The Millvale Brew Festival will for the second year set up on the Allegheny River in Millvale Riverfront Park -- this time for 1 to 4 p.m. and 5 to 8 p.m. sessions on Saturday.

Tickets are $30 per session in advance, or $35 at the event, and include beer and the obligatory souvenir tasting glass, plus picnic food (with vegetarian and vegan options) and live entertainment (designated drivers can get food tickets for $10 or $15). Proceeds benefit the nonprofit Millvale Development Corp. and Millvale Main Street as those groups work to improve the town that was smacked hard by flooding from 2004's Hurricane Ivan.

The event's lovely poster, featuring a paddlewheeler, the Katie H, which is docked in town on the Allegheny, was done by longtime Millvale lover and resident Tom Walker, who paddles a kayak on the river to his job as a multimedia designer at Mullen, the advertising and public relations firm in the Strip District.

Mr. Walker says he talked to the sternwheeler's owner, Vince Hammill, who said, sure, he could depict the rebuilt 1932 commercial tow, which the artist did, pushing not a barge but a big beer barrel.

For festival tickets, which can be bought at the municipal building and other Millvale locations, and more, call 412-821-2717 or visit millvalepa.com. And when you're there, you can buy, along with other souvenirs, signed copies of the poster.

In its 11th year, things are looking up for the State College MicroBrewers and Importers Exposition.

Up-scaled a bit, that is.

The popular "BrewExpo," which has always said it's about "Drink less, drink the best," nonetheless could get pretty raucous, especially when the brews flowed in the evening sessions.

But the organizer, Greg Somers, aims to change that by turning the second half into an "Evening Connoisseur Session," pairing beers with fine food.

The festival will be held Aug. 16. The first session, from 1 to 4 p.m., will be like past years, with attendees getting a souvenir glass to taste 150-plus craft and imported beers, along with an international buffet in an adjacent hall at the Penn Stater Conference Center Hotel. Tickets are $47.25.

For the 5 to 8 p.m. session, tickets are $77.25, but the food will be served in the main hall, where attendees can hover at cocktail tables with linen and nicer tableware. Mr. Somers says, "We're thinking of it as kind of a stand-up beer dinner for 400," the limit for attendance for the session.

He and some other beer aficionados were to plan the suggested beer pairings, which will be posted at each food station, serving everything from Halibut Cheeks Fried in Ale Batter to Spicy African Style Samosas to Warm Chocolate Calzone with Wild Berry Sauce.

Attendees can make and share their own pairing recommendations: Mr. Somers says a "cool little twist I have planned is to have a live chat session going during the evening show, so the Web 2.0 crowd can post real-time messages for other guests" to read on a screen or kiosk.

But beer is still the focus. In a special message explaining the "integrity check," changes and the menu on the event's Web site, scbrewexpo.com, Mr. Somers notes, "Brewers will be asked to bring some special, limited-supply beers to the evening show that will not be available during the afternoon."

He says that organizers plan to limit attendance at the first session to about 1,200, instead of the 1,500 it grew to be, to shorten lines.

Attendees can sign up for talks by Dave Staab, manager of Zeno's Pub, and Ken Hull and The Beer Geeks, and the shorter "Beer 101: An Introduction to Craft-Brewed Beers" series of 15-minute seminars. Mr. Somers may lead an additional talk himself, tentatively titled "Old Men and Old Beer."

Rooms are available at the Penn Stater for $119 and up (1-814-863-5000). For expo tickets (subject to $2.75 per ticket handling charge if purchased from the Hotel State College) and information, visit scbrewexpo.com or call 1-814-237-4350.

Bierfest 2008 is set for the Teutonia Mannerchor, the usually members-only German club on the North Side, from 8 p.m. to midnight on Sept. 6, and from 1 to 5 p.m. on Sept. 7. Admission is $10, or $15 for both days, and entitles you to one sample of several German brews, including Spezial Rauchbier (a smoked beer), plus beers from EKU, Hacker-Pschorr, Weltenburg and Spaten. You can purchase additional bottles. You also get to listen to the Lustige Almdudler German Band and watch the Alpen Schuhplattler dancers. On Saturday you can purchase an Oktoberfest buffet for an additional $12.95; Sunday's food menu is a la carte wursts. For tickets (that you must buy through a member) and information, call 724-444-6207 or 412-231-1486 or visit pghmannerchor.com.

Also in September is the Steel City Big Pour, two three-hour sessions on Sept. 13 of craft beer from 30 breweries, food from 20 restaurants and more at Construction Junction in Point Breeze ($35 in advance, $40 at the door, constructionjunc-tion.org or 412-243-5025).