Top entertainers celebrate Miller Brewing’s 150th year

MILWAUKEE’s Miller Brewing Company celebrates its 150th anniversary this month with one of the largest free concerts ever staged in the Midwest.  “The Big Brew-Ha!” will bring top entertainers appropriately to Miller Park on Aug. 20.

Bon Jovi, the Goo Goo Dolls and Robert Randolph and the Family Band are among the internationally known groups scheduled to perform before 35,000 employees and area residents in the domed home of the Milwaukee Brewers baseball team.

Tickets to the “Big Brew-Ha!” inside Miller Park are not available for purchase, but will be given away in and around the Milwaukee area. The Miller Brewing Visitor Center at 4251 W. State St.  is offering Illinois and Wisconsin residents who go on brewery tours a chance to win two pairs of tickets until the day of the event. In addition, tickets will be given away in grocery stories, taverns, restaurants, many Milwaukee area festivals and other events. Regular updates on the event and ticket giveaway details are available at www.millerbrewing.com.

The “Big Brew-Ha” kicks off at 1:30 p.m. with an entertainment-filled tailgate party outside Miller Park. No tickets are required for the tailgate party, which will feature such popular local bands as 76 Juliet, the Love Monkeys, Raid, Country Sky, Fat Sandwich, Eddie Butts, The Hero, Cincere, Punto de Vista and the Miller Rhythm & Brews Revue. The tailgate party will continue until 5 p.m.

For those with tickets to the performances inside Miller Park, free parking will be available at the stadium. Those attending only the tailgate should park at Wisconsin State Fair Park and take free shuttles to Miller Park.

Miller, a unit of SABMiller plc of South Africa since 2002, is the oldest major brewer in America. Miller’s lead production facility is only minutes from Miller Park and serves as the U.S. headquarters for the parent company.

“The Big Brew-Ha!” is just one of several events and special programs the brewer has announced to celebrate its anniversary. Other programs include the “150 Ways We Care” program awarding $150 a day to employee-designated charities, a long-term sponsorship of the Wisconsin Center District which hosts Milwaukee’s major conventions, a $2.5 million gift to Summerfest and a $1 million donation to the Milwaukee County Zoo to create a Miller Brewing Giraffe Experience.

Miller also has produced a limited-edition 1855 Celebration Lager for employees and distributors. The, anniversary brew will not be sold at retail, but can be sampled by legal-drinking-age consumer who take Miller’s free brewery tours from 10:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays.  For more information on the tours, call 414-931 BEER.