Craft beer has always been a big deal for people seeking a finer beer drinking experience. For those with a taste for something other than PBR and Miller Lite, the McAllen International Museum of Arts and Science based Brewseum Week offers Valley residents a chance to try various craft beers made available by local and international breweries and local beer makers alike. Not to mention there is an array of interesting and delicious food to choose from which will be offered alongside a plethora of tasty alcoholic beverages. What more you could you ask for to satisfy your appetite for something out of the ordinary?
Gaby Jones, IMAS Director of Visitor Experience, is the museum/Brewseum committee liaison between the volunteers and the museum staff who is responsible for setting the rules on the table for what the volunteers can and can’t do. She is responsible for helping expand IMAS into the community in order to get people involved.
According to her, the Brewseum is a great way to do this because it brings so many people together at once, exposing them to something different by presenting craft beer culture while showcasing what IMAS is capable of accomplishing.
“An event like this shows that museums are a flexible space where the community can get together and congregate while advertising the beauty behind beer making because it is in fact a science, and IMAS is proud to be a part of that,” Jones said. “The whole point is to get people to try something unique and different, while at the same time creating more museum goers.”
This will be the third year IMAS does Brewseum, and the impact that it has had on the community is evident. There are more events going on this time around, including the Ouch My Ego! Brewseum Bash taking place at The Flying Walrus in downtown McAllen, where craft breweries like Cedar Creek will be offering their lager and stout specials at $3 a beer.
Another great aspect of this particular part of Brewseum is the live music. Last year’s first annual bash had local bands Sick/Sea and Tim’s Myth kick off at The Flying Walrus, which now has members in current local band, Costello. This year DJ Kid Citrus is making his/her debut at the Brewseum Bash, Yours Truly, Gloria, The Rotten Mangos, Belts, and Vatican Beach to name a few. This will be taking place all week long, so plenty of fun to seek out there.
“The museum is proud to be a proprietor of exposing local talent, not just from what local brewers are doing but also with what’s going on in the local music scene. That’s what the Brewseum Bash is all about,” Jones said. “These types of events all lend to the idea of creating more types of exhibits that people will want to come to. This is the ultimate goal behind what we are trying to accomplish. It’s all about raising funds to do more of what we would like to exhibit.”
The main event, A Night at the Brewseum, will take place this Saturday, April 5. There will be over 90 craft beers that will be showcased along with food from 20 local restaurants that dedicated their efforts into the catering aspect of the Brewseum. If you haven’t already purchased your ticket for that, which run for about $65 a pop, you are out of luck. The event is unfortunately sold out, but no worries. Have a beer on me. Cheers, y’all!
