Wild Brew to Benefit Sutton Avian Research Center

Wild Brew, on Saturday, July 31, is your chance to sample dozens of tasty beers.

Last year’s Wild Brew offered a variety of beers, including African style lager beers. The 2010 beer tasting event will take place July 31 at the Tulsa Fairgrounds Exchange Center.

Wild Brew, on Saturday, July 31, is your chance to sample dozens of tasty beers, enjoy some delicious food, and support the preservation and protection of Oklahoma’s native birds.

“Wild Brew is Tulsa’s premiere beer tasting festival, and the largest beer tasting in Oklahoma,” says Victor Wandres, co-chair of Wild Brew. “This is truly a craft beer tasting event – you can experience dozens of beers from local breweries and from around the world.”

Wild Brew is the annual fundraiser for the Sutton Avian Research Center, which receives 100 percent of the event’s proceeds. The Sutton Center, a nonprofit facility near Bartlesville, does conservation, education and research work on endangered, rare and neglected species of birds and their natural habitats. One of their most successful projects has been the reestablishment of the bald eagle as a nesting bird, which has helped remove the bald eagle from the endangered species list. For more information on the Sutton Avian Research Center and the work it does, visit www.suttoncenter.org.

Twenty people, all volunteers, put Wild Brew together. “It’s really a labor of love,” says Wandres. “And we all love specialty beer, too.” Last year’s event drew about 2,000 people and raised $100,000 for the Sutton Center, and this year’s Wild Brew promises to attract a similar number of beer tasters and wildlife supporters.

Wild Brew is in a new, larger location this year: the Tulsa Fairgrounds Exchange Center, 4149 E. 21st St. This year’s Wild Brew will feature over 80 beers from around the world and a buffet of food from 30 local restaurants. Shelby Eicher, Mark Bruner and the Fabulous Mid-Life Crisis Band will provide live music. Local birds will be on display, and the event will include live flight demonstrations.

One of the highlights of this year’s event is the special limited release Wild Brew beer, a collaboration between Tulsa’s Marshall Brewing and Krebs, Oklahoma’s Choc Beer Company. The Wild Brew beer, a Belgian-style India Pale Ale, is available now regionally, and has been so popular that it’s been selling out all over Tulsa, Wandres says. According to the brewers, the beer begins floral and spicy, is followed by a brief sweetness and finishes with the bitterness of hops.

For those with basic tickets, Wild Brew is 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Beer tasters also have the option to purchase patron tickets, which will get you into Wild Brew at 4 p.m., an hour early. “The patron tickets are great because the crowds are reduced, so you get quicker service and a better chance to talk with the brewers and beer reps in a more intimate setting,” says Wandres.

“Wild Brew is truly the greatest party idea ever hatched,” says event co-chair Kari Culp. “Guests can sample some of the finest beers from around the world, eat delicious food from all over Tulsa, and kick back and have a great time at one awesome party.”

Wild Brew is Saturday, July 31 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. (patrons get in at 4 p.m.) at the Tulsa Fairgrounds Exchange Center. Tickets are available online and by phone until 4 p.m. on July 30. Tickets are not available at the door, and you must be 21 to attend. Early bird ticket prices, available until 4 p.m. on July 23 are $50; after that, the price is $55 per ticket. Patron tickets begin at $100. To purchase tickets or for more information, including how to become a patron and a full list of beers and participating restaurants, visit www.wildbrew.org.

For more information, contact

Wild Brew

(918) 382-5344

www.wildbrew.org