would be fun to do as a couple," Emily said. "Something fun, something different."
"I think after COVID, everyone was super stressed and confined and coming to an atmosphere that is open and people are relaxing and enjoying the beer and the animals, it's been really nice, it's been a nice change," she said.
Brian Stinson, a Manhattan resident for the last 16 years, has been coming to the event since its beginning. He said, "It's good beer, you know, getting to see the animals, that's a lot of fun."
The event had 13 brewers, live music, and food throughout the zoo.
"We are really thankful to have the community behind us, and I think they've always been behind us," Kirkwood said. "But going through COVID and now seeing things come back, like this just kind of gives you that really great feeling that people are always behind you."
