"We don't have to keep drinking the same swill that tastes like water." So rings the battle cry of Clif Wigington, manager general of the Texas Beer Fest, a local craft-beer-blowout now in its second year.
On Saturday afternoon, the festival will take over Discovery Green with brewery booths, food vendors, live music and every self-respecting beer enthusiast in the Houston area.
"Craft beer lovers love to introduce people to craft beer," said Wigington.
The purpose of the festival is twofold: To spread the glory of good beer, and to support the local brewing businesses.
"We've invited pretty much every Texas brewery there is," Wigington told CultureMap.
The result is an extensive list of local craft breweries — from Austin's (512), to McKinney's Franconia, to Conroe's Southern Star, and bigger names like Shiner and Saint Arnold — plus more than 45 tasty out-of-state selections, each with a handful of different brews on draught.
Admission to the festival is just $27 (or $30 day of, with an additional $38 for a VIP upgrade), and includes a complimentary pint cup, access to a specialty beer wall and almost 100 brewery booths, plus a 25 percent kick-back to the Houston Food Bank.
Though the main focus is, of course, the enjoyment of good beer, festival beer commander Jake Lewis will moderate a panel discussion on the "State of the Craft" with Ronnie Crocker, author of Houston Beer: A Heady History of Brewing in the Bayou City and the Beer, TX blog, Scott Metzger of Freetail Brewpub, Brock Wagner of Saint Arnold Brewing Company and Rassul Zarinfar of Buffalo Bayou Brewing.
And though the line-up seems like heaven for beer afficionados, Wigington says that newbies are sure to find something to love, too.
"Craft beer lovers love to introduce people to craft beer," he said.
Visit the festival on Saturday from 1 p.m. to 7 p.m. Find more information about parking and shuttle services here.
