The first year we went in 2023, we LOVED Brewfest. We did VIP tickets to enter early, there were a bunch of breweries we had never visited before, it was fun to try all of the creative beers that the breweries brought to sample, Wingstop gave away free wings, and the vibes were right. This year, it was the same day as Harleyfest, the air show, and German fest so parking was INSANE. I was actually grateful for the air show as it added extra entertainment to an otherwise lackluster showing for Brewfest. It felt like there were way too many non-beer options (ciders, seltzers, wine, CBD, kombuchas, n/a, etc) when we paid good money to sample, you guessed it...BEER. A lot of the beers we did sample were pretty common ones you see in the grocery store or straight dumps because they were nothing special. For $75 per person, I do not think we got our money's worth. read more

Wow-Brewfest 2017 featured great weather and a pleasing-to-the-eye lakefront setting paired with 100 breweries from all over! Beer festivals are one of the easiest ways to be able to try anything and everything, and to discover new favorites. Personal highlights include Next Door Brewing Co's Livacious saison, Steel Head Aleworks' amber ale, Mershon's artisan cider (apples & honey), and Blake's Hard Cider (El Chavo with habanero and mango; Wake Fire with Michigan cherries and orange peel)! The line to get into the festival for ticket holders/advance purchases was kind of ridic but once we made of inside, the vibes were pretty chill. Some breweries ran out of brew before we had a chance to sample (it happens) while others had really long lines (also happens). When we encountered either of these scenarios, we simply pivoted in a diff direction and kept the cups full. Good food vendors! Had a blast! Pro tip--BYO pretzel necklace and up the game by adding things like beef jerky, cheese sticks, fruit snacks, etc. - leveling up goals for next year. read more

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3.8 = 4 stars Beers galore from all over. They had music food great weather nearby parking. Enjoyable happy people. Trying all types of beers. From Wi and the world. Plenty of porta potty. The parking area was organized. Food was OK. Of the three beer festivals I'd rank this a tie for second place with firkinfest and after the Wisconsin beer lovers festival as my favorite event. over all the. Special shout out to Becky S. for allowing me to attend on her behalf. and I continue to be amazed that no one took the famous squirrel mask. great job girls at the Yelp secret security tent. Food 3 selection could have been better with more food trucks and local vendors. but that may not be the focus with a beer fest. pretzels as big or bigger than your head can be found here. from Leffs Lucky town along with a limited menu choice. Ambiance 4 not too crowded and lines seem to move pretty fast. Service 5 fast friendly. Location 4 Value 3 to get your fill and study your maps because many ran out of beer early. 88/2014 read more

This is just another reason that this city is soooo much fun. This place is filled with breweries and this BREWFEST is awesome. They have a lot of different venders setup here and offer anything you'd want. Gift shop, food and beer to live it up! You can pay the regular fee to go all day or you can pay extra and get some more exclusive things that the other people can't get. They offer the $55, $75 or the really cool $15 (designated driver ticket). Gets you in with a hotdog/brat and 3 drinks (no alcohol). I myself indulged in the $75 tickets and then will Uber home to be safe. read more

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This was the first Milwaukee Brewfest that my husband and I attended, and I can say we will be back next year. Thank you, Rachel, and Yelp, for providing tickets for us to have fun! Pros : Holy crap : beers galore. If you enjoy beer, or deem yourself a "beer snob," this is the place for you. It's worth it to get the VIP pass in my opinion. The VIP area offered 'limited release' beers (about 15-20), private porta-potties, and free pretzels. I had a O'so IPA that was good. Three Floyds was also well-represented (they had an aged bourban that was wonderful), and the Rogue Voodoo (with peanut butter and chocolate hints) was amazing. Going on to more of the pros of the fest : The sheer selection of breweries represented was enough to take my breath away. There were lots of rinse stations scattered around the grounds. (It appears Brewfest listened to the areas of concern from last year and responded.) Getting in the grounds was easy and everything was organized and run well on that end. Parking was a non-issue. My husband and I parked a little further down Lake Drive and walked, but it looked like they also offered parking on the grounds. The Brewfest also gives accomodations to the designated drivers. There are also some shuttles available. Cons : Overserved patrons. Despite the warning signs posted around the grounds, I do realize this is something that can't be avoided at these functions. The food selections were somewhat limited. It got a little crowded and the lines for the popular breweries tended to be longer - that's also to be expected. As the day wore on some of the beers ran out - so plan accordingly if there is something you want to try. Needs work : The lines for the porta-potties got a little out of hand towards the end. (Even for the VIP section). Once the beers ran out at the VIP tent, the guy checking the wrist bands left (or was MIA?) so there were people in line for the porta-potties who technically weren't VIP's. Normally I wouldn't care, but I had a lady cut in front of me because she "really had to pee." Well, don't we all? Isn't that why we're standing in line for a porta-potty to begin with? Also : the beer museum. It was a tent with a few select items. It would be cool to see that expanded on next year. It would also be nice to see more food vendors. I loved seeing Maxies, Jacksons, and Leffs. In my opinion this would be a great event to get some more vendors to really show off their food selections / pair with select beers to really showcase. I did not see a whole lot of dump buckets - this lead to people tossing their beer on the ground, which is fine, unless you happen to be walking in front of someone who dumps their beer in front of you and it lands on your leg / shoe. Leaves me perplexed : People who bring kids (in strollers). I don't understand why you would bring a child to an event like this. Next year I'm going to bring a notepad so I can remember everything. As the day wore on I forgot a few things. We will be back next year! read more

Milwaukee Brewfest - Delicious Rogue Voodoo beer. - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

This one's all about location, folks. I mean, Milwaukee: the last great American city, boasts three big beer festivals in the metro area each summer -- Bayshore's Beer Lover's Festival, Firkin Fest, and this guy here... the Milwaukee Brewfest. This one was the last bastien for me. I hadn't been up until this past weekend, and I was pretty dang impressed. What sets this one apart? LOCATION. On the lake, you've got a lovely breeze and a lovely view to frame your beer-drinking, cheese-jerky noshing, game playing, sun-reveling experience. They've got a nice array of breweries and brands represented here, and while some might say that they wished for a bit more in the way of super-nuanced, super-rare beers, it seems to me that breweries were offering up two/three varieties each, and that they were generous with their time and their pours. It certainly got a bit more crowded than I'd like as the afternoon wore on, but IMO, you needn't spend five hours at a beer festival. Also: it's super hard to talk about specific beers when you're pouring for what was seemingly 800+ people. Perhaps if they looked at parsing out entry times it may alleviate some of the crowd problem? Idk. Hammerschlagen was the most fun ever -- thanks Tony K! -- and Leff's big pretzel? NOM. I wish I would've brought: -my own water -a frisbee or a nerf football -a pretzel necklace What I don't love: the Brewfest queen competition. I just don't get it. Overall, I super dig this fest. They're only in their third year, so they're still working out logistics, but overall, I'd say this one is one of my more favorite of the beer fests. It's all about that amazing location, y'all. read more

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My Milwaukee Brewfest you sure have come along way from the humble beginnings! I haven't been in a couple of years and there are some cool new things. The mini German beer area is probably my favorite part of the fest. Hofbrauhaus was there slinging beer along with Sprecher, Paulaner and other German beers. The lines weren't too long for most places. A few breweries like MKE and Abita had some long waits so I stuck to the ones were I could get a quick refill. Places will run out of beer so make sure you hit your favorites right away. The atmosphere could not have been better....Milwaukee air show had the Thunderbirds ripping up the sky while you sipped cold beer by the lake. The only way to make it better would have been sitting in a big gravity chair laying back. Last time I went I purchased the VIP tickets and it really is worth the extra spend. The VIP tickets sell out before the event so get yours early. VIP gets you early admission (1 hour without lines), private toilets (worth their weight in gold), snacks and special beers. Miller was there serving their test brewery samples...I was in heaven! It was the first time I could say I absolutely loved Miller beer. Miller brewed a Belgian style with over 12% ABV....not your typical Miller Light! I wish they would bring back the huge pretzels from a few years ago. They were fantastic! The food choices didn't seem as extensive but not bad for a beer festival. Out of all of the beer fests in Milwaukee this is definitely in the top three for me. read more

As good as it gets. FO REAL. Shout out to Rachel and YELP for hooking me up with two phenomenal VIP passes! I never could have gone without them and I had an absolute blast. I love the fact that they allow cars to be parked overnight without ticketing or towing consequences, really helps people to make the right choice. My choice however, was to cab it both ways. In my opinion it was not super well organized to get in. No one had heard of this mysterious "will-call" and pointed me in several directions. I was given two press passes and later introduced as "Rachel F" inside. I quickly returned them to the front so Rachel could get in, but then started the quest to find my own tickets all over again. Once in safe and sound, and under my own name, I purchased a pretzel necklace (hello, make your own!) and got to business. SOOOO many breweries. SOOOO many brews. Most of the vendors were pretty knowledgeable, and all of them were having a great time. I noticed the crowd gathering outside and did some quick math (thanks Siri!) to figure out how long I had at each table before the tide came in. I had 88 seconds. Albeit this wasn't exactly the point of the festival, I had a great time. These were seriously the nicest porto potties I have ever seen! There was a shelf, a mirror and the sanitizer never ran out. It was super nice having our own in the VIP area as well. We made tons of friends, and had a blast playing giant jenga. Seriously the people were the best. I ended my night at Miller Time Pub and Grill with our new Michigan friends, and cabbed it home with a full belly. I cannot wait to see what next year brings. read more

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As far as local beer festivals go, this one is definitely the largest with the widest array or breweries and the best location. The price is a bit steep though, and some of the breweries we really wanted to try were only in VIP. I'm not going to spend $25 on top of $50 just to have a 4 oz shot of Deschutes. Also, I'm sure I missed it somewhere online, but I figured they were included with general admission. Overall a great fest with ample room, lots of bathrooms, a good amount of rinse stations, and 100 breweries. I just wish the VIP was handled differently. Maybe you have special brews or casks on the tent so those companies that aren't distributed here in WI can have their flagship available to the general crowd. It was also great to see a Yelp! tent! I will most likely be back next year with my homemade pretzel necklace read more

Best festival of the summer hands down. If you like beer it's a must. So many choices to try. Make a pretzel necklace, you're going to need it during your 5 hour drinking marathon. It's located on the lakefront and short walk from Brady street if you want to continue the good times on Brady Fest. read more

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I came.. I saw.. I tried to drink all their beer! But, there was way too much. Fortunately, fellow Yelper's could be found all over the festival assisting me in mass consumption. I know I did my share at a 100+ samples over a six hour period, close to 2 gallons of fine beer. I was tore up! The VIP tickets priced at $85 bucks are the way to go. They allow you to get in an hour early before the general admission crowd. The extra hour made all the difference, that's when I did most of my damage. The longest lines were only 2 or 3 deep with most vendors having no wait at all. Two hours in, you couldn't find a line less than 10 people deep. Some lines were 20+ deep. The extra hour also allowed me to collect an abundance of cool beer swag. From a stack of stickers 2" thick to refrigerator magnets, bottle openers & even a fishing lure made with a bottle cap. The swag was gone by the end of the first hour. We dove into the VIP tent after the GA crowd arrived. Smart move, the lines were short & the pours were frequent again. Plenty of munchies to be had, I grabbed a pulled pork sandwich from a BBQ stand. The tasty sponge helped absorb some of the beer. Perfect location for the event. Lake Michigan to the East, the downtown skyline to the West & commemorative Milwaukee Brewfest glass in my grasp. What a country! Be sure to make yourself a pretzel necklace for the festival. read more

Damn. Your homeboy Kyle K got himself into some stouts. Leinie's brought out the best of their Big Eddy line, and for anybody who didn't have the pleasure of enjoying the Bourbon Barrel Aged Russian Imperial might want to flog themselves. Pure high octane bliss. I might be spoiled by trips to Dark Lord Day and the Great Taste Of The Midwest, but this fest was somewhat bereft of the rare beers I have come to expect from such a large doin's. Bell's busted out their Black Note though, and it was a real treat. What the fest was strong on was organization and variety. I had the pleasure of checking out some smaller breweries that don't have a huge presence in the Milwaukee area yet, and that was very nice. It was especially fun to see Sue Black so involved in the festivities. She's done a great job with our parks system and it was awesome to put a face and personality on a name I've read so much about in the last several years. Thank you to none other than Rachel F and Yelp for setting me and fellow Yelper Thomas W up with tickets. It was such a great day of beer and sunshine with my fellow MKE beer geeks. read more

Disclaimer: I frequently attend Great Taste of the Midwest. I have to compare it to that. I came into some VIP tickets to the Milwaukee Brewfest and so I had to go. Unfortunately we also left really early due to existing vacation plans. We got there early (an hour before general admission) and it was pretty nice. Really no lines. Then the flood gates opened when the general admission crowd was let in. Lots of lines! I understand that some brewers will have long lines... but this was crazy for some less than average beer. Selection.... this is a fest to go to if you want to try some random stuff that you don't want to buy a six-pack of in the store. You won't find too much unique things here. But I appreciate the ability to try things. Atmosphere.... It is on the lake and is big... i.e. open. You can't find a better place for a festival than this. Misc... One thing I tend to find annoying with average beer fests is that the people pouring the beers tend to be distributors or volunteers. You won't get much in the way of brewery staff. That is the case here. You can kind of tell by the amount of bottles... Distribution Company A sells cases of beer to the beer fest and volunteers pour it. I truly prefer draft beer, poured by someone who cares. I like shaking the hand of the brewer telling him I enjoy his beer. read more

So much fun, so many good beers. VIP tix is where its at yo!

I've been to several beer fests. This is my 2nd time here. This one is pretty good but definitely not the best I've ever been to. Thumbs up for an excellent location at park on the lake. There is parking right at the event or you can take a shuttle from a couple other establishments. They offer a wide selection of Wisconsin beers but not many breweries from out of state. They did have a small German beer section. They didn't do many special release tappings either. There were very few Firkins. There was a fair amount of food items (pretzels, fried pickles, pulled pork, Mac n cheese burger among others). We never had trouble finding a seat to rest or eat as there are several picnic tables scattered around. There was also live music (polka style). Brady st festival is also going on the same day & it's an easy walk over there afterward if you want to keep the party going. German fest is also that weekend. Only thing is since I've been to so many beer fests I was pretty familiar with a lot of the beers. It would have been nice if they had more out of state beers but I guess that's what the Great Taste of the Midwest in Madison is for if you're lucky enough to get a ticket. Since the two fests are the same $ and I have to drive 1.5 hour to get to either location I'll prob try to get tickets to GTOTM next year & if I don't then go to Milwaukee's. read more

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Soooo.. I love to win. And I was a lucky Yelper to get free tickets to this fine event. This wasn't my favorite beer festival - but it was pretty dang good. Most of all the company was pretty rockstar. Can't go wrong with a few yelp buddies and my bro. The space was big. Lots of room to wander. The beer was flowing and the weather was pretty dang perfect. This fest doesn't have a lot of food options (but we did attack a pretty large pretzel from Leff's) - nor does it have much to drink other then beer (sometimes a guy just wants a water!). I appreciated having free VIP tickets. Getting in that extra hour early really allowed us to bypass the lines that were present at most all booths later in the event. Would I pay for this event again? No - probably not. I really hate to complain as I did have a great time, and really loved getting free tix, but I'd much rather pay the same price for the WI Beer Lovers Festival and get beer only brewed in the good old WI, and also have tons of great food to sample. read more

For anyone watching dates, yeah, this is late. I'm catching up on reviews in my down time. This has turned into a great beer tasting. If anyone is debating getting tickets, go right ahead and buy them. You will have a blast. Kudos to the Milwaukee Brewfest people for year number three! I was at year one, and I am glad to say this was a vast improvement. We'l see what the future holds for year four and on, but this one was pretty good. I was impressed with the selection of breweries, and for the beers that they brought along. There were the standard "predictables" in the crowd, but it was really nice to see special offerings from Bell's, Leine (Wow on the bourbon barrel stout!), and a few others there. 1) I like the organization of the event better than my first experience, but I would like to see a better flow of traffic. If you guys read the reviews here, I'd suggest that you create three or four obvious "traffic" lanes for people to follow as they go through the various booths. If you have one, people inevitably get stuck, so providing more options for people movement would be great. 2) Maps of vendors, please. Something on paper would be nice, or more of those big ones you have scattered around the park... It'd be nice to see what is where and all that. 3) Sell the pretzel necklaces! I don't know how many tastings I've been to and seen these things, but I never remember to make them. Pretzels are cheap, and I'd pay $3 for one of these things. You could easily get a non-profit or a student org in there to do it if you don't want to take the time. Email me. I'll get you a fraternity or sorority connection in no time. 4) Rinse water for the cups. Please? read more

This was my first time attending Brewfest, and it was a PHENOMENAL event. From past reviews, it sounds like each year gets better than the last. While the lines for the porta-potties were long at times, I didn't really see it as a major issue, and everything else about the festival I thought was really well organized and planned-out. I will say I am really glad I sprung for the VIP ticket, I think it was 1000% worth it. In addition to getting our own porta-potties (still a long line, but shorter than the main ones) you also get free pretzels and separate picnic table seating. But most importantly, you get access to a few beers than everyone else DOES NOT GET. In the VIP tent, they had taps from Three Floyds (including Dreadnaught), Rogue (including Voodoo Donut), and a what was probably my favorite single taste of the festival, a bourbon barrel aged barley wine from Desthil in downstate Illinois. I thought the selection was great, very well laid out, and everyone was as friendly as could be. I will definitely be back next year, with as many friends as I can convince to join me. read more

The location was nice, and I drank a lot of beer, but I was expecting more. Problems: * 12 porta-potties for 3000 people at a beer festival causing people to wait in line for an hour * Running our of beer 2 hours before the event ended * Having official festival glasses for only about half of the attendees. Others got pint glasses from local breweries which ran to get them or a plastic cup. * Vendors didn't have knowledgeable reps dispensing beer * Lack of variety from vendors. At the Firkin Fest Miller Valley Brewing had a bunch of awesome beers, but here they only had 3, one of which was gone by 4:00. I hope it happens again next year and I hope it's totally different. There's enough other awesome beer festivals around, just copy what they do. read more

2013 marked my first visit to the Milwaukee Brewfest, but I plan to return again next year. This was such a great event. While I admittedly only had VIP passes because of the awesome Rachel F. and her Yelp giveaway, I would consider investing in them myself in the future, as it helped to bypass long lines and get a head start on the more popular brews. Such a great variety of vendors -- Founders, Bells, Left Hand, New Belgium, Hopothesis, and many, many more, along with local brewers like MKE Brewing, Lakefront, Horny Goat, Big Bay, Buffalo Water, Lowlands Brewing, and so on. For the non-beer lovers (what?), cider row was a nice option, featuring brands like Magners, Angry Orchard, Somersby, and Crispin. The VIP area had some more limited brews like Three Floyds, Rogue, and a few others. All in all, a brew-lover's dream. I admit, I was amused by how long the lines were for such readily available beers like Leinie's, Shock Top, and Blue Moon, but I figured they were people who just know what they like and stick with it. It was nice that brewers were spread out, as lines never seemed too hectic. It would just be neat to add some more glass rinsing stations around the perimeter. Food options were limited but good, with representation from Maxie's, Jackson's Blue Ribbon Pub, and a few others. Pretzel necklaces seemed like the most popular option, but I enjoyed my brat. Porta-potties continued to be an issue, based on what I saw from past reviews. There were certainly a lot of them, but there were also a LOT of people. Since so many tickets seemed pre-sold, I would've thought they'd plan for more. Either way, they actually seemed pretty clean, and the handwashing stations were nice. Overall, I loved this event and am slightly kicking myself for not going in recent years. I'd highly recommend it to any beer lover. read more

Brewfest couldn't have happened on a more fitting weekend with Germanfest right down the road. And when you purchased your ticket in advance you also got a ticket for Germanfest; how perfect! Brewfest really catered to all crowds and didn't just limit the beverage selection to hearty beers, it included some cider and malted liquor options. Unfortunately Brewfest had some downfalls... 1. It was so hot out. Like, so hot. I was scrambling to crawl under any slight bit of shade I could find. I know it's not Brewfest's fault, but the 90 degree heat made throwing back the heavy beers a little bit of a challenge. Maybe hosting the event in September would guarantee a slightly chillier function? 2. Port-a-potties... yikes. Too many people, too few port-a-potties. 3. Maybe it was just the beer leading me down the wrong path, but where was the food? I was expecting some more food options than what was available 4. The line to get into the event was so incredibly confusing. The signs were too small to read unless you were standing right in front of them, so you ended up standing in the wrong line until one of your group members ran up to see where to go All-in-all, a good event. I would recommend it to anyone who is passionate about beer. Otherwise, this was probably my first, and last, event. read more

The Milwaukee Brewfest never lets me down! Every year, I along with several friends make the quick commute from Chicago to Milwaukee for the weekend to attend the annual Milwaukee Brewfest. Each year proves better than the last! Forty dollars, four hours and all the beer you can drink! There are hundreds of brewers in attendance and all are anxious to pour a glass or four, of whichever beers they're showing off at the event. There are also a few boutique stands sampling other alcoholic treats like cider and wine. I go to tons of beer/brew fests and the Milwaukee Brewfest just might be my favorite each year! read more

Milwaukee Brewfest has got it going on! We bought the advanced general admission tickets for $45 each. Great deal for 4 hours of unlimited beer samples. I really liked how the vendors were set up around the perimeter of the grounds. Even though there were a lot of people there the set up made it feel like it wasn't that crowded. There was a good variety of vendors and the food options were good too! Plenty of bathrooms to go around, if you did get stuck waiting in line it was only for a few minutes max. Parking was a little bit of a mess this year but that wasn't Brewfest's fault, the air show going on this year screwed that all up. I look forward to going back next year, and the year after etc. read more

Milwaukee Brewfest - Yelp tent! - Festivals Near Me - Milwaukee, Wisconsin

I am cutting and pasting this directly from an email that my partner sent to one of our friends: "We went to a smashing beer tasting this past weekend in Milwaukee, by the name of Brewfest. Approximately two city blocks of tables of beer, 3oz pours, no restrictions. We had the sense to take a cab... and needed it!" Great time, and the VIP upgrade was worth it. I understand there was some sort of pageant, we did not really notice. But the bands made quite lovely background music. My only complaint, they ran out of those big pretzels before I had a chance to buy one! Great beer, plenty of restrooms, lovely location. I will go again! read more

What a fun event! We heard about the 2010 event after the fact and were excited for 2011. I guess they beefed up the 2011 event with a new location and more vendors. We purchased advanced tickets which came with a ticket to Germanfest held on the Summerfest grounds. Cool! Several bars in the area also served as shuttle stops to and from the Summerfest grounds and Brewfest. We didn't use that option. We just took a cab to and from. When you arrive, you get a nice full size glass with the Brewfest logo on it and it gets used to pours. You also get a map of where all the participating breweries are located. The day was in the heart of the summer, so it was hot. But who wants to drink beer on a cold day? Suck it up people. You know an event in July or August is going to be sunny and warm! Apparently some of the other reviewers didn't get there early enough. We got there about 10 minutes before opening and probably only had 50-100 people ahead of us. We didn't have a problem waiting in line for beer, running out of beer, or waiting in long lines for porta-potties. We spent about an hour and a half trying beer and having some of the food they had available for purchase. There was also wash stations to rinse out your glasses which ran out of water quite quickly. I was kind of bummed that a lot of beers were in cans. I expected more tapped beers or at least out of bottles. Maybe I'm a beer snob, but I don't love canned beer. There were some great local beers and some terrible ones too, but it's nice to try things without being a 6 pack and hating it. read more

3.5 stars. This festival is located near McKinley Marina down by Lake Michigan (think across from Alterra). Quite a large event indeed. I appreciated the ample room between tents for people to meander around and also appreciated the sufficient supply of picnic tables for seating. Overall a massive array of samples. The VIP area had 2 VIP-only porta-johns (or metros, whatever you want to call them) which were in decent condition. The regular area had two long lines of porta-johns that seemed like enough for the crowd, I did not see lines. They also supplied hand wash stations, which was nice. The VIP tickets also said it would include snacks - which turned out to be peanuts, pretzels, and beer chips (people seemed to love the beer chips). The tent also featured several (maybe 10?) VIP-only beers to sample. I loved cider row - the grouping of the cider tents together. I also loved the varieties of cider available. Quite a few good ones. The beer selection was incredibly extensive. What then made you give this event 3.5 starts, Sadie T., you ask? 1. Lack of food availability. Only fried cheese curds, brats, and giant soft pretzels (oh and kettle corn) were available. Serious lack of variety, and pretty high prices. Water, also, was $2. No nearby water fountains. 2. No list of vendors or descriptions of the beers in easy viewing area. We had to get up to the very front of the tables before we could read what the beer offerings were. This held up the lines. 3. Very few dump buckets. Many of the vendors put up buckets on their tables, but there were no buckets around the grounds. Also, only 1 wash site. If you love love love beer, this is a great event for you! It was well done except for the 3 points I make above. EAT A MEAL BEFORE YOU COME! Winning VIP tickets through Yelp? Fantastic! Five stars to Yelp MKE. read more

This was my second year at Brewfest. This year I won some sweet free VIP passes from Yelp for me and my lady. The weather was a bit cooler this year, but it wasn't bad. I am just glad it didn't rain. Once you got a few tastes in you, the weather didn't seem to matter much. Getting into the place was a bit disorganized. The Will Call booth was pretty hard to find, and once we found it no one really seemed to know what they were doing. Once we got our tickets they sent us up to the entrance, and trying to get in there was complicated too. We started out at the first tent and worked our way around. The key is to ask for "just a taste" and try as many as you can. If you aren't careful, those guys will pour you almost half a glass. And if you are like me, you don't like to waste beer. I had to get over that quickly tho. If you don't like it on the first sip or two, it is time to give it a dump. It isn't worth wasting a drink on something you don't like, especially when there are so many good beers to try. After we finished up at tent A, we definitely had a good buzz going. By this time I was very thankful for my pretzel and sausage necklace that we brought in. On to the VIP tent. By free snacks, they mean a couple of bowls of pretzel sticks. The beer samples on the inside of the VIP tent weren't as awesome as I would have expected, but there was certainly a few bold moves in there. Things like sour beer with sweet juice balls like tapioca that you suck up through a straw were offered. No thank you, I will take my beer the old fashioned way. The best thing about the VIP tent (at least at first) was the private porta potties. The bummer part came when they stopped watching the entrance and the line went out the gate. By the time we made it to tent B, things got fuzzy. More good beer and more fun times. Everyone is usually pretty nice, and I didn't really encounter anyone that was mean or disruptive. The worst part is the lack of porta potties by the end of the event, the lines are outrageous. By the time you are done using the thing, you might as well get back in line. By the time 7:00pm rolls around, you're ready to be done and head for a restaurant. Choose wisely, because this will be a very enjoyable meal. We headed off to Pizza Shuttle. The night was finished off with folks rolling down the hill on the way back up to the sidewalk. read more

2nd year I've gone -- my friends and I make it a tradition to go every year #blackout so be prepared. read more

What's better than beer? FREE BEER. Yelp hooked me up with a super sweet VIP ticket to partake in the festivities, which was awesome. I think timing is going against this festival. Brady Street Festival was competing for attention. Also, coming off of Firkin Festival the weekend before I was hoping for more weird and special release beers. There were a few, namely the Black Note stout from Bells at 9.5%, and Leinne Imperial stout, that were solid but it mostly seemed like standard bottles. The VIP area had some other strange beers, but it felt small and crowded in the tent all day. The VIP porta-johns were an awesome idea though. The layout of the entire festival was a little strange too, as the food and some of the beer tents seemed disconnected from the rest of the place. Other than that there was a good selection of local and national brews and most people gave generous pours. Quite a few of the servers didn't know much about the companies or beers they were serving however, so if you're looking for a conversation you might not get one. I didn't stay till the end of the fest, but there didn't seem to be supply issues at too many tables, and the lines were never crazy unless a special keg was getting tapped. The location is for this festival is prime though. Looking out over the lake was a great backdrop to sit and mingle with friends. There were some games to play (Hammerschlagen!) which was awesome. The food here was very limited, as other have noted, but the jumbo pretzel was the star of the show. The pint glass they gave with admission is also pretty sweet and looks awesome on my shelf. Overall this is a pretty good beer fest. Better food and a tweaked layout could possibly make this the star of the beer scene. An enjoyable Saturday afternoon was had though, that is certain. read more

Brew fest is an awesome spectacle! Tons of vendors pouring a bevy of craft brews and ciders for thousands of beer enthusiasts, true connoisseurs, the lucky curious, families and d-bag party-jocks alike!!! We will be back! read more

I've been to beer festivals before, but this one topped the keg! There was a great variety of beer, merchandise, and food available, as well as people watching. Most beer vendors gave generous pours, although I chose to pace myself so that I could sample more of a variety of beers. I felt the cost and experience was well worth it. read more

SO MUCH BEER! Friendly people who all love beer! Get there early because the line to get in was crazy! If you forgot any essentials (pretzel necklace, beer koozie, beer glass necklace) don't worry! Plenty for sale at reasonable prices! A great time had by all! read more

Too many brewers out of beer far too soon - this is a troubling trend at these events. And, a tiny, really meaningless VIP tent, despite a significant premium for VIP Tix. Great location, great potential, really poor execution. Going next year? Save your money (on VIP at least), unless early entry is important to you - that's all VIP gets you. read more

Everyone always runs out of beer. Entry this year was handled terribly. They should pre check tickets so you can hey in there without waiting in line until 50 minutes after it opens. read more

The 2011 Milwaukee Brewfest was outstanding. The weather made the entire event very enjoyable. The music was a mixed venue with something for everyone. The food vendors kept there prices moderate. Overall, my wife and I had a great time. Can't wait for July 28th 2012. read more

This was my third time attending this event and sadly, this was my least favorite year. There were far more people in attendance this year, but no adjustments had been made to accommodate the higher attendance. We stood in line waiting to get for longer than prior years and then noticed 30 minutes later the line to get in was still backed up. Some breweries were running out of beer less than halfway through the event, this is very disappointing and not something experienced in the last 2 years. If it is a 4 hour event, you don't expect places to be out less than 2 hours into the event. Hopefully some adjustments can be made for next year to bring it back to the previous years levels. read more

We bought the $75 vip tickets, and it was a complete waste of money. The description stated free pizza, cheese and other snacks, specialty beers and private bathrooms. There was no pizza, the cheese was picked over within a couple hours, the vip beer vendors ran out of beer or had a small selection, and there were limited bathrooms with longer lines than outside of the VIP tent. The extra money was a total waste and I feel strongly that we were mislead about what the extra money would buy. The festival is worth it- VIP is not. Very disappointing. read more

This event is a lot of fun, but - the lines for the bathrooms were a half hour long. After drinking beer, this is the last thing you want, is to wait in line. Last year, 2013, men started relieving themselves behind the porta-potties, because the could not wait in line. I hope the planners for this event have at least 50% more port-potties available. read more

This was my third time attending the brewfest and unfortunately it did not live up to expectations set by previous years. The grounds were more crowded, the line to get into the event was longer. I waited an hour to get in this year where as in previous years I waited maybe 10 minutes. Many of the breweries were out of beer an hour prior to the event end. So of the four hour event two hours of beer tasting essentially were not spent as hoped. Overall dissapointed but still grateful that the event exists . read more