Blackjack and Beer: Kicking Off Fall With Mohegan Sun’s BrewFest

There are a lot of great getaways in New England, but one of my favorites is a weekend at Mohegan Sun. It’s like the sinful stomping ground between New York and Boston where everyone can forget their allegiances and just let loose. I went earlier this year for Sun WineFest and had a blast. So, I decided to head back down to Connecticut again just a few weeks ago to check out the casino’s other major drink event, Sun BrewFest.

Sun_BrewFest_Mohegan

Here’s the thing about these drink events at Mohegan, you’ve got to go with one thing in mind: fun. BrewFest is far from your geeked-out craft beer event. It’s a party; and yes, you’ll be able to find a handful of local Connecticut craft breweries, but it’s more about the atmosphere and the fact that for $25 you get over 200 beers to explore along with your craps and blackjack. Which, by the way, is a mighty fine consolation if you happen to lose a few bucks on the tables (which I, gladly, did not).

Sun_BrewFest

Of course, even when I go to an event like this just to have fun, I’m always on the lookout for the local breweries that I haven’t seen around. I was particularly interested in checking out Connecticut’s small craft breweries because most of them aren’t making their way into Massachusetts yet. Breweries like Thimble Island, for instance, who was sharing a booth with City Steam. Thimble Island opened in the summer of 2012 and has been getting some great reviews. I got to try their coffee stout and dark pumpkin porter at the fest and thought they were both fantastic (and I don’t even like pumpkin beers). Next time you’re driving between NYC and Boston, consider a stopover. Thimble Island’s brewery is not too far from New Haven, so the perfect halfway point.

City_Steam_Brewery

Although there wasn’t a huge presence from Connecticut’s local craft scene at BrewFest, there were a handfull present. City Steam and Black Hog were two others that stood out; City Steam with their double IPA and Black Hog with their brown ale, Granola Brown, that I thought was one of the better brown ales I’ve had recently. As a side note, there are a few craft breweries in easy driving distance to Mohegan that you may want to check out if you’re making a Mohegan weekend. One in particular I’d recommend is Beer’d Brewing who’s just about 25 minutes or so from the casino.

Black_Hog_Brewing

Anyway, local craft breweries aside, you really can’t try to geek out too hard at beer events like this. It’s about the experience. And, from what I could tell, people were having a great time. I thought it was cool that the festival brought in a bunch of air hockey and foosball tables to up the fun factor. I also thought this may have been the first beer festival where I saw an almost equal ratio of men and women. There’s no question that the diversity of craft beer’s audience is growing, but you rarely see a split crowd like this. Seriously, craft breweries, if you want to market to the growing female beer audience, this may be your place.

PLaying_Games_Sun_Brewfest

The best thing, though, about having a beer fest at Mohegan Sun is that you can wander in and out, and know that after the festival’s last call there’s still a night full of entertainment ahead of you (and a really nice bed in walking distance). I chose to go to the early session for this very reason (and would recommend you do the same). After the fest was over, I cozied up to one of the many casino bars for some whiskey and video poker (and hit a royal flush, btw), followed by a fantastic dinner at Ballo Italian restaurant — my favorite of Mohegan’s many restaurants. And hey, I walked out $100 up. That’s a win/win in my book.

It’s really hard not to have a great time on any trip to Mohegan; but when you combine it with a beer fest, or a wine fest, it’s like the cherry on top. Hope to see you there next year.

Thanks to Mohegan Sun and Regan Communications for their invitation and hospitality.