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Local restaurants, pubs,
and even entire towns
get in on Oktoberfest action.
By Katie Mavrich | Photography by Megan Wylie
The beer connoisseur does not need an occasion to saddle up to a bar and order a micro brew, but Oktoberfest celebrations are as good a reason as anything. The 16-day festival originated in Munich, Germany, in 1810 as a celebration of the marriage of Crown Prince Ludwig and Princess Therese of Saxe-Hildburghausen, but is celebrated today around the world. Mugs of frosty Oktoberfest beers are filled, German bands play live music, and bratwursts abound. For Bocktown Beer and Grill’s “beer librarian” Tera Bevilacqua, Oktoberfest beers signal that her favorite time of year is here. “I get very excited to see the Oktoberfests come wheeling in through the front door, because it means two things: fall, my favorite season, is right around the bend, and the season of malty beers is upon us — my favorite style of brew,” she says. We put together the go-to guide for celebrating the season, from where to go, to what to eat and drink.
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Bocktown Beer & Grill
Tera Bevilacqua, the aforementioned beer librarian, loves pairing Bell’s Oktoberfest — a copper, amber hued beer with a mild bite — with the restaurant’s Seafood Trio entrée — lightly seasoned and chargrilled Ahi tuna, salmon, and jumbo shrimp served with steamed rice and fresh, seasonal vegetables. Great Lakes Oktoberfest’s slight bitterness pairs well with the oh-so-spicy mussels Diablo. Or, sample a Thirsty Dog Barktoberfest, a traditional old world German-style lager made with all German yeast and hops, while enjoying the carnivore’s dream entrée — filet mignon, pulled pork, bratwurst, and hot sausage meatballs served with various dipping sauces. The daring beer drinker will look past the screaming red hue of Shmaltz Brewing Co.’s Cooney Island Freaktoberfest — a crisp, spiced lager with hints of dried pears and apple. Try it with Bocktown’s traditional West End Wings with bleu cheese dressing.
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Barley’s & Hop’s Beer Café and Bottle Shop
Parking may be scarce, but the Oktoberfest beer will be flowing at Barley’s & Hop’s Beer Café and Bottle Shop in Bethel Park — a cross between a German bier garten and a New Orleans coffee house, sans coffee, Barley’s puts up a large tent in the parking lot for the celebration. This year’s free event — buy your food and beer, though — October 10-11, is the third Oktoberfest for the Café, and coowner Tim Santoro is ready to drink his favorite Oktoberfest beers — Ayinger Oktober Fest-Marzen, with a sweet and bitter ending and Hofbräu Oktoberfest, a full-bodied beer which pairs well with Bavarian fare — which will also be served at Barley’s & Hop’s celebration. “Even Sam Adams Oktoberfest is good for being relatively cheap and easy to find,” Santoro says.
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North Country Brewing Co.
It might not be Oktoberfest per se, but North Country Brewing Co., in Slippery Rock, holds its Fourth Annual Brewfest, Slippery Rock Beer & Wine Festival, on September 26.
Breweries such as East End Brewing Company, Erie Brewing Company, Voodoo Brewery, Red Star Brewery & Grille, and of course, North Country, will be on hand for three tasting sessions. Even wineries are getting in on the action — La Casa Narcisi and Winfield Winery will offer tastings as well. While you are there, be sure to check out the bathrooms — the space used to be a mortuary, and the bathrooms are located in the former embalming rooms.
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