Plato has been credited with the adage “He was a wise man who invented beer,” and once again this year local aficionados of the malt will gather to see if that is true.

Festival Plaza will rock with live music, food and of course beer of all kinds from 2 until 6 p.m. Oct. 19 for the fifth annual BREW festival. Produced by Downtown Shreveport Unlimited, Mudbug Madness and the Red River Revel, BREW is an opportunity for adults to sample some of those brews that they might never have been able to try according to Melanie Bacon, executive director of Downtown Shreveport Unlimited.

Eldorado Resort and Casino has been the presenting sponsor for all of the annual events. She said, “It’s been a great partnership for the two biggest festivals in Shreveport to get together, bring different [expertise] to the table to help each other out and to learn from each other.”

As far as what you can expect at the event, Bacon said, “We have beers from the major distributors, the two craft breweries that have just opened – Red River Brewery and Great Raft – as well as samples from five ‘home brew’ clubs,” she said, noting the club beers are some of the most popular. Bacon said there will be more than 180 varieties of beer for people to sample. BREW patrons discover the finest craft beers on display and will be able to sample them. Patrons also indulge in a once-a-year opportunity to sample home brew clubs’ concoctions only available at BREW, she said.

The selections are outlined on the festival’s website at www.shreveportbrew.com/beers described as a sampling of internationally acclaimed and domestically micro-brewed ales, pilsners, stouts and everything in between.

Prior to the opening of the event, beer connoisseurs will be able to sign up for a seminar on how to recognize and enjoy great beer. For $30 per person, attendees of the Spiegelau Beer Connoisseur tasting seminar will learn how color, clarity, aroma, temperature and effervescence are all enhanced with the right kind of glass. Ticket holders will also go home with a set of Spiegelau glasses to keep, which are worth more than the price of admission, according to Bacon. Admission is separate from admission to the festival. The seminar will be held in RiverView Hall from 12:30 to 1:30 p.m.

In Festival Plaza, there will be a sports bar sponsored by Eagle Distributing. “There are nine or 12 TVs with huge screens with football playing all over. The Tigers are playing that day, which is very important to a lot of us,” Bacon said. On the other end of the pavilion, the Glazer Stage will present the band, Blackwater Bride. Bacon said eight restaurants will provide food for the event, as well.

“So, you can walk around, you can sample beers, you can sample food, you can listen to music, you can watch college football. It’s just a fun event, it’s finally fall, it’s pleasant outside, and it’s just a lot of fun.”

Bacon said the event is geared to a more fun-loving crowd that likes to “get down and get rowdy, and they have so much fun.”

The distributors participate, Bacon said, because it allows them the chance to bring some of their premium brews and give people the opportunity to sample them before buying. “You know if you’re a beer drinker and you say, ‘that sounds good, but I don’t know if I want to spend [the money],’ you can taste it and then go buy it.”

Admission for BREW is $60, and one must be older than 21 years of age to attend. Bacon said tickets are already nearly gone for the seminar and are limited for the event itself.

“You can buy tickets on the website,” Bacon said, but she warned, “Tickets are going fast.”