Brew-Woo

It was our first time to experience this festival and I have to say, if you like beer, you have to go!! So much beer and people were so great!! Next time we will go hungry, the food looked and smelled so good!

Had a great time, able to enjoy the different microbreweries from different areas

We were skeptical about the 30 tickets with 80 vendors available, however we all had plenty. It was a great time - got a little swag and enjoyed talking to all the vendors. I would suggest going to the first "seating" as there were a few vendors running out of product by the time we were on the way out. Plus you have time to go get a bite to eat down the road before heading home!

It was my first time and I'd definitely be back. I wish they had a way to pay in advance for next year (w/ a discount) because it's a sure thing this might be a ritual!

We arrived around 1:30 and there was a line. It moved quickly though. The employees at the front handling the glasses with the tickets didn't hand them out and I walked right by, good thing someone noticed and told me to get mine. They the employees who were "working" proceeded to interrogate me as to why I was asking for a glass and checking me out to make sure I didn't already have one, and not in the most friendly way either. A nice woman, possibly management saw and jumped right in because she saw that I didn't take one and needed one. It was dark and crowded. Long lines, with people standing around in front of the stands so it was hard to tell if they were in line or just hanging around. The beer selection was OK, but most of the stands had the same types of beer, IPA and lagers, not a lot of selection. I did try a few beers that I might buy back home but nothing to write home about. They ran out of pretzel necklaces and there was hardly any place to sit. There were a few tables by the few food vendors but those were packed. The band was OK and so was the music overall. Again, it wasn't a horrible time, but I think they can make it better. Provide more places to sit and chill. Don't think we'll be going back next year. I even had tickets left over and gave them to someone as we walked out.....

Brew Woo is a mediocre beer fest, and in all honesty, if it wasn't the only beer fest in Worcester, is really not worth the cost of admission. Tickets this year were up to $45+ per ticket, which makes it more pricy than some of the premier beer fests in New England (VT Brewers fest is $35, American Craft Beer Fest has 140+ breweries and is only $50). When you take away the ciders, and the mainstream beers that you can get at any bar in Worcester (Blue Moon, ShockTop, Sam Adams, Harpoon, Yuengling, etc.) There are really only 25 craft beer options. While this festival is billed as "Central Massachusetts Only Craft Beer Festival", some of the more prominent beers in Central Massachusetts are completely excluded from the fest. Medusa, Jacks Abby, 3Cross, Treehouse and Battle Creek are nowhere to be found. Also, many of the premier breweries from New England are excluded. No Trillium, No Hill Farmstead, No Maine Beer Company, No Stoneface, No Smuttynose. In my opinion, the DCU Center relies exclusively on their distributor to organize this event, and misses some opportunities to bring some of the best beers in New England to a Worcester audience. Also, this event now requires patrons to use drink tickets to get samples. This is presented as "Massachusetts State Law". I've been to plenty of beer festivals in Massachusetts where this is not required. I'm not sure why, but keeping tabs on your tickets is a royal PITA in my opinion. Samples are 2 OZ at best... I have three hours to work with... I'm not getting sloppy drunk from this kind of event. The event does have a unique atmoshphere... the live music and peanut buckets spread throughout the convention center are a nice touch. The food vendors, and local artists are also a nice touch. Overall, this is an average event which could be dramatically improved by adding more breweries and eliminating drink tickets. I honestly may look into other beer festivals to attend next year instead of this one, which is too bad, since its 5 minutes from home. I've gone for 5 years, and it seems like every year the cost goes up, and the number of breweries goes down.

I bought VIP tickets for Brew Woo and went Saturday evening. I was looking forward to getting in early, one of the perks for VIP ticket holders. By the time DCU staff directed me to the actual early entrance, I only had 10 minuets before everyone else was let in. I was also disappointed in the VIP "benefits". Considering I paid a significant amount of money, I was hoping for more. Overall Brew Woo tickets seem expensive for what the event is. The beer vendors were great and there were a wide selection of beers. I would have liked a few more food options, and a place to get some coffee. I also was disappointed in the no re-entry rule for the event. I am unsure if I am interested in going back next year.

The music was good, the crowd was friendly and the beer selection was incredible. We were given 30 drinks tickets with our glass. Some brewers poured heavier than others (Sam Adams/Harpoon - be more generous next time!). Beer of the day for me was Mayflower Coopers Series closely followed by Kentucky Bourbon Stout. I will be making this an annual event for sure!

I've been to other beer festivals but this one has to be the most overpriced $35.00 plus $15.00 in service fees and you have to pay to park. Only 30 beer tickets but not like anyone was taking them. And wish there were most New England mirco brews there.

This year they gave out tickets instead of just a free for all. At first I was not happy about this. Then as we started we each hit 30 tickets. That was clearly enough for the 4 hours of being there.

Great selection of micro brews and hard ciders. Great crowd. Lines weren't bad and if they were you could hop in another one. Even the long ones moved quickly. Vendors were friendly and knowledgeable. Great atmosphere except for the restrooms. A couple of the ales were pretty non-descript or just plain bad. Ales don't need camomile or cloves. 30 samples were more than enough for 3 hours.

This was an awesome opportunity for me to sample all the beers I want to buy but just stare at in the package store because of uncertinty in thier taste. Highly recommend this experience.

I have attended this event two times. Both were very enjoyable however, I highly recommend the earlier time as there are less people.

I love this event, I've gone 2 years in a row and always find a new favorite beer! I would definitely recommend this to anyone who likes beer.

It was a pretty good beer festival. Just the right amount of food vendors. The prices were not outrageous. The music was good. The brews were great. I will definitley be making this an annual event.

This was such a great experience with great friends! I recommend to go with a group of people so you can all taste test each others beers as opposed to trying them all yourself. Yikes! The music and food was also amazing and went well with the drinks. Will definitely be coming back!

The variety of breweries was fantastic. All the breweries had several types of beer. With both combinations, you cannot help but get an eclectic mix of beers to try. The majority of the people minding the taps were enthusiastic about their product which made for a wonderful experience.

Overall I thought they had a very good selection of Breweries at the Fest. I wish they would have a better selection of food vendors at the event. It was a very limited selection. I also don't understand why they have entertainment when they use a sound system designed for a room of about 100 people. They basically had two small speakers on stands in front of the small stages. If you are going to have bands play, provide them with a real sound system. I also think that the stages for the bands should be at one end of the room like they did last year. This year they were located on one side about 15 feet away from the vendors.

A fun time for all - lots of vendors and lots of choices - great way to taste test many craft brews. Peanut barrels readily available. Bring your own pretzels!

Lots of great beers from the New England area and beyond. Many places I've never heard of or seen before. There were so many beers I couldn't try them all in fact. Definitely worth the price and I'll be going again.

Brew festival was a great time. Fabulous finds of local beers and great music by the ranch.

The event was good, the bathrooms were disgusting, and I thought there needed to be a couple more food vendors.

Good beers, good environment, glasses could be a bit bigger and more rinse stations near the tastings.

Loved the new set up this year, no tickets, just unlimited drinking. Worth every penny.

Fantastic group of breweries offering a great variety of excellent beers! I've been to other events that were not as organized and worth the money! This event is worth every penny! Will be going again next year for sure!