What’s brewing at Riverbanks Zoo?
Penny the African elephant has been eating more than banana leaves at Riverbanks Zoo. The high-profile pachyderm recently picked out the ingredients for a special beer to be served at Brew at the Zoo on Friday, Aug. 7. With a little help from Curator of Mammals John Davis and Conquest Brewing Company owner Joseph Ackerman, Penny trunk-selected chocolate malt, Vienna malt, mangoes and blackberries for a blend called Penny’s Porter.
“Some would argue she didn’t pick ingredients that go together, but that challenges us as brewers,” Ackerman said. “The wild card is the chocolate malt.”
He said this was the first time he’s collaborated with an elephant on a brew, which, he added, will be unlike any combination he’s made before.
(It’s unclear whether Penny got to try her finished product. That’s up to the zookeepers.)
Guests, however, will have an opportunity to sample the porter for one night only during Brew at the Zoo, which features a variety of beer samples, live music and evening animal encounters.
Penny’s Porter isn’t the only new attraction at Riverbanks Zoo. If you can’t make it to Brew, or want to know what to look for when you get there, here’s a list of what’s new at the zoo, from recent expansions to incoming flippered tenants.
Revived River Otter Exhibit: Otter Run is the first time otters have been on exhibit since 1987. Meet the three playful North American river otters named Divya, Savannah and Sophia. The otters are from Miller Zoo in Bloomington, Ill.
Enhanced grizzly bear habitat: Opened in June, Grizzly Ridge provides an expanded habitat for bear brothers Butch and Sundance. The bears spent year at Tulsa Zoo in Oklahoma during construction of their new space in Columbia. Now, their home is more spacious – which is good because they like to wrestle! A glass viewing area offers a “nose-to-nose” look at the bears.
Larger Entrance Plaza: The new entry plaza features a 4,500-square-foot gift shop and a new guest relations center that boasts more ticket booths, new guest services offices, a first aid station, lost and found and a lactation room for nursing mothers.
The space is expected to better accommodate the more than 1 million guests who visit each year.
Coming soon
Seal and Sea Lion Experience: Construction is underway for Sea Lion Landing, the soon-to-be home for the zoo’s incoming “sea-lebrities.”
The habitat will have a similar feel to San Francisco’s Pier 39, where hundreds of sea lions famously lounge on the marina’s docks.
There will also be underwater observation areas and shaded seating for planned presentations. The opening is slated for the spring of 2016.
Interactive Children’s Garden: The single largest addition to the Riverbanks campus since the Botanical Garden was added in 1995 is the 3-acre Children’s Garden. Kids can check out a dino dig and explore treehouses, creeks and ponds. The The Discovery Garden and the “secret garden” play area are now closed. The new children’s area is scheduled to open this fall.
If you go: Friday’s Brew at the Zoo
Brew at the Zoo is expected to sell out. Guests should purchase tickets in advance online. Advance tickets are $35 for zoo members and $45 for nonmembers. Any remaining tickets will be $55 the day of the event.
Visit www.riverbanks.org or call 803-779-8717. No one younger than 21 will be admitted.
Etc.
WATCH: Penny the African elephant picks her favorite beer ingredients
Zoo Map (PDF)
Plan for Sea Lion Landing (PDF)
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This story was originally published August 4, 2015 at 5:48 PM with the headline "What’s brewing at Riverbanks Zoo?."