Move over Münich, Charlotte is giving you a run for your money! And boy what a run! The seventh annual Charlotte Oktoberfest, sponsored by the Carolina BrewMasters and the NoDa Business Association was by far the largest beer festival in the Queens City's history.

Over 6,000 beer lovers!

With picture perfect weather, although some would say a tad on the warmer side, the beer was flowing. From 2pm til 8pm, over 80 breweries, brewpubs, and distributors from across the Southeast and the world poured over 200 different beers ranging in style from light lagers to killer barleywines. But the beers didn't stop there, the sponsors and local Charlotte Homebrew club, Carolina BrewMasters, were also on hand serving up an assortment of homebrews made especially for the event. Included among the homebrewers were offerings from David Jones, John Oshman, as well as the infamous Moose Drool Brown Ale by Karl Keyes.

But wait, there was more! Music too! A live diverse mix of rock, country and bluegrass was also on hand throughout the day with performances by the Kilocycle Kowboys, Woody Mitchel's Band, the Truckstop Preachers, and the Moonshine Racers.

But wait, there was even more! Food! To go along with the great beers, the Oktoberfesters were greeted with a savory aroma of brats, burgers and BBQ served by Smokey Brat Guy, Boudreaux's Louisiana Kitchen, and the Mellow Mushroom.

All the way from Argentina for a beer!

In the crowds were attendees from near and far, North and South, from both coasts! One brew lover claimed he came all the way from Argentina, we have our doubts but he was sporting an Argentinian T-shirt as his proof.

The crowds also had some serious beer drinks carefully sampling the brews in their commemorative 6.5 ounce tasting glass and jotting down tasting notes in their beer guides. One pair of fellows even came garnished with pretzel neckware... just in case?

This annual celebration of craft beers has grown from a local gathering with a few hundred people attending it's first year to the Southeast premier beer festivals. Last year's record breaking attendance which topped 4000 was easily broken by this year's event which hit over 6000! So many people showed up that by mid afternoon, the gates were closed and several hundreds were turned away the door and left unquenched. The BrewMasters plan to expand the event even further for next year. They want everyone to partake in the fun, but a little tip from us: Get there early next year!