LINCOLN PARK — Lions and tigers and — beers?
Dozens of craft breweries will set up shop in mid-June at Lincoln Park Zoo for the city's newest beer festival.
LivingSocial, the daily deals site, already had sold nearly 5,000 tickets to its BeerFest as of Wednesday.
The breweries involved will feature samplings of more than 60 craft beers, and Chicago food trucks will provide the grub.
A spokesman for LivingSocial confirmed that the event would take place inside "the entire Zoo" from 7 to 11 p.m. on June 15.
The event, which will cost $39 for a general admission ticket that includes 20 3-ounce samples, will feature music by the cover band Stache, along with Seth Bradley & The Personnel and two DJs.
The featured breweries include:
5 Rabbit
Abita
Anchor Brewing
Atlas
Bell's
Capital
Dogfish
Finch's
Four Horsemen
Hopothesis
Lake Effect Brewing
New Belgium
Stone Brewing
Food trucks already on board include Beyond Borders, Bombay Wraps, Chubby Wieners, Forever Yogurt, Taquero Fusion and The Slide Ride, but more are expected to be added. The price of admission does not cover food.
The latest craft beer-based fest joins the Chicago Beer Festival, which was held March 30 inside Union Station, and the American Beer Classic, which is new this year and will be held May 11 inside Soldier Field.
The Chicago Beer Festival faced some controversy in its second year, after it announced attendees would get 20 3-ounce beer samples rather than the unlimited samples it advertised. The festival had offered unlimited samples its first year, in fall 2012, according to the Huffington Post.
Serving unlimited liquor for a set price violates the state's happy-hour laws, and this was pointed out to the organizers of the Chicago Beer Festival, according to the report. The festival offered refunds to ticket buyers who requested them.
VIP tickets are available for the LivingSocial Hoppin' BeerFest for $59, which includes access to a private balcony lounge overlooking the stage and exclusive small-barrel beer tastings. Tickets are available here.
The daily deals site is hosting similar beer festivals in other U.S. cities this summer including Atlanta, Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York City, Seattle, Los Angeles and San Francisco.
