ÅThe Busch Entertainment Corporation has announced “last call’ on free samples of beer at all 10 Anheuser-Busch theme parks, including SeaWorld. The move includes the shuttering of the Anheuser-Busch Brewmaster’s Club located in the hospitality center at SeaWorld. Starting Feb. 1, SeaWorld will begin charging per 12-ounce draft and will stop serving free beer from bottles. The Brewmaster’s Club next to the hospitality center will be closed and replaced with something with a “broader appeal,” according to SeaWorld spokesman David Koontz. “This has been something discussed for some time now,” Koontz said. “The sampling was really something only enjoyed by a small percentage of our visitors. People can come to SeaWorld and still do that. You just have to buy it. And, of course, customers must be of legal drinking age.” Signs around the center have been posted notifying patrons of the discontinuation of the free beer samples. Ray Young, from Ontario, Calif., was visiting the park with his family when he heard about the end of the free-beer era for the Anheuser-Busch parks. “I think it’s sad. It must be the new owners,” Young said. While Young refers to the merger of Anheuser-Busch and Belgium brewing company InBev that was announced last year, SeaWorld San Diego representatives deny the merger has anything to do with the coming change. Others may also be in denial of the fact that the free beer they’ve been enjoying for years is going away. San Diego resident Cindy Gray, 54, and friend Bruce Walker, 55, from Washington state, toasted to the last days of free beer at the park. Like the many trying to hold on to the last vestiges of a staple service that satiated thirsty folks across America, they’re trying to make the good memories last. After learning of the decision, Walker said he wants to take advantage of every chance. “We’ll be here for the next 15 days, then,” Walker said. Parks where the free beer flows no more include SeaWorlds in Florida, Texas and California. The corporation also runs Busch Gardens Europe, Water Country USA and Adventure Island in Tampa, Fla. Anheuser-Busch InBev distributes about 200 different brands of beer, including the flagship Budweiser, Stella Artois and Beck’s.
