Mohegan Sun's Seltzer Social and BrewFest: What Went Down

Coming in right off of the heels of this summer’s Tequila Fest, Mohegan Sun doubled down by offering a weekend of back-to-back events: Seltzer Social and BrewFest. The perfect way to celebrate fall, the two days of beverage-centric festivities kicked off on Friday, October 7 with Seltzer Social, an evening devoted to all things bubbly. The party continued on Saturday, October 8 with BrewFest, a three-hour celebration of local breweries as well as nationally-recognized brands. 

For those attending both the Seltzer Social and BrewFest, the first night’s events served as a fitting warm-up. But that by no means should imply that Seltzer Social was anything less than a main event in its own right. Lively music, tasty wings, and plenty of fizz was on deck for the two-hour soiree. 

Though seltzers were the name of the game, there were a variety of canned cocktail beverages to go around as well, including drinks from Cutwater and Fishers Island Lemonade. But if you like your drinks with a bit of carbonation, sparkling cocktails and seltzers were of course in good supply. Sips of everything from Truly to Topo Chico were included with the price of admission, along with free cans of nonalcoholic beverages. Breweries also got in on the action, with Two Roads Brewing Company offering samples of their hard seltzer H2Roads, and Heineken’s nonalcoholic beer was also available for guests to try.

To no one’s surprise, the line for Hot Rod Café’s award-winning wings stretched across the ballroom. Food samples were also included with your ticket, and it seemed that everyone in attendance was ready to cash in on that offer (and we don’t blame them – the wings were fantastic, and a fitting portion of finger food to accompany an evening of seltzer tastings.

DJ Jay R One kept the party going all night long, with lively music that energized the crowd until the last drink was poured. Guests didn’t have to leave empty handed either, with plenty of free swag to go around (by the end of the weekend our bag was overflowing with koozies).

The following day was BrewFest, one of the larger beverage-centric events hosted at Mohegan Sun each year. Located in the Earth Expo and Convention Center, the festival offered over 100 kinds of beer for guests to sample over the course of three hours (with an extra hour prior to V.I.P. guests). 

We recognized several familiar faces from the evening prior, with many seltzer and canned cocktail brands in attendance at BrewFest as well. So, if you happened to be talked into attending BrewFest by one of your friends and beer is not necessarily up your alley, there were all kinds of alcoholic beverages to sample all afternoon. We were pleasantly surprised by the variety!

Hungry? BrewFest also offered a number of food vendors for an additional fee. Everything from barbecue to sliders were on deck from local eateries including Backyard Smokers, Beef Octane, La Mesa, and Nora's Cupcakes. Phygit Pretzels were also in attendance, supplying all-important pretzel necklaces for anyone looking to don beer festivals’ signature edible accessory.

Savage Brothers Band put on quite the show, playing classic and modern hits throughout the event. Adjacent to the stage, festival attendees could catch a cornhole tournament, hosted by Wicked Cornhole. If you ever wanted a reminder that your own cornhole skills could be improved, just spend a few minutes watching the pros at work, dunking their bags into the holes one right after the other.

We were reminded over the weekend of our thoughts following this summer’s Tequila Fest – Mohegan knows how to throw a party. From a lively atmosphere courtesy of music, food, and of course beverages to seemingly effortless operations courtesy of Mohegan’s staff, we thoroughly enjoyed our experience, and we cannot wait to see what they have up their sleeves next.

Mohegan Sun’s Seltzer Social took place on Friday, October 7th in the Earth Ballroom from 8PM-10PM. Tickets were $40 in advance and $45 day-of. BrewFest took place on Saturday, October 8th in the Earth Expo and Convention Center from 3PM-6PM. Tickets were $50 in advance or $55 day-of, and Designated Driver tickets were $20. A discounted two-for-one ticket was also available for $75 which included admission to both events. Only guests aged 21 and above were permitted to attend.