First, Busch Gardens brought back a long time staple of the Tampa park – free beer. Now they’re tapping a new event that celebrates everything hops – the first ever Busch Gardens Bier Fest that will run weekends beginning August 25th through September 16th.
More than 100 beers from 65 different breweries from around the world will be available for purchase as well as food items and live entertainment. The park is billing this event as an “Oktoberfest with a modern spin.”
First, let’s talk beer. Here’s a list of the suds that will be rotating each weekend:
3 Daughters
- Beach Blonde Ale (ABV 5.0%)
- Original Apple Cider (ABV 5.5%)
- Rose Cider (ABV 5.5%)
7venth Sun
- Graffiti Orange Wheat Ale (ABV 5.9%)
- Seasonal Berliner Weisse
Ace
- Pineapple Cider (ABV 5.0%)
Angry Chair
- Spacegrass IPA (ABV 6.7%)
- Two Pump Chuck Porter (ABV 5.5%)
Angry Orchard
- Rose Cider (ABV 5.5%)
Anheuser-Busch
- Bud Light Lager (ABV 4.2%)
- Michelob Ultra (ABV 4.2%)
Beck’s
- Pilsner (ABV 5.0%)
Bell’s
- Best Brown Ale (ABV 5.8%)
- Two Hearted IPA (ABV 7.0%)
- Oberon Wheat (ABV 5.8%)
Big Storm
- Oktoberfest Marzen Lager (ABV 6.4%)
- Wavemaker Amber Ale (ABV 4.9%)
Big Top
- PB&J Pale Ale (ABV 5.3%)
- Trapeze Monk Tangerine Wit (ABV 5.1%)
- Hawaiian Lion Coffee-Coconut Porter (ABV 7.5%)
Blue Moon
- Harvest Pumpkin Ale (ABV 5.8%)
Blue Point
- Oktoberfest Marzen (ABV 5.7%)
Bold City
- Duke’s Cold Nose Brown Ale (ABV 5.0%)
Brew Hub
- Rome City IPA (ABV 5.8%)
- Diver Down Red Ale (ABV 8.0%)
Central 28
- Trekker Farmhouse Ale (ABV 4.5%)
- Up River Pale Ale (ABV 6.0%)
Cigar City
- Guayabera Citra Pale Ale (ABV 5.5%)
- Tocobaga Red Ale (ABV 7.2%)
Coppertail
- Free Dive IPA (ABV 5.9%)
- Jam Salad Florida Weisse (ABV 3.5%)
- Oktoberfest Marzen (ABV 5.8%)
Crooked Thumb
- Grapefruit Gose (ABV 4.3%)
Duvel
- Duvel Belgian Single (ABV 8.0%)
Florida Ave
- Florida Ave Lager (ABV 4.9%)
- Cucumber Florida Weisse (ABV 4.0%)
Flying Boat Brewery
- American Mild Brown Ale (ABV 5.4%)
Founders
- Solid Gold Lager (ABV 4.4%)
- All Day IPA (ABV 4.7%)
Four Stacks
- Pinfish Pale Ale (ABV 5.3%)
Funky Buddha
- Floridian Hefeweizen (ABV 5.2%)
- Vibin’ Lager (ABV 5.0%)
- Sticky Treats Blonde Ale (ABV 5.1%)
Goose Island
- Oktoberfest Marzen (ABV 6.4%)
Green Bench
- Postcard Pilsner (ABV 4.7%)
Hacker
- Pschorr Octoberfest (ABV 5.8%)
Hidden Springs
- Peanut Butter Deja Moo Milk Stout (ABV 6.0%)
- Strawberry Orange Crush Wheat (ABV 5.6%)
Hofbrau
- Original Lager (ABV 5.1%)
- HefeWeizen (ABV 5.1%)
- Dunkel (ABV 5.5%)
House of Beer
- Cool Cucumber IPA (ABV 6.9%)
- Mango Hefeweizen (ABV 5.4%)
Islamorada
- Sandbar Sunday Ale (ABV 4.8%)
- Islamorada Ale (ABV 5.0%)
Jdubs
- Up Top IPA (ABV 6.5%)
- Passion Wheat (ABV 4.2%)
Karbach
- Lemon Ginger Radler (ABV 3.5%)
Kentucky Bourbon Barrel
- Vanilla Bourbon Barrel Cream Ale (ABV 5.5%)
- Kolsch (ABV 4.3%)
Koestrizer
- Schwarzbier (ABV 4.8%)
Kona
- Big Wave Golden Ale (ABV 4.4%)
Krombacher
- Krombacher Pilsner (ABV 4.8%)
Lagunitas
- Lagunitas IPA (ABV 6.2%)
Leinenkugel’s
- Pumpkin Harvest Shandy (ABV 4.2%)
Maeloc
- Blackberry Hard Cider (ABV 4.0%)
MIA
- Miami Weiss (ABV 6.0%)
- Hard Water Pineapple Coconut (ABV 5.0%)
Millercoors
- Miller Lite Pilsner (ABV 4.2%)
Motorworks
- Cruiser Kolsch (ABV 4.8%)
- Hudson Hefeweizen (ABV 5.5%)
Narragansett
- Del’s Shandy (ABV 4.7%)
New Belgium
- Fat Tire Amber Ale (ABV 5.2%)
North Coast
- Scrimshaw Pilsner (ABV 4.7%)
- Red Pale Ale (ABV 5.4%)
Paulaner
- Paulaner HefeWeizen (ABV 5.5%)
- Paulaner Oktoberfest (ABV 6.0%)
Radeberger
- Radeberger Pilsner (ABV 4.8%)
Rekorderlig
- Strawberry Lime Cider (ABV 4.5%)
Sam Adam’s
- Sam Adam’s Octoberfest (ABV 5.3%)
- Boston Lager (ABV 5.0%)
Schofferhofer
- Grapefruit Radler (ABV 2.5%)
Sea Dog
- Blue Paw Blueberry Wheat Ale (ABV 4.6%)
Six Ten
- Tent Beer Lager (ABV 5.2%)
- Silky Sour Berliner Weisse (ABV 7.0%)
- Pumpkin Berliner Weisse (ABV 6.0%)
Sixpoint Brewing
- Alpenflo Helles Lager (ABV 4.9%)
- Crisp Pilsner (ABV 5.4%)
Stiegl
- Stiegl Pilsner (ABV 4.9%)
- Grapefruit Radler (ABV 2.5%)
Stone
- Arrogant Bastard Ale (ABV 7.2%)
Sun King
- Pachanga Mexican Lager (ABV 4.2%)
Swamp Head
- Wild Night Honey Cream Ale (ABV 5.9%)
Sweetwater
- 420 Pale Ale (ABV 5.7%)
Tampa Bay Brewing
- Florida Tart Berliner Weisse (ABV 4.2%)
- Reef Donkey Pale Ale (ABV 5.5%)
Tampa Beer Works
- Hop Sesh IPA (ABV 5.2%)
The Tank
- La Fianca Saison (ABV 6.2%)
Two Henry’s
- Elderberry Cider (ABV 6.2%)
Warsteiner
- Pilsner (ABV 4.8%)
- Dunkel (ABV 4.9%)
- Oktoberfest (ABV 5.9%
Yuengling
- Octoberfest Marzen (ABV 5.4%)
- Traditional Lager (ABV 4.5%)
Then there’s food. From the perfect companion to a beer, a soft pretzel, to Oktoberfest favorites like bratwurst and schnitzel, you’ll find no shortage of bites to eat as you wander around the Bier Fest sampling all that’s being offered, including:
Hops & Handhelds
- Reuben Croquettes with mustard and honey dipping sauce
- Mac N’ Cheese Fritters with truffle aioli
- Soft Pretzels with bacon-beer cheese sauce
- Fried Cheese Curds with beer cheese sauce
The Best of the Wurst
- Bratwurst Sandwich served on a soft pretzel roll
- Currywurst Knockwurst, caraway slaw, curry catsup, and pita
- Holy Schnitzel Sandwich with Swiss cheese and mushrooms on a soft pretzel roll
Seasonally Inspired
- Watermelon & Heirloom Tomato Salad with feta cheese, micro-cilantro, and lemon vinaigrette
- Duck Lollipops & Summer Peach Salad with sweet-spicy Gochujang sauce
- Roasted Golden Beets with balsamic & goat cheese
- Grilled Lamb Kefta with Tzatziki sauce, cucumber-tomato salad, and fresh mint
Kebabs
- Steak Kebab with peppers and red onion
- Chicken Kebab with peppers and red onion
- KielbasaKebab with peppers and red onion
Das Sliders
- The Impossible™ Slider served on a pretzel bun
- All Beef Slider with red onion jam on a pretzel bun
- Tampa Pork Slider served on a pretzel bun
Tavern
- Fish & Chips with malt-vinegar aioli
Entrance to the Busch Gardens Bier Fest is included in the cost of admission or your Annual Pass. Food and beverage items are sold individually, or if you want to save a few bucks, you can buy an 5-item Sampling Lanyard for $29.99, or a 10-item Sampling Lanyard for $49.99. Annual Passholders receive a 10% discount on Sampling Lanyards or can purchase an exclusive 12-item Sampling Lanyard for the price of a 10-item (no additional passholder discount).
In addition, special tastings will be offered and include:
- Bourbon Tasting led by a bourbon expert and includes 4 bourbon samples – $19.99
- Sweet Wine Tasting led by a wine expert and includes 5 sweet wine samples from Florida wineries – $19.99
- Bourbon & Sweet Wine Tasting Combo for those who want to do both tastings – $29.99
For more information on the event and to purchase Sampling Lanyards, click here.