New Zoo Brews
The Santa Barbara Zoo Partners with Figueroa Mountain for a Special Beer Lineup
There’s a new menagerie at the Santa Barbara Zoo. It’s bright, cute, and sure to capture your attention, whether on a daytime stroll of the Zoo’s 30 acres, or a visit to ZooLights after dark. But this is one attraction that fits in your palm and might be the only thing here that’s off-limits to kids.
The Santa Barbara Zoo has teamed up with Figueroa Mountain for three beers that celebrate some of the Zoo’s most beloved animals. The Red Panda Lager, Hoppy Froggy IPA, and Long Neck Mexican Lager give a nod to favorites old and new. They’re also delicious.
Following a collaboration with Ventura Coast Brewing Company, the Zoo was excited to embark on a fresh Zoo Brew project, says Director of Marketing Kevin Nuss. “We enjoyed working with Ventura Coast, but we wanted to start something new. Fig Mountain really cares about natural life and conservation in this region, so it was a good fit.”
So too was fitting the animals with eye-catching cans and beers that match their colors.
As one of the newest, and cutest, additions to the Zoo, the red panda was a natural choice for an amber lager not unlike Fig Mountain’s Danish Red. The beer has a nice creamy texture, its notes of clove and caramel pairing well with the winter season. An IPA, the Hoppy Froggy, is inspired by the California red-legged frog. Besides the tasty pun, though, this creature is crucial to the Zoo’s conservation efforts. “Being so vulnerable, it’s one of our main conservation species, so we want to bring attention to that,” Nuss says. I like bitter beverages, and often still find IPAs a touch too much, but the Hoppy Froggy has just enough hoppiness to entice almost any drinker. Rounding out the trio, the Long Neck Mexican Lager — acknowledging the iconic, regal giraffe and palm tree on the Zoo’s logo — is crisp and effortlessly refreshing, the can to grab on a warm day.
These custom-made beers are found only at the Santa Barbara Zoo, though Nuss says they’ll be around for a while. That’s good news — with a variety of flavors and styles, there’s one to enjoy any time of year, rain or shine, peaceful afternoon or toddler meltdown.
Visit the Santa Barbara Zoo at 500 Ninos Drive, Mon.-Sun. 9:30 a.m.-5 p.m. Holiday hours may vary for ZooLights. sbzoo.org
