brew review | 07.19.17
Happy Wednesday! Instead of going a glass of vino on #WineWednesday, I've got to share some of the yummy new breweries we've been checking out in the Burgh.
The Man Friend's dad and stepmom are visiting us from Texas this week. His pops is a beer aficionado and is actually in the process of getting a craft brewery started up back home. Needless to say...he knows his stuff. A good portion of their trip out here will be spent trying different beers and getting ideas for new brews.
Family and beer drinking go together like peas and carrots.
grist house | 10 sherman street, pittsburgh
So far, this is my favorite Pittsburgh brewery. It's got open air seating under the tents, a covered patio, a ton of fresh brews on tap, a schedule of rotating food trucks, and (the best part), it's dog friendly. Yes. You can drink amazing beers and pet puppies all the live long day. It's heavenly.
Though their beer list is based on what they're brewing, the "in" thing right now is New England-style IPAs. If you've never tried one, take a sip. They're hazy as hell because they're unfiltered. And they're usually described as "juicy." These beers basically look like orange juice...and they're super citrusy, so they kind of taste like it, too. Since they're the new big thing right now, many breweries run out quickly - but Grist House has two on tap right. this. minute. Their other brews, including the Pilgrim Surfer double IPA and the Little Kahuna Pineapple Sour, are just as tasty but a different style.
hop farm | 5601 butler street, lawrenceville
This small tap room has several brews on tap. There are plenty of standards with lots of seasonal plus two (rotating) nitro taps. I love pretty much anything on nitro. Especially when it's a deep dark porter like Fresh Pot o' Porter, which is full of coffee and chocolate flavors. We even took home a growler. However, 64 ounces of alcoholic "cold brew" mid-summer is a little much, even for me. Another honorable mention is the Berliner Weisse, Margot - relatively easy drinking, but not, by any stretch, a top tier brew.
The snack fare at Hop Farm is totally worth mentioning - the nachos are stacked high on a slab of tree trunk and piled high with gouda cheese, sausage, and jalapeños. It's definitely worth a trip.
allegheny city brewing | 507 foreland street, pittsburgh
This is a relatively new brewery, but they're off to a decent start. Unfortunately, we managed to find them in the middle of the Deutschtown Music Festival last weekend. The festival itself is an interesting concept - live bands sprinkled throughout the bars, restaurants, and parking lots of Pittsburgh's Deutschtown neighborhood. However, the only brewery open in the area was Allegheny City Brewing and there was a line out the door. Great for the brewery...not so great for the patrons.
ACB ran out of several of the beers on their list due to the sheer number of people who attended the festival. However, the beers looked interesting and I'd like to go back. The one I tried was okay (the brown ale, I think), but the Man Friend's Funkadelic sour was probably the best.
cobblehaus brewing company | 1021 fifth street, coraopolis
This place is so new you can smell the fresh paint! A little downtown spot with lots of little winding hallways outside of the tasting room offers a Belgian-style beer selection. If you take a little detour down the (long) hall to the bathroom, you might catch them brewing in one of the back rooms.
The Sammy B Hefe was probably my favorite. It's a super easy to drink beer that's perfect for summer days...as long as you drink in their taproom. Cobblehaus isn't *quite* ready to offer cans, bottles, or growlers just yet. The Lady Gail, a "non-traditional Belgian dubbel," which means it's basically a lighter dubbel with fewer malty flavors. It was surprisingly mild for a Belgian - not at all like drinking liquid bread.
church brew works | 3525 liberty avenue, pittsburgh
Church Brew Works is the very first brewery I visited in Pittsburgh when I flew out to visit the Man Friend (sure glad we don't live apart anymore!). Though it's far from being my favorite, it's definitely worth stopping by for a drink. Because seriously...how many times can you say you've had beer in church? This brewery used to be a Catholic Church, and now, brew kettles are what sits on the area where the altar.
Known for their Celestial Gold pilsner and Pious Monk dunkel, Church Brew works also offers a variety of seasonal flavors. When I visited this winter, my favorite was probably the cinnamon and chocolate stout, which was a perfect way to warm up on drizzly days...along with some of their hot soup, as they also have a full restaurant menu. Though I loathe the smell of this place (like a frat house after a party), it's apparently "just how a brewery smells," according the the Man Friend.
