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Taste Craft Beers From Around the World at Queens Botanical Garden Fest

 The Brooklyn Brewery will participate in the inaugural Brew Fest at the Queens Botanical Garden on July 19.
The Brooklyn Brewery will participate in the inaugural Brew Fest at the Queens Botanical Garden on July 19.
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Brooklyn Brewery/Facebook

QUEENS — This gives "beer garden" a whole new meaning.

Nearly two dozen breweries will present more than 50 types of suds during the inaugural Brew Fest hosted by the Queens Botanical Garden this Saturday, organizers said.

The event, which will showcase craft beers from the U.S. and around the world, will also celebrate the 50th and 75th anniversaries of the World’s Fairs, which were held in nearby Flushing Meadows Corona Park, said Darcy Hector, director of marketing and development at the garden.

For $45 a ticket in advance or $50 at the door, guests can sample beers from domestic breweries including Brooklyn Brewery, Smuttynose, Sierra Nevada, Abita and Long Island-based Blue Point.

There will also be several international breweries, including Williams Bros. Breweries from Scotland, Lammsbrau from Germany and Singha Beer from Thailand.

Beer lovers will be provided tasting cups, Hector said, and for three hours they will be able to taste all the different flavors offered by the breweries.

Hector said that what sets the event apart is its “outdoor setting.”

“We are 39 acres and people will be able to relax,” she said. “It’s just a very lovely setting.”

The event will include two three-hour sessions — from noon to 3 p.m. and from 4 to 7 p.m. Tickets can be purchased on the Queens Botanical Garden’s website.

The event, Hector said, was inspired by the anniversaries of the World’s Fairs, especially the Lowenbrau Gardens, an open-air Bavarian-style restaurant built for the 1964 event.

Visitors will also be able to get snacks from a variety of food trucks, including La Crepe C’est Si Bon, offering sweet and savory French treats, La Bella Torte selling Italian baked goods, V-spot specializing in Latin-inspired vegan food and TaiPan Express, which offers Indian, Thai and Chinese fusion. 

Throughout the event, DJ Ito (Rafael Dominguez) will be spinning tunes from the past, the organizers said. 

“We want to introduce people to new things and also bring people together in a common, shared experience,” Hector said. “We do it at the garden all the time but this [event] kind of broadens that out to the whole beer-drinking world.”

Hector said that if the event is successful, it may become an annual tradition.

"Taste the World — Botanical Brew Fest!" will take place this Saturday, July 19, at the Queens Botanical Garden (43-50 Main St., Flushing). The event is rain or shine. Participants must be 21 or older to attend.