San Angeloans get Hoppy at America on Tap

The San Angelo Fairgrounds were packed with beer lovers on Saturday afternoon for the first America on Tap in the city. The final gate count was a little over 1500 people reported Andi Markee, event organizer and General Manager of Townsquare Media (radio station KGKL 97.5 FM).

[[{"fid":"15554","view_mode":"preview","type":"media","attributes":{"alt":"America on Tap","title":"America on Tap","class":"media-element file-preview imgbody"}}]]America on Tap, a national beer festival, came to San Angelo this past weekend to showcase over 100 beers from 50 craft breweries and offer samples to ticket holders. Local breweries like Horny Toad Brewery in Rowena and SoCo Brewery in the Concho Crossings in downtown San Angelo sampled some of their creations while restaurants like Zero One Ale also shared some of their newest hometown-brewed beers.  Favorites like Alaska and Locavore Beer Works were also available to sample. At the event, you could try anything from a pale ale, to a milk stout, or IPA.

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Volunteers from Critter Shack and West Texas A.F.A. helped man the booths as thirsty patrons lined table after table for their beers. Along with being an event for beer connoisseurs, America on Tap was also a fundraiser for the rescue organization. Foster parents and animal lovers walked Critter Shack’s adoptable pets through the fairgrounds and had a table collecting donations and selling t-shirts.

While it was unusually hot for a Saturday in October, patrons didn’t seem to mind the heat. In fact, the event was supposed to take place in downtown San Angelo; however, because of the huge amount of interest, America on Tap was moved to the Fairgrounds. Couples and groups of friends sat under the tents eating local food truck cart food, drinking beer, and listening to live music. 

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One patron summed the event up best:

“There’s something for everyone.” 

Will there be an America on Tap tour stop in San Angelo next year? Markee is optimistic. "I'm 90 percent sure we'll do it again," she said.