The 2016 Cedar Point Brew & BBQ event is underway everyday through June 12. The event starts at 5:00 pm and runs until 10:00 pm, with season passholders getting in at 4:00.

Reference: 2016 Cedar Point Brew & BBQ

Here is the quick rundown of tips.

1) Buy tickets in advance of the day of your visit if you are a season passholder, as you save $10 per ticket. Or if you forget to buy your tickets in advance, season passholders can buy their tickets at the event for only $20!
2) Season passholders, upon checking into the event, will receive a bonus ticket redeemable for a 12 oz. glass of the Brew Kettle Valravn beer.
3) Each paying guest will receive 15 tickets good for either drinks OR food. Beverages include hundreds of different beers or Coca-Cola products at the Round-Up.
4) Guests receive a mini Brew & BBQ mug for sampling throughout the event.

Ticket redemption work as follows:

– One beverage ticket = One sample of beer or one 12oz Coca-Cola fountain beverage
– Three beverage tickets = One 12oz beer
– One food ticket = One sample of food
– Three food tickets = Full plate of food

The great news is just like last year, your tickets can be used how you want and are not limited to only food or only beer tickets. Therefore, if you want 15 samples of food, you can do so.

The Cedar Point Brew & BBQ this year is located in the Maverick Midway between the General Store and the train station. Beer vendors have tents set up throughout the area. New food booths have been constructed and will be used for other events throughout the season.

Guests seemed to have mixed reviews of whether they liked the new location versus the Lakeside Pavilion last year. Personally, we much prefer the atmosphere of this years event. Being within the Frontier Trail district, the theme was more appropriate and had more of a festival feel.

Last years event was strictly limited to paying guests (and their kids). However, this year with the event out in the park, guests are free to come into the area as they choose. The other benefit is that if only one member of your family wanted to take part, they could, and even share some of the food with their family.

So now onto the food! We opted to get sample size (1 ticket) of each of the menu items. Unlike last year, it was a matter of portion size between the sample size and full platter. Last year the guest received the meat option, but if they wanted the side dishes, they had to order a full plate. This year, there really is not much of side options. Therefore, if you order a sample of say the pulled pork sliders with southern slaw, you got 1 slider for 1 ticket, or 3 sliders for 3 tickets. For some items, like the nachos, the portion size was not that much different, and thus we ordered two sample portions instead of the one full size plate.

We foresee the portion sizes being more moderated as the event goes on to better align with 1 versus 3 tickets.

Taste of Carolina

Pulled pork sliders and Southern slaw

Let’s start off by saying Executive Chef Phil Bucco really knows how to do BBQ! All of the meats during the event were fantastic! The pulled pork with slaw was great. Our suggestion would be to find a more solid bun and/or less runny slaw. The liquid from the sandwich pretty much dissolved the bread even before picking it up. Or as an alternate, we would love to see the meat and slaw served without a bun like they were done for the Banshee Brew fest.

Pulled chicken with candied jalapenos

We like spicy, and the candied jalapenos worked very well with the chicken. The BBQ sauces served with both were also really good!

Texas BBQ

Sliced brisket on Texas toast with rich & sassy barbeque sauce

Several slices of brisket were served open face on a piece of Texas toast and then covered with BBQ sauce. The brisket was fantastic, and we loved the long slices with sauce. Maybe we are too partial to the homemade Texas toast from Kings Island’s Chicken Shack, but the Cedar Point version was overdone and the same as the version you can buy at the store, not that it is a bad thing.

We tried picking up the bread and eating it with the meat, which was a messy mistake. It is much better enjoyed with a knife and fork.

Barbeque carnitas nachos with creamy cheddar, black beans, pickled jalapenos and sour cream

Just like last year, the nachos were the disappointing option of the event, though given the longest line of the night, the most popular. The quality of the nacho chips is poor at best. Then pair it with the cheap nacho sauce and it is an underwhelming option.

The saving grace was the carnitas which were excellent. In addition to a better chip, we would much rather see the nachos served with sprinkled cheese and topped with some of the amazing BBQ sauces, as we found ourselves stealing some of the sauce from our brisket sandwich.

Memphis BBQ

A barbeque pork shoulder sandwich with coleslaw and smoky barbeque sauce

The BBQ pork shoulder was another excellent option with a creamy coleslaw. Very tasty, but with the same suggestion of skipping the bun or going light on the slaw so it does not create a soggy concoction.

Smoked sausage

The smoked sausage was a surprisingly great option. The skin was super snappy and extremely flavorful. We would have liked to see a little BBQ sauce dribbled over top to enhance the overall option.

Kansas City BBQ

Smokehouse ribs with a wet or dry rub

When they say save the best for last, the ribs were DEFINITELY the winner of the Cedar Pint Brew & BBQ. Shockingly during our visit, the line was also non-existent at the rib stand.

We sampled both the dry rub and the wet ribs. Both were unique in flavor and tasted tremendous! In fact, dare we say the ribs may have just been the best ribs we had ever eaten.

Overall we love the new venue and the food was excellent for Brew & BBQ! We also sampled several unique beer offerings throughout the event.

We want to hear what you loved about Brew & BBQ. Let us know below in the comments.

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