The O-town Scene

August 01, 2013

The O-town Scene - Oneonta, NY

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A Beer Festival About Nothing You're either one of the lucky 3,000, or you aren't. That's how many tickets have been sold for this year's Belgium Comes to Cooperstown event on Aug. 3, an exclusive beer-tasting event at Brewery Ommegang featuring a staggering 300 varieties of beer. (VIP tickets sold out in 18 seconds, so if you missed them, don't feel too bad.) According to the Cooperstown brewery, the festival "offers beer enthusiasts the opportunity to taste hard-to-find Belgian ales from the Motherland and Belgianstyle ales from all over North America." Seventy-five breweries will be on hand to pour all that beer. This year's theme Oh yeah. Did we mention the food? In addition to gourmet food vendors and cheese tastings, this year's festival will feature the grand finale of the brewery's Hop Chef competition series, presented in partnership with the esteemed food magazine Saveur. Chefs have competed in Philadelphia, Boston, Chicago and Albany for the chance to compete at Belgium Comes to Cooperstown. The lineup of 2013 Hop Chef contestants is Nick Macri of SouthWark in Philadelphia, Michael Lombardi Jr. of The Salty Pig in Boston, Josh Smith of Franklin Cafe in Boston, Cosmo Goss of Publican Quality Meats in Chicago and Mark Graham of Max London's in Saratoga Springs. These pretzels are making me thirsty. Each chef will create a "perfect pairing" of food and an Ommegang ale. The dishes will be judged by a panel of national and local food and beer critics. The champion will win a prize package including a 12-month position on SAVEUR Magazine's Taste Makers Board, a showcase at StarChef's International Chefs Convention 2013, and a showcase area with Brewery Ommegang at SAVEUR's Summer BBQ 2014. The slogan for this year's BCTC is "A Beer Festival about Nothing," incorporating a New York/Seinfeld theme (with a logo to match). Brooklyn artist Mike Perry, who recently designed glassware for Duvel, will host an art contest, and live music will round out the event. Plus there's a Ferris wheel, and a cigar tent. Because, why not? So if you know anyone who works at Ommegang, now's the time to call in a favor. If not, take heart; there's always next year. A SMART WAY TO HELP HER ON THE ROAD TO INDEPENDENCE. B A N K I N G F O R YO U N G A D U LT S . NBT Bank offers iStrive Checking, Debit and Savings products, built specifically for young adults. Designed to grow with their individual needs, iStrive provides hands-on experience in managing their money and supports a positive relationship with personal finance. NBT Bank also provides valuable educational resources to help grow their money skills. At NBT Bank, we're as committed as you are to helping them achieve their goals. For more information visit nbtbank.com/istrive or our local offices today. Member FDIC OPEN YOUR ACCOUNT ONLINE August 1, 2013 O-Town Scene 19

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