As part of one of the longest-standing traditions at the park, guests of SeaWorld Orlando have almost always been able to enjoy a free brew at the Hospitality House. A result of being owned by the makers of Budweiser, Michelob, Busch, and other beers, SeaWorld and Busch Gardens have offered free tastings of the American beers for years. Sadly, that tradition will soon come to an end in February when the Hospitality House, in addition to other “brewmaster clubs” and hospitality centers at SeaWorld and Busch Gardens, will close.

According to a recent announcement, Busch Entertainment (the division of Anheuser-Busch InBev that operates SeaWorld and Busch Gardens) will be closing down the hospitality centers on February 1st and converting them into new facilities. The timing of their reopening will vary from park to park, but Busch Garden’s Hospitality House will close briefly and reopen with a new café-style menu. The Hospitality House at SeaWorld, meanwhile, will be closed for a longer period of time while it’s converted into a restaurant.

Reportedly, the facilities will be redesigned to expand their appeal across age groups, though guests of drinking age will still be able to purchase beer at these locations when they reopen. According to AB InBev, all employees affected by the closures will remain with the company.

The move to end free beer tasting comes as a result of Anheusher Busch’s recent merge with Belgian brewer InBev, forming the new mega-brewing company Anheuser-Busch InBev. The consensus is that AB InBev ended the tastings in order to make the Orlando-based theme-park division easier to sell, since any buyer of the parks would likely have little interesting in continuing to promote the beers. In addition, closing the hospitality centers now would ensure that a new buyer wouldn’t have to take that step, which has certainly been unwelcome by park fans. The one hope among SeaWorld and Busch Gardens lovers is that current economic conditions will undoubtedly continue to make it difficult for AB InBev to find a buyer.

At the Hospitality House at SeaWorld, guests can sample a few of the signature beverages while feasting on food pairings at the Brewmaster’s Club. The center is also a place where visitors could explore the history of Anheuser Busch through a century’s worth of memorabilia, tracing the company’s roots from a small Midwestern brewery to the biggest brewery in the world. The SeaWorld Hospitality House opened on March 1st, 1992, three years after Anheuser-Busch bought the park. Busch Garden’s center has an even longer history, having been opened along with the park in 1959.

Given this latest news, there’s certainly no better time than the present to visit SeaWorld Orlando or Busch Gardens Tampa Bay and experience a park tradition before it closes. The beer will taste even better when you save on discount SeaWorld tickets and discount Busch Gardens tickets at OrlandoFunTickets.com.