Nearly 300 people took part in the second annual Bradford Brewfest on Saturday evening at St. Bernard Elementary and Middle School, tasting a wide variety of craft beers, malt beverages and more — including some new flavors never available before.

The event, sponsored by the Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce, Glenwood Beer Distributors and Bradford City Beers, also featured live musical entertainment by Two Guys Drinking Beer and food from four local restaurants. 

“It was great, we had a wonderful turnout of a great group of people,” said Kara Kennedy, Bradford Area Chamber of Commerce event coordinator, on Sunday. “This is the second time we’ve had it in the winter-time, and I heard somebody say, ‘it’s a great cabin fever event.’ 

“It’s that time of year when people are looking for something to do to get out of the house, spend time with friends and have some fun,” Kennedy said.

Kennedy said she was glad the weather didn’t deter people, and that it really made it cozy and enjoyable to be gathered indoors to taste the beverages and partake in the food and entertainment.

“We had folks that were obviously determined to get there, and we’re glad they came out,” Kennedy said.

Glenwood Beer Distributors offered samples of a variety of brew flavors at eight stations, including pale ales, pilsners, IPAs, porters/stouts/bocks, a tour of the world, lagers, gluten free and malt beverages. Organizers said samples were arranged by category so attendees could easily identify their favorite styles or try something new.

“One of the exciting things about Bradford’s Brewfest is the opportunity to sample new items, beverages that aren’t even available for sale yet in the local area,” Kennedy said. “This year, for example, we (were) able to bring two brand new Mike’s malt beverage flavors to our Brewfest guests — a seasonal Mike’s Hard Peach Lemonade and Mike’s LITE Black Cherry Lemonade, sweetened with honey.”

Also among the array of samples was Miller Fortune, a new beer available for the first time ever on Saturday. Fortune, a brand new Miller product, has a malty, complex flavor with subtle notes of bourbon, according to the company.

There were brews from more than 10 different breweries on hand as well as other beers and beverages available for purchase in the bar area at the event, according to Kennedy.

“The feedback was really positive,” she said. “We had 46 different flavors of beer for people to sample. Some said they weren’t normally beer drinkers, but they liked being able to try new things. Others who knew their beers really enjoyed it as well — testing out the new flavors and things that are just hitting the market.”

Kennedy she is still tallying the many ballots cast by attendees who took the time to vote for their favorites.

She said people came from as far away as Oil City, and there were attendees from St. Marys and Salamanca, N.Y., who said they were checking out the event in consideration of planning similar events in their communities.

“It’s nice to have that interest already when it’s only the second year we’ve held it,” Kennedy said.

Featured Chamber member restaurants included The Aud, serving Louisiana chicken sandwiches and beer cheese soup with a soft pretzel; Main Street Broaster, serving pulled pork sandwiches with chips and chicken wing dip; Monte’s Bar, serving meatball and sausage sandwiches; and Pizza Napoli, serving four varieties of pizza by the slice.

“We had a really nice variety of food and everyone really liked it,” Kennedy said. “Two Guys Drinking Beer did a fantastic job. The music was great and we had people up dancing and having a great time with that, too.”

Additional features of the Brewfest included a Chinese auction with brew-themed items and other fun prizes and giveaways. Bradford Summer Brewfest t-shirts were available for purchase and door prize drawings were held throughout the evening.

A new item available for purchase this year were pretzel necklaces. Made by the students of St. Bernard school, they were able to worn and nibbled on between samples, and proceeds went to the school.

“People said they’re already looking forward to the next one,” Kennedy said.