We had to make a few changes this year in order to keep our event in compliance with TABC regulations.  Probably the most noticeable change was the new “beer card.”  According to TABC guidelines, it is illegal to have an “all you can drink for one price” event.  The purpose of the card was to put a limit, however liberal, on the amount of beer each person could have for the price of admission.  Following the advice of the TABC, we put 25 drinks on the card.  At 3-4 ounces per serving, that gave everyone the chance to drink 75-100 ounces of beer.  That’s about 6-8 twelve ounce cans of beer.  We heard a number of folks concerned about the cards when entering the event.  By the end of the night, we saw very few filled cards and the concerns, for the most part, faded away.

While A Night At The Brew-seum is a beer event, we recognized last year that there are people out there, a few, who don’t like beer – but still want to come to our event.  Last year we added the wine “downgrade” for the first time ($10 to get a special wine bracelet).   About 25 people took advantage of the wine offerings.   This year that number jumped to 81.  We had to re-stock the wine coolers much more quickly than last time!

A Night At the Brew-seum was actually a culmination of “Brew-seum Week” this year.  A week earlier at Roosevelt’s at 7, we had the judging for the first Brew-seum Battle of the Brew Spring Ale Home Brew Competition.  We crowned the winner on the stage in the German Beer Garden.  On Thursday the 19th, we had Brew-seum’s first Beer Dinner, featuring the exquisite cuisine of Chef Larry Delgado from House.Wine and the expertise of Shiner Brewmaster Peter Koestler as they paired the great food with the extensive Shiner beer offerings.   It was a great night of beer, food and fun which exceeded our expectations with more than 100 people joining the festivities.

Of course, A Night At The Brew-seum would not have been possible without the support of our great sponsors.  Clark Chevrolet and Clark/Knapp Honda – our title sponsors for the fourth consecutive year.  Deutsch and Deutsch Fine Jewelry ..the only sponsor the German Beer Garden has ever had.  For the second year in a row, Stella Artois sponsored the Tap House Tent.    Shiner Bock helped make the awesome Brew-seum T-Shirts a possibility.  This year we welcomed new sponsors L3 Technologies (Entertainment) and IBC Bank (Tent coolers).  We also would like to thank Domit Apartments for sponsoring the Brew-seum pint beer glasses, and Kolder Inc for the Kolder Holders.  Our added events this year also had sponsors.  GreatBrewers.com made the Home Brew Competition a reality.   Kirk and Jeri Clark sponsored the Beer Dinner and Arthur Hughes of Ameriprise Financial Services provided the beer mugs for the Beer Dinner.  We also would like to thank our media sponsors KRGV Channel 5 and Celebrity Events Magazine.

On behalf of the International Museum of Art and Science, it’s board of directors, staff and members, thank you for being part of our “fundraiser cleverly disguised as a beer drinking event.”   We welcome your comments about what you liked and didn’t like about A Night At the Brew-seum.  We are only 11 1/2 months away from Brew-seum 2013 and we’re already busy planning the best event ever.

We sure hope you didn’t get caught in the storm. Just after 5pm, we witnessed a heavy combination of rain and hail here at the museum. Just in case anyone is curious if this affects A Night At The Museum this Saturday, the answer is an assuring “Heck No!” We’re ready to party… responsibly of course.

We’re excited to see you tomorrow. Until then, enjoy this time lapse of one hour of storm footage compressed down to one minute. The clouds at the end are magical.

Cheers,
The Brew-seum Staff

Last weekend we celebrated the first annual Brew-seum’s Battle of the Brew – Spring Ale Competition. Eleven local competitors submitted a total of 12 beers to the contest. The contest was divided into two parts.

Friday night was the official AHA/BJCP sanctioned judging behind closed doors. This competition determined who would win 1st, 2nd and 3rd place and take the cash prizes home. Two sanctioned judges, Bev D. Blackwood II and Jaime Robles from Houston’s very own The Foam Brewers, along with Roosevelt’s at 7 owner Mark Garza critiqued each entry to find the official BOTB winners.

On Saturday, the competition continued for the people’s choice winners with Channel 5 news anchor Polo Sandoval, Dr. Noe Oliveira, and Roosevelt’s at 7 owner Rick Macias as our celebrity judge panel. The homebrew entries were entourage to be present at Roosevelt’s to participate in the festivities.

Here are the results for this years BOTB homebrew Competition.

Official BOTB 2012 Finalists
David Allen
Miguel Ortega
Jacob Pekar

People’s Choice Winners
David Allen
Matthew Pompa
Miguel Ortega
Ernie Ward

On Saturday night April 21, the placing of the finalists will be reviled at the A Night At The Brew-seum event at IMAS.

The competition would not have been as great of a success without all the other participating entries.
(by last name – alphabetically)
Isaac Cantu
Julian Garcia IV
Guy Hallman
Mark Hoskins
Jacob Pekar
Brian & Jennifer White

You can’t get much these days with a ten dollar bill. But, if you’re in the market for a cool designed t-shirt for the hot valley weather, check out the 2012 Brew-seum t-shirts. This year, local artist Meylo Rodriguez created two designs to choose from.

The life, liberty and the pursuit of hoppiness t-shirt is a fun approach playing on contemporary typefaces to get the point across. It’s the perfect tee for that impromptu dash to your local watering hole for a tasty pint.

The second design, Brew-seum, Spring break for adults, is a throw back to every absurd advertisement you’ve seen off the drag while visiting the beach. All the t-shirt shops seem to compete for the craziest deal. The design mirrors the t-shirts that find their way back with family and friends when they return from a beach get-a-way.

Both designs are available in regular and v-neck shirts in ivory and mustard colors. You can find these t-shirts at the sold out A Night At The Brew-seum event April 21 for a measly $10. Any leftover t-shirts will be on sale at the IMAS gift shop so be sure to visit the museum after April 21 if you don’t make it to the event.

This is the first year (of many, we hope) that the Official Brew-seum Beer Dinner will take place.  During the evening Shiner Brewmasters Peter Koestler and Hans Helbert, along with House.Wine’s Chef Larry Delgado will take our guests on a scrumptious journey into the land of Shiner-inspired cuisine.  Each of the four courses served have been inspired by various beverages from the Spoetzl Brewery.

At the end of the evening a special auction will be held, in which the highest bidder will win their very own private Shiner Beer Dinner party for a small group (chef and beer included).

This will definitely be one for the books! But hurry, there are less an 150 tickets to this very exclusive event!

Tickets are $75 per person.  Call (956) 682-0123 for more information.

Attire: Business Casual

Will we be able to break the all time “A Night at the Brew-seum” record of 10 days, and sell out in 5 days!?!?!

This is definitely the hottest ticket in town.  Get it while you still can!

If you’d like to expand your Brew-seum experience, or if you missed out on buying tickets to the 4th A Night At The Brew-seum, we have another exciting new event!  You can join us for the first Brew-seum Beer Dinner to be held on Thursday, April 19th at IMAS.   We’re pairing the Brew-masters from the Spoetzl Brewery in Shiner, Texas with one of the Valley’s premiere chefs – Larry Delgado of House.Wine, to create an evening of culinary delight!  Chef Larry will prepare an exquisite dinner using Shiner beer in the recipes.   The Shiner Brew-masters will then pair the food with their beer and talk about the pairings.    It’s a chance to eat, drink, enjoy, and learn!   Tickets are $75 and only 150 will be sold.   You can buy them at the IMAS front desk.

Another new part of Brew-seum week is the first Battle of the Brew Spring Ale Home Brew Competition.  Home brewers from across South Texas will be brewing up their best spring ales in hopes of becoming the first Brew-seum Brew-master.  You are invited to the judging party on Saturday, April 14th at Roosevelt’s at Seven in McAllen.

Thank you to everyone who has been part of Brew-seum since it’s beginning in 2009.  We hope you have a good time at Brew-seum 2012!

Don’t know how to get to IMAS or have a question?  Call (956) 682-0123

$50/IMAS Members

$60/Non-Members

$35/Designated Drivers

“A Night at the Brew-seum” Comes Back Bigger & Better

McAllen – The International Museum of Art & Science  invites you to its 4th Annual “A Night at the Brew-seum” Festival sponsored by Clark Chevrolet and Clark Knapp Honda.  Celebrate diversity, culture, and art from around the world with live music, prizes, international cuisine, and of course, beer. General ticket sales will begin Monday, March 19, 2012 at 9:00a.m.
“A Night at the Brew-seum” promises to pour on the fun in this original and exciting festival.  “A Night at the Brew-seum” will have once again the Deutsch & Deutsch German Beer Garden, along with the Stella Artois Tap House Tent cooled by IBC Bank, where everyone will be able to enjoy live entertainment, a photo-booth, the 99 Bottles of Beer Ring Toss, Bucket Raffles, and more. Guests will get to taste from a wide selection of international beers and cuisine from over twenty of the Valley’s finest restaurants. Each guest will go home with a souvenir event glass and a “Brew-seum” goodie bag at the end of the evening.
Entertainment for this evening is made possible by L3 Technologies and will include the Dueling Pianos from the San Antonio Riverwalk “Howl at the Moon”, Marshall Law, and opening the celebrations and marking their “Brew-seum” debut, the Oompah band, The Jolly Hunstmen.
Tickets for “A Night at the Brew-seum” are limited and are available on a first come first serve basis (ages 18 and over; IDs will be checked at the door).  Ticket prices are $50 for IMAS Members, $60 for Non-Members, and $35 for Designated Drivers.  Tickets may be purchased at the International Museum of Art & Science, 1900 Nolana in McAllen, or online at www.brew-seum.com.
Can’t make it on April 21st?  Not to worry, “A Night at the Brew-seum” has expanded to a week filled of events like Battle of the Brew: Spring Ale Competition hosted by Greatbrewers.com on April 14, 2012, in which homebrewers can compete against each other to become the first ever “Brew-seum” Brewmaster.  Or how about taking part in the Official “Brew-seum” Beer Dinner sponsored by Kirk and Jeri Clark?  Shiner Brewmaster’s Peter Koestler and Hans Helbert, along with Chef Larry Delgado from House.Wine., will come together on the evening of April 19, to create a spectacular feast inspired by the Spoetzl Brewery.  For more information on these events, please visit www.brew-seum.com or call (956) 682-0123
Not yet a member?  Call IMAS to find out how you can become a member today.  For more “A Night at the Brew-seum” information log onto www.brew-seum.com.  And remember to mark your calendars for April 21st, for this amazing event at IMAS!

You can also purchase your tickets by visiting the IMAS Front Desk at 1900 Nolana Avenue, McAllen, TX.  Call (956) 682-0123 for more information.  Although IMAS is closed to the public on Mondays, the Front Desk will be opened for “Brew-seum” transactions from 9:00a.m. to 5:00p.m.

Remember, “A Night at the Brew-seum” will be on Saturday, April 21, 2012, from 7:00p.m.-11:00p.m!

*Must be 18 years or older.  I.D.’s will be checked at the door.  Please drink responsibly, and consider calling a cab.