As a student, I am always looking for fun activities to do that are near TCNJ that allow me to explore the surrounding areas. The nice thing about TCNJ being so close to the Pennsylvania border is that we get the luxury of getting to go to places out of state, some only being 15 minutes away. This past weekend, my parents and I headed to the Vault Brewing Company in Yardley where they were hosting their own Oktoberfest!Â
I have been to an Oktoberfest in Smithville Village, NJ, but they had vendors and made it more of an actual festival. I have also never had the privilege to travel to Germany to attend the real deal (maybe one day I will). So a few weeks back when I was in the Pretty Bird Coffee (check out this Her Campus article to learn more!) and saw a sign promoting the event, I immediately took a picture so I could find out more.Â
In order to attend the event, you were required to purchase a ticket. This ticket included a Vault Brewery beer stein and a free first round. They had a select menu for the event that highlighted their best choices of beer. I personally selected Of Hops and Clouds, a New England style pale ale. As someone who is slowly trying to expand their beer pallet, this one was nice because it was light while still holding a strong flavor; I proudly finished my entire stein. As for the food (personally my favorite part), they compiled a menu of German classics. They offered a giant pretzel served with beer cheese and apple pie cream cheese frosting, reuben tater tots, kartoffelpuffer (potato pancakes), bratwurst, knockworst, kielbasa, and sides such as german potato salad, red cabbage, and sauerkraut. My parents and I decided to get the pretzel and the Smorgasbord Platter which came with one bratwurst, knockworst, and kielbasa, as well as the german potato salad, sauerkraut, red cabbage, and a potato pancake. The food was absolutely delicious. We wanted to order more to try the other selections, but we were so full that we unfortunately couldn’t. There was also live authentic music performed by the incredible Philly German Brass. They were so fun and lively, between making jokes with the audience and teaching about the stories the songs told, they kept us laughing and dancing the whole afternoon.Â
I definitely recommend going to this event in the future! It was absolutely worth it and I had such an incredible time. If you can’t attend Oktoberfest at the brewery, I recommend going to the Vault Brewing Company in general. The location and atmosphere are lovely, making for a fun night out with friends or a cozy date night with your partner. Prost (cheers) and happy Oktoberfest!