Unfortunately, my wife is going out of town to go to a graduation on May 21. Otherwise, I would totally be at NRG ready to drink good beer at the Houston Big Texas Beer Fest!

If you’re in town, you should go. And if you go, send me a report. I want to know what crazy, funky beer you tried.

Cheers!

First Houston Big Texas Beer Fest set for May 21, 2016

Houston, TX – May 8, 2016 – The Big Texas Beer Fest (BTBF) takes its festival on the road for the first time, landing in Houston at NRG Center on May 21. After 5 consecutively sold out festivals in North Texas, the festival has chosen to expand to Houston as its first city outside North Texas. The event was first founded in 2012, and has raised over $45,000 for the North Texas Food Bank since inception. The event expects to draw 3-5,000 attendees in its inaugural run in Houston. Expected to attract 70+ breweries with 300+ beers to sample, BTBF always has unique selections that you can’t normally find at your neighborhood bar or bottle shop.

One of the festival organizers, Chad Montgomery, co-founder of the festival was asked why Houston was chosen. “We like a lot of what is going on in the Houston beer and food scene. There are some really innovative things happening, and we wanted to try and be part of that community which connects brewers, small businesses and consumers together in a unique indoor/outdoor GABF-style festival. We have sold out all of our events in north Texas, and hope to do the same in Houston.”

The success from the first five festivals has helped garnered national attention from various publications, and continues to draw in more people from out of state. Montgomery says, “we had people from 4 different countries, and over 35 states attending this year’s North Texas event. It’s become somewhat of a destination.” Chad’s wife and event co-founder Nellie added, “My favorite thing about our event is making connections between brewers and other vendors. When we see local breweries do collaboration beers, or a local brewery teaming up with a coffee vendor for instance, that’s really exciting for us.”

In addition to award-winning beers from all over the world, the festival will also feature 9 of Houston’s best food trucks including Wokker TX Ranger, the Waffle Bus, Cousins Lobster and more. When asked about the music, Chad added, “we always try to pick out bands that are good beer-drinking music. We’ve always liked Shotgun Friday, and those guys are making the trip down to Houston also.” In addition, Matt Tedder from The Voice will headline, and The Roomsounds will kick things off in the outdoor food and music pavilion.

As always, a portion of the proceeds from ticket sales will benefit a local charity, in this case the Houston Food Bank. Nellie noted, “while everyone is gathering info about craft beer, they should know they’re also helping feed hungry north Texans. My other favorite aspect of this event is that we can do some good, while everyone has a great time.” Tickets for the festival are on sale now at http://www.bigtexasbeerfest.com. VIP tickets are very limited at this point, but can still be had. General admission tickets are $39 and VIP for $65. General Admission tickets will also be available at the door for $50. VIP tickets enable attendees to gain entrance to the event one hour early to enjoy all the rare and unique beers with minimal lines.

The festival’s hours are Saturday from 2:00-6:30pm. The VIP session is set to begin at 1pm. Parking will be available at NRG Park for $12, but the Montgomery’s recommend people use the METRORail Red Line, or use a ridesharing partner like Uber or Lyft. The METRORail Red Line has a stop at NRG Park, dropping attendees a quick jaunt away from the venue.

For all of the details, including participating breweries, vendors, and much more, visit the official event website. To schedule an interview with Chad or Nellie Montgomery, send an email or reach out via phone at the contact details below.

Chad Montgomery, Co-Founder chad@bigtexasbeerfest.com

Big Texas Beer Fest 214-531-4001 http://www.facebook.com/BigTexasBeerFest

http://www.bigtexasbeerfest.com