Moo & Brew Craft Beer and Burger Festival

Moo & Brew is a great concept. Burgers and beer? Sign me up.
I like that this festival has a wide range of beers. However, most of the beers are the typical beers for most breweries, so I felt like it was hard for me to find something new. I wish they had all brought a «one off» or something to keep it interesting. I have a hard time spending $ 45 on a ticket when I know I can already get all the beers elsewhere.
The burger stands were good. I felt like only 4 stands for all of Charlotte and for the whole festival was a little low. The lines weren’t bad, but I wanted to try more burgers. Also, you pay for a ticket and then still have to pay for burgers. I understand why this needs to be done, but if the beer is standard, can I get a token or two for at least one or two baby burgers along with my ticket price?
Overall, I like this festival a lot and it is a good time. I just feel as though one time may be enough for me. I don’t feel like I will need to go every year, as I am not sure there will be anything new to experience.
Another upset with this festival= cash only (which you need for the burgers). They did not notify me of this until I entered the gate and then they said no re-​entry. And there was no ATM! (or one that I was aware of)
Bang Bang is the best!

I had the opportunity to visit Moo & Brew, another of the many craft beer events held during Craft Beer Month in North Carolina.
Like most area craft beer events, the selection of Carolina (and beyond) craft beer was impressive. We had 30 or so brewers to choose from and the types and styles on tap were so diverse, there was little chance of sipping the same thing twice.
Unlike many of the other craft beer events, Moo and Brew has a few key things going for it. First, Paschal Promotions, who organized the event for Creative Loafing Charlotte, did a phenomenal job. Parking at this facility is free and second to none; entry to the facility was efficient and quick. The setup inside was also exceptionally well done and included lots of convenience facilities and spread out the crowd across the entire length of the park. Now, the lack of seating once inside was a bit annoying. I have a hard time standing throughout an entire event. When you add in food and the inability to sit and eat… I’m not a fan.
Speaking of eating, the second big positive of Moo & Brew is the burgers. They have a best burger competition that included 4 area burger joints, including American Burger Company, Bang Bang, Bad Daddy’s, and Ale House. I was able to try 3 of the 4 burger joints (did not try Ale House). I liked them all, but the American Burger Company was my pick: Bang Bang took the title for the 2^nd year in a row.
The Second Harvest Food Bank of Metrolina was the events charity of choice again. They are a great cause and I had a chance to chat with Nancy, the organization’s spokesperson about how much they appreciate the support of the sponsors and patrons. Good people.
There was a lot to do at the event. The music was there, but I wasn’t paying to much attention to the various acts. I heard the Truckstop Preachers towards the end and I liked what they offered up. I could have survived with a DJ and been just as happy. You are moving around so quickly you kind of run by the stage area without taking a glance. Lack of seating, once again, made me not want to loiter in front of live music.
The VIP admission gets you in a full hour and a half before the General Admission. VIP costs $ 65 and included the burgers. For this event I think paying $ 65 (unless you can get it cheaper through a Groupon or other… wink…wink) is well worth it. General Admission is $ 45 and doesn’t include the food. $ 45 is a bit steep for General… and no food, less time, more crowds.
All in all, I give this event 4-​stars. Lack of seating was the only big drawback. Regardless, I’ll be back.

I hope that this festival continues on for the foreseeable future. It’s hands down my favorite festival, from the variety of taps to the burger competition to the music to the swag. I love that there aren’t crazy lines and you really do get to try new things. I was personally introduced to about 4 new breweries, got to try out Bang Bang Burgers (along with their $ 5 giftcard!), and got to try really special releases from great breweries such as Devil’s Backbone and Founders. Also, pairing with YellowCab was such a smart idea, and we definitely used their $ 15 off both-​way promo code to our advantage. Gah. Loved this.

Best beer fest I’ve been to in years. Lots of space, huge beer selection, no lines, and good music. Had everything you could ask for.

Great variety of breweries in a fabulous setting. I received great customer service, very friendly people. I really loved the food I indulged in including: Pimento Cheese burger with sweet potato chips, burger with friend pickles and lobster Mac n Cheese. My personal favorite was the Pimento cheese burger from Bang Bang Burgers which definitely got my best burger vote. My one thing I would mention for improvement is requesting of those not getting a beer to step out of the beer tent area. It was very hard to tell who was waiting in line because people were congregating around the lines. Overall great experience and I look forward to visiting the festival in years to come!

Cool event. Will go next year if I get invited. Needs better entertainment.

Had a lot of fun at the festival. We got VIP tickets which included tickets for the sliders. Unfortunately near the end many of the burger vendors weren’t accepting the tickets any longer. I wish someone had told us that they expire at some point because we were trying to space out the eating a little bit. Luckily we did find that a few of the vendors were still accepting the tickets so we were able to get all our burgers :)
It was a lot of fun trying all the burgers, not being from Charlotte we didn’t know many of the places but plan on going to Bang Bang burgers when we visit again — it was delicious.
The beer selection was great, especially during the VIP part of the festival, there were many special release/​seasonals offered during that time. With the exception of the burger tickets «expiring» the VIP tickets were worth it.

Pros: Nice setup. Lots of portable potties and beer vendors. The area was very large and nicely spread out. Music and DJs were good. Had a couple dessert tents for the sweet tooth. Burger and bottled water prices were cheap 6 bucks and 1 dollar. Good to see!
Cons: I am not a beer drinker so it would’ve been nice to have a designated driver ticket (even during VIP time). A couple vendors started running out of beer around 3:30 but some where there the entire time. Noticed the burger vendors began to run out of bottled water and I couldn’t find any besides bottled water to purchase (a coke maybe?) VIP ticket holders were not told we had to use our tickets by 2pm for the burgers, so several people were disappointed in this information after the fact. No seating. Gravel area. (not a complaint but it didn’t occur to us that we would need to bring camping chairs; maybe advertising it is okay to bring them would be beneficial to some folks in the future.
Overall not bad for a first time event. Will be there for the next.

It’s really hard to say Moo & Brew and not smile.
This was the first year for the festival, and I must say it exceeded my expectations. The setup was fairly similar to Oktoberfest. There was a great mix of local breweries, bottle shops, and national brands. I like that there was even a wine tent. You know how it goes, there’s always that one chick who bitches because she doesn’t drink beer. Well, why did you go to a beer event?!
I didn’t get a chance to try any of the burgers. I heard a lot of great things about Pint Central, Vinyl Pi, Heist, and Mattie’s. Bang Bang took home the trophy for best burger. Doesn’t surprise me, that place is just up the road from me and is great.
Is the VIP worth it? I would say for this festival… yes. You get early admission, some special beers tapped just for the VIP early admission crowd, and burger tastings. IMO, it’s well worth the extra money.
Ancient Cities and Langhorne Slim were both fantastic. Langhorne puts on a great show. Langhorne got on some guy’s shoulders and came out to the crowd to sing. The chick next to me says he always does that. Pretty cool.
I love events here because there is a ton of parking and it is free. However, it’s a beer festival. Don’t drink and drive. Call a cab, an über, or your mom.
Kudos on such a great inaugural event. Looking forward to doing it all over again next year!