Tickets went on sale this week for Construction Junction's Steel City Big Pour on Sept. 12.

The big beer fest, in its third year at the nonprofit Point Breeze retailer of building materials, will be split over two sessions -- noon to 3 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. -- and tickets are $45 (available through ProArtsTickets.org). That gets you unlimited sampling of the brews from 32 craft breweries, food from 20 restaurants and live music and art. And you support Construction Junction and its mission.

New and cool: The big beer fest will be selling the "Uni-Growler," a 64-ounce glass jug that can be filled with brew at a number of area watering holes.

"Growler" is the term for a glass jug used for purchasing draft beer. Alas, many places only fill their own marked growlers. The Steel City Uni-Growler, however, will be marked with a half dozen locations you can pay to fill it, and refill it, with beer.

They'll cost $5 empty. CJ board member and fest "main instigator" David Lagnese says the idea "supports our mission of conservation and reuse."

That's how the event distinguishes itself from other beer festivals, and it will take that another step this year by giving the "Brewer's Creative Reuse Award." As described by CJ board vice president Andrew Ellsworth, it recognizes "the choices brewers make to conserve energy and resources."

The winners are Pittsburgh's East End Brewing Co. (small/non-bottling) and Galesburg, Mich.'s Bell's Brewery (large/bottling). Runner-up in the latter category is Cleveland's Great Lakes Brewing, well-known for its sustainable practices.

The Big Pour goes even greener this year, with a recycled fashion show and event bags made from T-shirts.

East End's Scott Smith will once again be making a brew just for the festival. Last week, he agreed to "spill the beans" on what it's going to be: "a nice BIG coffee porter, brewed with locally roasted, fair-trade organic coffee from La Prima." The collaboration came out of the two companies meeting at the Rachel Carson Sustainable Feast at the environmental pioneer's Springdale homestead.

Otherwise, the Pour once again will feature a display and raffle of "kegerators" artfully made from old refrigerators. There will again be art via chainsaw and via pouring, though this year they'll be pouring molten glass and concrete.

And there will be several "Before the Big Pour" events, at which they'll raffle VIP tickets, the first of which is the Hot Jam open house from 6 to 9 p.m. tomorrow at the Pittsburgh Glass Center (pittsburghglasscenter.org). They'll be making beer glasses from 22-ounce beer bottles to sell at the festival.

For more on the Pour, which sold out the past two years and expects to this year, visit constructionjunction.org.