October means Halloween, pumpkins and of course Mohegan Sun Brewfest.ย The annual event brings together brew lovers from all over the tri-state area for a weekend of tastings and frivolity in the grand Mohegan Sun Casino and Hotel.
The event is held in the convention center. Vendors from all over the country set up booths, offering samples of their latest brews.ย Guestsย enjoyed their samples in a courtesy souvenir cup emblazoned with the Brewfest official logo. We spent the weekend enjoying a vast array of tasty beers, ales and ciders a few of our favorites included:
1. Angry Orchard: If you aren’t a beer drinker cider is a great alternative. Angry Orchard’s seasonal brew ” Cinnful Apple” is a refreshing new cider with aย hint of cinnamon.ย The blast of cinnamon adds a new flavor profile that includes a spicy heat and a hint of cocoa.
2. Twisted Tea: If apple isn’t your thing give “Twisted Tea” a try.ย This alcoholic hard iced tea comes in a variety of flavors. One of my favorite flavors was “Half and Half”, half tea and half lemonade. The brand also offers several Twisted Lemonades as well, and we absolutely loved the tart and sweet flavor of the strawberry lemonade.
3.Sierra Nevada IPA: Sierra is a craft beer lover’s beer. This hoppy recipe began from a home brew before becoming one of the leading IPAs in the country. At Mohegan we sampled the”Flip-Side”, this seasonal brew is perfect for the transition into fall.
4.Smith & Forge Hard Cider: This cider is very refreshing and has a great aroma (like cooked apples) which will keep you coming back for more. Weย would consider this to be a very manly cider.
5. Redd’s Apple Ale: Thisย particularย apple ale starts strong and finishes smooth. You still achieve the classic beer taste along with hint of apple crisp. Recommended for aย beautifulย fall afternoon.
6. Blue Moon Harvest Pumpkin Ale: One of our favorite brands, Blue Moon showed off their Pumpkin Ale. It’s aย liquidย dream withย pumpkin and spices of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and allspice. These combined flavors make for a very tasty beverage.
In addition to amazing brews guests also enjoyed beer themed edibles and theย sounds of severalย fabulous cover bands. Our favorite band was ย “Groovin You” Their spirited set list included hits by “Pink”, “Bruno Mars” and surprisingly “Biggie Smalls”.
If you missed this year’s event you can still enjoy the beautiful Mohegan Sun Casino’s night life instead. The venue offers several options including a swinging bar scene.ย Whenever we visit we go to Avalon a beautiful space in the center of the resort. Though Brewfest is over there are events nearly every weekend at Mohegan Sun. Visit MoheganSun.com and check you their events calendar.