Tuesday, September 13, 2011

Localfest 2011 at Bocktown Beer and Grill

After our dinner at Bocktown we headed outside for Localfest 2011, featuring locally-owned (duh!) businesses. There were plenty of neat displays, but I am going to stick with the food-related tables that impressed me the most.

One of the first stops we made was at the Wild Purveyor's table where we sampled some amazing cheese:

Wild Purveyors at Bocktown's Localfest
Wild Purveyors

Then, for even more amazingness, we tried some Brooklyn Black Chocolate Peanut Butter Bacon Brownie and JK Scrumpy's Caramel Cider Cake from Stangl's Bakery in Ambrige.  Simply to die for.  But you don't need to make the trek out to Ambridge to enjoy these as Bocktown has them on their dessert menu!

Stangel Bakery at Bocktown's Localfest
Brooklyn Black Chocolate Peanut Butter Bacon Brownie (left)
JK Scrumpy's Caramel Cider Cake (right)

And then, maybe because I was in sugar heaven, I was somehow convinced by Father Spoon of local craft beer podcast Should I Drink That? to taste some beer.  Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not a beer drinker (too bitter!), but everyone else was tasting the beer and I felt a need to conform.  Besides, I'm always (OK, usually) a good sport about trying something, even if I don't think I'd like it.  My beer of choice was The Church Brew Works' Oktoberfest beer.  I took my first sip and made a face as it was pretty bitter, though the aftertaste was manageable.  Father Spoon explained that the taste profile of beer changes depending on its temperature, and that beer should be enjoyed at around 50°F.  And he was absolutely right.  I took my time with my beer, and after it had warmed up a bit, I was not able to detect any bitterness at all.  Maybe I don't dislike beer as much as I had thought, after all.

Church Brew Works Beer at Bocktown's Localfest
Shocker: A beer I didn't hate!

Our last stop was wine tasting by Briar Valley Vineyard & Winery located in Bedford, PA.  There were eight different wines to choose from, and I tried two: the Lemberger (red) and the Gewürztraminer (white), mostly because I couldn't pronounce them.  Both were fruity and I liked them both a lot.  Bocktown also carries Briar Valley wines.

Briar Valley at Bocktown's Localfest
Briar Valley Vineyard & Wine

The event was great fun and I enjoyed sampling all the local products, and even learned something new (that maybe beer isn't so bad).  I was also very impressed by Bocktown's commitment to supporting local vendors.  Makes me want to go back even more.