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Don't forget: Big Texas Beer Fest is 1 to 6 p.m. tomorrow, and noon for the VIPs who paid $25 more for the opportunity to be first at the taps and close down the event at the Deep Ellum Brewing Co. after-party.
Bring a few singles with you to buy extra sampling cards, which are good for another dozen 2-ounce samples, for $2 apiece. (TABC regulations limit beer events from providing more than 24 ounces per purchase. Thank you for protecting us from ourselves, Lone Star Nanny State.)
Download and peruse a digital version of the program here for the schedule and map. And a glance through the list of participating breweries ought to convince any beer lover that it's a worthy event.
A few things for attendees to remember: Bring a valid ID. Do not bring anyone younger than 21 -- not your kids, not even your infant. If you're driving, enter the fairgrounds at Gate 5 or 6 and be prepared to pay $10 cash. I'd recommend instead taking the DART Green Line to Fair Park; all-day DART passes are in most cases less than the parking cost ($4, $7 or $10, depending how far) and could save you from having to bring a designated driver or limit your consumption. Bring a printed copy of the Eventbrite ticket, which should have been emailed to you. And bring cash for food, sample card refills and merch. The grounds have ATMs, but do you really want to stand in another line?
The event has a few beers that are rare, new to Texas and even some festival-only exclusives. Here are five beers or breweries worth seeking out and standing in line for.
Firkins are smaller, holding only a quarter barrel, or enough for 72 pints, so this could run out early. While connoisseurs may not consider Ugly Pug an especially interesting beer because of its year-round local ubiquity, it is nonetheless a solid black lager, and the vanilla addition and cask-conditioning should make it taste like a different beer altogether. Unfortunately, the brewery pulled its Sorachi Ace dry-hopped Belgian IPA.
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