Locally Produced Wines, Beers, & Spirits

The Clock on the Wall Says Beer Time

By Katie Mavrich | Photography by Megan Wylie

Like coffee and wine before it, beer is becoming more about the taste, the flavors and aromas, and the experience — rather than about, well, just imbibing.

Thanks to establishments like Bocktown Beer & Grill in Robinson Township, which has 400 bottled beers and 16 on tap at any given time, not to mention the infusions that they rotate regularly, it’s easier for Western Pennsylvanians to get in on the experience. And, owner Chris Dilla loves all things local.

It’s obvious as soon as I peruse the menu — the appetizers category is titled “Snacks N’At,” “Burghers” include “The Bloomfield Stallion” (1/2 pound of fresh ground beef topped with Genoa salami, capicola, and provolone), and The Three Rivers ‘Burgher (beef gravy topped with fries-n-cheddar, served open face). There’s even a Strip District Salad (a chef’s salad with ham, turkey, Genoa salami, capicola, bacon, Swiss cheese, pickled eggs and beets, and a Smallman Street Deli pickle), as well as a selection of wings, dubbed “West End Wings.”

But her locavore love doesn’t stop with catchy menu monikers. Bocktown, which has been in business for three years, just partnered with Pennsylvania Association for Sustainable Agriculture’s Buy Fresh, Buy Local, a program that makes it easier for individuals and businesses alike to find regional fare. They’ve sourced ingredients and beers from The Mall at Robinson’s Farmers’ Market, Cherry Valley Organics, Turner Dairy, PrestoGeorge Coffee, Fat Heads, East End Brewery, and North Country Brewing Company. “Bocktown is an awesome restaurant. They have the right idea — they’re connecting a lot with regional farms, and are conscious about how they are presenting themselves as a business,” says Greg Boulos, western regional director of PASA. “They are a great example for other restaurants in the area.”

To open guests’ palates to the multitude of drinking possibilities at Bocktown, Dilla offersm free craft beer samplings each Wednesday. “We’re just trying to expose our guests to other breweries. Someone might try their first craft beer and think it’s too bitter to drink. So, we’ll show them chocolate beers, blueberry beers, wheat beers, and Belgian-style beers made in America,” Dilla explains. “We’ll just open up their eyes and that way they aren’t so closed off from trying something. People come every Wednesday just to try new beers.”

If you can’t make it to sample beers on Wednesday, Tuesday brings live music and Thursday is Tappin’ day, when Bocktown debuts a new beer on tap — some of the brews tapped are only available once a year, others are only available to Bocktown in small doses. But one thing is for sure— there is constant rotation with the inventory. “You have to keep up with what’s new and what’s fresh. Some beer can get old and get better, but you can’t be sitting
on something that says ‘Spring Ale’ or ‘Christmas,’” Dilla says.

Also on tap is an “infusion” which changes every few days. Dilla takes a beer on tap and infuses it with spices, seasonings, hops, or even the aforementioned PrestoGeorge coffee — “It’s my baby; my little toy,” she says. The day Edible Allegheny stopped in for a “three-beer lunch,” we sampled New Holland Gold Cap, infused with candied ginger — which tasted a little like champagne, and was pretty pleasant to drink. We also tried Magic Hat Wacko, which was pink and tasted clean, with a little hint of sweetness at the end. And the surprising ingredient that gives it the pink color? Beets. The Blue Point No Apologies, a double IPA with a smooth caramel malt flavor — albeit a little too dark for my tastes.

No matter what, with 400 bottled beers and 16 on tap, combined with the Pittsburgh-friendly menu, it’s possible to eat local from first sip to last bite.

Bocktown Beer & Grill, 690 Chauvet Drive, North Fayette. 412.788.2333. bocktown.com .