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Pennsylvania Brewing Company
800 Vinial Street
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, 15212
United States
(412) 237-9402 | map
pennbrew.com
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by jdmorgan:
Reviewed by jdmorgan from Virginia
4.25/5 rDev +3.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5
4.25/5 rDev +3.4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 5
The Penn Brewery is situated on Pittsburgh's north shore up on the hill of Germantown and across from the Heinz Plant. It is a little tough to get to, but has a very Pittsburgh feel to it once you find it.
The brewery has a Beer Garden that they use for many summer events. Once entering the brewery, you are greeted with a grand beer hall styled after Germanic halls that affords a good view of the copper brewing kettles on the other side of a glass wall. Seating is accomplished by large wooden tables and benches with a small bar situated on one side of the room. Going down a flight of stairs will take you to an additional room in the basement (where you can also see the conditioning tanks).
The selection of beer is pretty good and you can get any beer that is available by the brewery (except for seasonals that aren't being made). Service is pretty good and the food is very good. I recommend the Currant Chicken with Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Although a bit pricey for Pittsburgh, (1) The prices are actually quite reasonable on a national scale, and (2) You definately get what you pay for. A large 20 oz. Penn Weizen draft will run you about $4.50, which isn't too bad at all.
The brewery also features live entertainment on weekends as well as many beer-themed events throughout the year. Going to the brewery with my friends has always been a fun tradition and the brewery is always a good time. If in Pittsburgh, you must go and eat dinner here.
Jan 23, 2008The brewery has a Beer Garden that they use for many summer events. Once entering the brewery, you are greeted with a grand beer hall styled after Germanic halls that affords a good view of the copper brewing kettles on the other side of a glass wall. Seating is accomplished by large wooden tables and benches with a small bar situated on one side of the room. Going down a flight of stairs will take you to an additional room in the basement (where you can also see the conditioning tanks).
The selection of beer is pretty good and you can get any beer that is available by the brewery (except for seasonals that aren't being made). Service is pretty good and the food is very good. I recommend the Currant Chicken with Garlic Mashed Potatoes. Although a bit pricey for Pittsburgh, (1) The prices are actually quite reasonable on a national scale, and (2) You definately get what you pay for. A large 20 oz. Penn Weizen draft will run you about $4.50, which isn't too bad at all.
The brewery also features live entertainment on weekends as well as many beer-themed events throughout the year. Going to the brewery with my friends has always been a fun tradition and the brewery is always a good time. If in Pittsburgh, you must go and eat dinner here.
More User Ratings:
Reviewed by PapaGoose03 from Michigan
4.24/5 rDev +3.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4 | food: 4.75
4.24/5 rDev +3.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4 | food: 4.75
Stopped here for an early dinner on a Saturday and it wasn't busy. The location is in an old building, and a beer garden is situated in an alley-like area between the pub and the neighboring building. Parking appears to be curb only, but a small lot might be available (I didn't look at the sign). We sat indoors. The interior is a bit dark, and the walls and floor have finished surfaces, the ceiling doesn't. A U-shaped bar with seating is to one side, and a modest number of table/booths provide the seating. The brewing equipment is visible thru windows, and a couple of TVs are mounted on the walls. I liked the vibe. There is also a Ratskeller in the basement.
We ordered a sampler flight of 6 beers so that we could try most of their German-inspired lagers. Every one of them was brewed very well to style so that we ended up with an overall rating of B+ for them. None stood out to be notable for mention here, but all of them were very good.
We also ordered German-inspired food items, and what we ate was exceptional! I wish this place was my local brewery. Food and beer menus are available online.
An additional note: When I looked at the BA ratings for the beers that we sampled I was surprised at the relatively lower ratings compared to what we experienced. I can only guess that many raters don't appreciate lagers or German styles, or maybe many of the ratings are from bottles purchased elsewhere that are old. Just an observation, but don't let he ratings of the beers stop you from coming to this brewery. It's highly recommended.
Mar 05, 2022We ordered a sampler flight of 6 beers so that we could try most of their German-inspired lagers. Every one of them was brewed very well to style so that we ended up with an overall rating of B+ for them. None stood out to be notable for mention here, but all of them were very good.
We also ordered German-inspired food items, and what we ate was exceptional! I wish this place was my local brewery. Food and beer menus are available online.
An additional note: When I looked at the BA ratings for the beers that we sampled I was surprised at the relatively lower ratings compared to what we experienced. I can only guess that many raters don't appreciate lagers or German styles, or maybe many of the ratings are from bottles purchased elsewhere that are old. Just an observation, but don't let he ratings of the beers stop you from coming to this brewery. It's highly recommended.
Rated by Rubezahl from Pennsylvania
4.44/5 rDev +8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
4.44/5 rDev +8%
vibe: 5 | quality: 4 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
Great beer hall atmosphere
Jul 07, 2018Reviewed by glass_house from Ohio
3.79/5 rDev -7.8%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.25 | food: 4
3.79/5 rDev -7.8%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.25 | food: 4
Some of their beers are great, some leave a lot to be desired, and most are pretty middle of the road. Typically at least 10 on tap. Never had bad service or a bad meal.
Jan 20, 2017Rated by brother_rebus from Maine
3.93/5 rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
3.93/5 rDev -4.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4
good selection of styles. had a burger that was massive and cooked perfectly. Had live music playing some dead tunes. Will be back again.
Jun 29, 2015Rated by SaisonRichBiere from Michigan
3.86/5 rDev -6.1%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.5
3.86/5 rDev -6.1%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.5
Great spot for traditional German style beers native to Pennsylvania. Great Hefeweizen and Lagers. Would visit again, any time I'm in Pittsburgh.
Jun 22, 2015Reviewed by deleted_user_971432
4.75/5 rDev +15.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 5
4.75/5 rDev +15.6%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4 | selection: 5 | food: 5
I just made my way over there with a friend on a Friday night for small after dinner bites and brews. The place is mobbed with people on weekend nights and the service does suffer slightly, but not anything overly irritating. The server was also the bartender which was pretty odd. I think they were a bit under staffed. He was very courteous and generous with extra beer samples. I had the buffalo chicken perogies and my girl had the chili. Both were excellent. I had the ginger beer and she had the Penn Pilsner. The cool thing was that when I asked our server for a sample of the Berlin Wiessen he gave me a generous portion of that and also we sampled the Pendimoniom as well. The Berlin Weiss was pretty sour and tasted like champagne, so not the best choice. Their main beers are very light standard beer drinking beers, but they make interesting seasonal beers and what they call brewers choice beers. There is alot of German style beers which is typical of brewers from this area. I want to go back during the week to see if the service is a bit better when they are slower.
Jun 21, 2015Rated by ksolekjr from Minnesota
4.75/5 rDev +15.6%
4.75/5 rDev +15.6%
One of the best Octoberfests I have been to
Dec 05, 2014Rated by Vero-Dave from Pennsylvania
4.75/5 rDev +15.6%
4.75/5 rDev +15.6%
Legit brewery atmosphere. Above average German food and good beer. Recommended!
Nov 25, 2014Rated by petervicinski from Pennsylvania
5/5 rDev +21.7%
5/5 rDev +21.7%
Fantastic Brewery! A true gem in the beer world.
Nov 22, 2014Rated by mattsmith20 from Pennsylvania
4.25/5 rDev +3.4%
4.25/5 rDev +3.4%
Great, fresh beer and authentic German food. Can't go wrong!
Oct 13, 2014
Pennsylvania Brewing Company in Pittsburgh, PA
Brewery rating:
3.62 out of
5 with
4065 ratings
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