This weekend, El Pasoans can enjoy a craft beer with the most unusual of company. The El Paso Zoo will be celebrating their second annual “Brew at the Zoo” on Saturday, Nov. 14 at 6 p.m.

This year, the El Paso Zoological Society is hoping the fundraising event will reach their target goal of $40,000, which will be used for conservation efforts and projects at the zoo.

“We raise money for education and animal conservation,” said Analisa Cordova, special events coordinator of the El Paso Zoological Society. “A portion of the ticket sales goes to help and benefit the zoo.”

The El Paso Zoological Society is the non-profit side of the El Paso Zoo, focused on raising money for different projects.

Since craft beer has been a growing market in the city, the El Paso Zoological Society decided to center the fundraising event on this new trend.

This year, the event will feature live music, food trucks, games and craft beer booths.

“There will be over 25 booths that people can go up to and taste different crafted beers,” Cordova said. “We are going to have a local brewery, Ode Brewing.”

Some of the other craft beers available during the event will be Abita Brewering, Four Brewing, Four Corners, Austin East Ciders, Rogue, South Austin Brewery, Leibinger, Rahr & Sons, Infamous Brewing, Goose Island and Woodchuck Hard Cider, amongst others.

Visitors will also be able to meet some of the brewers as well.

“You can meet the brewer, so if you like a certain type of beer the representative will be there so you can learn more about the beer and how they make it,” Cordova said.

For food options, patrons can choose from Craze, Hot Joes, Red White and Chew, The Tap Food Truck, Off the Grill, Eskimo Hut and hamburgers from Taste of the Wild.

Aside from food and beer, the event will also feature live entertainment and games. Some of the bands and artists playing during the event are FM Junkies, Kilo and the Dew, Great Shapes, Jaimielynn Amato, Laughterhours Comedy, and the Mother of Pearl Vinyl Records DJs.

The games include corn hole, flamingo ring toss and a giant Jenga game.

“People can take the train, you can play on the playgrounds, we will have games, so it is really fun because a lot of people haven’t been to the zoo since they were little,” Cordova said.

The event will also have the zoo’s animal exhibits, where people can take their walk around the zoo and enjoy their beer. Visitors will also be able to take a selfies or meet some of the animals such as Savannah the elephant.

Ticket options include general admission and VIP. The general admission ticket includes 12 two-oz. tastings, a commemorative tasting glass, animal encounters, Angry Owl Koozie, and live music entertainment at a cost of $40 during the week of the event.

VIP tickets are $85 and include an hour extra of beer tasting starting at 5 p.m., a Brew at the Zoo growler, extra tastings, food catered by Rulis’ International Kitchen, a special animal encounter, and everything included in the general admission tickets.

Those who will opt out from consuming beer and prefer to be designated drivers will be given everything included in the tickets except for the tastings, but they will receive a commemorative backpack of the event.

“It is a really fun event,” Cordova said. “This event is very different from any other beer tasting event because it is at the zoo and its environment it’s really fun and we only do this once a year.”

For more information about this event at the zoo, visit www.elpasozoosociety.org or call (915) 532-8156.

Fernanda León may be reached at [email protected].