Brew At the Zoo

Great event. Loads of breweries. A handful of food trucks. Animal demos were less than exciting - a goat, a miniature horse, an armadillo and a small rodent that resembled a baby hedgehog. VIP area was great - food samples, full beer pours (from a select few breweries placed in the VIP area) and a T-shirt. Early admission was well worth it as it was much, much less crowded.

Great number and variety of breweries; tasty food opportunities spread out among the brews; fun atmosphere; live music; social media feedback loops. All-around awesome.

This was my fourth Brew At the Zoo. Each year they add additional craft breweries and improve the food truck selections. I thought the band this year was exceptionally good. Look forward to next year's event!

An amazing fundraise for the National Zoo with a twist of drinking craft beer from all over the nation. Can't wait for the one next year.

Really fun event with a lot of breweries on hand. A good chance to try a variety of beers and hang out with friends.

Brew at the Zoo is one of several annual events held by the National Zoo to raise money and awareness for animal conservation efforts. This year's event had over 60 craft and microbreweries represented offering something for everyone. The food on offer has greatly improved since the early years with some recognizable DC food trucks and Ledo's pizza on site. A cover band was also playing. Overall, this is a nice event for sampling some new drinks and spending time with friends. If this sounds like fun, Zoofari and Grapes with the Apes are also fantastic annual events.

Lot's of fun for a great cause. The beer and food selections were outstanding and the band was wonderful.

A fantastic event, especially with the VIP ticket. Excellent food selection for VIPs and a tremendous beer selection overall. The event is plenty busy and a great crowd, but the number tickets are not oversold like some other DC beer events. I'll be there next year!

What a great event!! So much fun! Only disappointment was missing some of the animal demostrations which were advertised to be at the VIP area at a specific time but didn't show. We spent the extra money for the VIP area. The free food and full pours made it totally worth it. So many breweries, wins fully fun people, yummy food and of course, an excellent cause. Thanks National Zoo! Looking forward to this year's Grapes with the Apes!!

A great event for a great cause! The selection of beers was great, and some really stood out, which made us anxious to visit new breweries, and try new beers.

Excellent beer! Excellent food! Excellent band! What else could you ask for?

Great event with plenty of breweries and lots I space so I didn't feel crowded. And of course I love that it benefitted the zoo.

Great Time Would Recommend To Anyone and It helps a Good Cause

This was our first time going to this popular event and we can't wait to come back next year! Tons of different beers, great vendors, great crowd, live band, love the food trucks, but get there on time if you wanna see the animals.

This was my 4th straight year going to Brew At The Zoo (or as I would like to call it B.A.T.Z) and it gets better and better every year. Can't wait for next year!

Great event! There were a ton of breweries, lots of food trucks and you're supporting a wonderful cause! What's not to love?

This is the third time I've been to this event and it keeps getting better! Better food choices, better layout of the beer tents and great live music. More tables were added which is a nice way to hang out for the evening!

Great event. Good atmosphere, lots of breweries both local and national serving interesting beer. Music and food trucks rounded out the experience. Overall, I recommend.

As always, this event was amazing. I think this year was even better than last year as far as selection.

This is a great event and the weather was perfect this year. Nice assortment, more ciders next year please. Discovered some great beers and ciders

This is by far my favorite beer festival in the DC area. It is really well run, and the beer selection is great.

Best event in DC each year. It's not even a contest

This event is a great chance to support the zoo while enjoying some fine brews. The event had a nice mix of music, food, zoo activities, and quality breweries.

I found this year's Brew at the Zoo to be the best "Brew" experience in the years I have attended this event which dates back to the first "Brew." The display of breweries allowed for easy maneuvering among the sold-out crowd. Yet I never felt confined or locked-in to one particular brew stand. I participated in the VIP section and also visited the VIP Pub which also enabled one to really breeze through the tasting areas. I appreciated the gift of the "Brew" t-shirt in the size and color of my choice. It featured an attractive logo and message. I applaud the organizers and the volunteers at this year's Brew at the Zoo for making it a most memorable, fun event. I cannot wait until Brew at the Zoo in 2015!

Loved this event! True variety of micro breweries that you don't normally see brings legitimacy to this as a true brewfest and very fun like minded crowd who were friendly and well behaved. Kudos to the zoo staff and the security on hand and Uber cars as designated drivers (we metro'd but took advantage of the free shuttle bus from the back of the zoo to the entrance - thank you!) Great food tasting too for those who paid extra for the VIP tent : well worth it! We found new restaurants to try out. Well worth the headache the next day and a tshirt to remind us that it was also for a good cause : Drink Beer Save Wildlife!

Great spread of breweries (local, regional, and national/int'l) although too many of them played it safe by featuring only the beers that they thought would be most readily imbibed by a general crowd. I wished a wider of variety of styles were highlighted. However, it was a great way to learn about local brewers and you get a proper glass beer stein for drinking. A nice variety of food trucks were available for eating but it would have been nice to have some desserts available too. There was just enough of crowd and energy for a good time but it wasn't too crowded. Beautiful weather and setting in the zoo's rolling green grounds. Live band playing oldies rock was great. I would have liked more info on how the beer booths were organized; perhaps having an onsite map or explanation of what the "zone" numbers meant would have made my tasting process more purposeful. Overall, a fun event for a date or groups of friends that helps a wonderful zoo! Definitely take advantage of the nearby metro routes instead of trying to drive for something like this.

Brew at the Zoo is one of my favorite events! Lots of great breweries!

Exceeded my expectations as it does every year I've gone, which has been five years now.

Great experience. I will definitely go again. The worst thing about it was having to write a minimum of 50 characters as the review.

It was a very well put together event. Plenty of different beers to choose from, a number of different food carts if you were interested in eating. We did VIP tickets which came with more beer, free food, and some additional swag. The VIP tickets were worth the extra money. Plan on going again next year.

It was a great time I look forward to going again next year.

VIP tickets get you full pours of some excellent beers as well as generous samples of foods in the VIP area. In addition to the glass, VIP tickets got you a nice t-shirt this year. It is a pricey event, but don't forget, this is a fundraiser for the zoo -- a good chunk of your ticket price is straight donation. Definitely go with at least one friend. Although I don't think I'd go every year (it *is* pricey for my budget), I would go again.

Excellent value. Huge variety of beers. Nice open set up. Good food options.

The is my second time to Brew at the Zoo and I will keep going back and bring more people with me. It is a fun event for a good cause. Drink Beer. Save Wildlife. How can you go wrong?

Brew at the zoo was so much fun! The best beer festival/tasting I've been too. There was little to no wait at each of the tents. The vendors were very friendly and generous with their pours. It was great to have everything so spread out and to have seating areas throughout. It was also great to have such a big bathroom so there was never a line! Being able to see the tigers romp around was a big plus. Overall it was a great experience and I would definitely go again next year.

The beer selection was great! The food was great! The band (Sly 45) was great! The venue was geat!. The weather was great! Don't miss next year!!!

Won't be the last. I took my boyfriend for a surprise birthday date, we both loved it. We aren't huge drinkers, but you don't have to be, the atmosphere was chill, the crowd educated and polite. The food was delicious, offered up via good truck. My boyfriend said a few days later that it was the best date anyone had ever taken him on. Yay!

Great event. Tons of great breweries and generous pours in a full size souvenir glass, so no problem getting as much as you want. Lots of great animals to see even that late. The Tigers were eating blood popsicles, which is awesome. Short lines. I will go every year.

This was my first time going to Brew at the Zoo. It was a fun event and I will go again next year. I was worried that the crowd would be large and we would have to wait in line for drinks. This was not the case. The longest line was three deep. The variety of beers was fabulous!. I liked the variety of food trucks too. Good event. I have recommended to my friends and coworkers.

This is a fantastic event for the zoo and for the attendees. I got a frostie mug, unlimited pours of craft beers, good food, and live music. What better way to spend an evening while helping the zoo raise money?

This is one of DC s hidden jewels!!! Great Event\u2026. 5th year in a row and never had a dull moment. The VIP section food is the best and worth the extra money.

I've been to Brew at the Zoo for the past three years, and it is always a great event. They bring in over 60 breweries for the evening. Everyone is really friendly, and no one is stingy when pouring beer. You definitely get your money's worth. Also, while it's crowded and lively, it's not overly packed and you never have trouble getting a new glass of beer. Would definitely recommend this event, and look forward to attending next year! Also, this year's food trucks were awesome. For people who don't work downtown, it's great to have the opportunity to try some of the best trucks, such as Pepe. The band was pretty good too!

Great event for a good cause. Who does not like to drink beer while helping animals?

I've been to this event the last couple years and always bring my friends. It may be a little more expensive than other beerfests, but it is totally worth it. The amount of brewers, the quality of the (actual!) mug they give you, plus minimal lines and great food trucks makes this event well worth the prices of admission. I've never done the VIP thing, but I may next year.

Fantastic event - well organized, lots of beer options for anyone's tastes. If you're going to eat a lot, consider the VIP ticket. The food truck vendor costs can add up.