House of 1000 Beers

Bar, Eatery, Beer-to-go

357 Freeport St
New Kensington, Pennsylvania, 15068-6014
United States

(724) 337-7666 | map
houseof1000beers.com
PLACE STATS
Average:
4.36
Reviews:
76
Ratings:
116
pDev:
12.16%
View: Place Reviews
Recent ratings and reviews. | Log in to view more ratings + sorting options.
Ratings by kbuzz:
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Reviewed by kbuzz from North Carolina

4.04/5  rDev -7.3%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4.5
I've now been to this location a few times. The selection is definitely the best in the area...(for example...the only place where you can get Russian River releases in Pittsburgh). Maybe just a tad pricier than it should be...but you can enjoy a draft of something rare while perusing the selection... when the owner is there, questions don't go unanswered...but on more than a few occasions, I've stopped by when the guy behind the counter didn't know anything about anything. Still...I try to stop by as often as I'm in New Ken or even Oakmont to be honest.
Oct 09, 2011
More User Ratings:
Photo of stevoj
Reviewed by stevoj from Idaho

3.53/5  rDev -19%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 3.75 | selection: 3.25 | food: 3.75
I see most of these reviews are a bit old and may not reflect the current operation. A name change might be in order as well, to House of 300 Beers. Bar in the back, about 12 local taps, flights available. Wonderful, friendly service. Small menu, pizza was delicious. Shelf stock was a disappointment, same stuff on the shelves as in the cooler. Lots of empty space in those coolers too. Not the world class shop I thought I was getting.
Oct 30, 2023
 
Rated: 3.95 by Octoberist from Pennsylvania

Sep 16, 2018
 
Rated: 4.04 by epyon396 from Pennsylvania

Nov 10, 2017
 
Rated: 4.19 by tdm168 from Pennsylvania

Oct 23, 2017
 
Rated: 4.45 by heddar33 from Pennsylvania

May 23, 2017
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Reviewed by baerb69 from Maryland

4.43/5  rDev +1.6%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.75
I come here about three times per year to visit in-laws. This place defines the term "diamond in the rough", as it is not in the typical hipster trendy neighborhoods that craft beer shops often pop up (note...park in front and lock your car). I have been all over the country and I would say: top-notch beer selection; great bomber selection (for the location); priced high. As I have been coming here for years, one thing that is severely underrated is the food! They have gone from microwave snacks to food that deserves the attention of Guy Fieri (this place classifies as a dive)! If you are not local and stop in, do yourself a favor and have some food! The pizza and burgers are amazing. The pulled pork tacos are off the chain! Service is always friendly and first-class (whether for bottles or at the bar). As their bar/seating areas have grown over the years, there is still a struggle for seating when busy. I look forward to my visits to PA!
Dec 24, 2016
 
Rated: 4.74 by ArtAttackEd from Pennsylvania

Feb 16, 2016
Photo of DrDemento456
Reviewed by DrDemento456 from Pennsylvania

4.13/5  rDev -5.3%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4 | service: 4 | selection: 4.25
One the best bottle shops in Pittsburgh with actually over 1000 different types of craft beers to choose from. This place has gone through a lot of changes in later years back in the day offering mix six packs as cheap as $10 then increased to 10.95. Now they have buy 5 bottles and get the 6th free which in the end comes to about $18 a six pack not the worst deal. Especially finding stuff you're not going to find anywhere else. Bomber selection is expensive but that's understandable for PA.

Overall I think I'm going to shop at carnivores now since the price is getting a bit out of hand at this shop and will only go there to mix a six pack if I'm in need of new brews.

One final note they do overcharge quite a bit for one off and limited releases so you may want to shop around before putting down 4 to 5 dollars for that single.
Jan 15, 2016
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Rated by RupePSU from Kentucky

4.61/5  rDev +5.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 5 | food: 4
Awesome selection (draft and bottles) and reasonable prices. Menu is typical bar food, but it's well done. Great spot.
Dec 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4.44 by Rodosman from Pennsylvania

Nov 24, 2015
Photo of FoamyHeadDave
Reviewed by FoamyHeadDave from Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -4.1%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.25
A little out of the way if you live outside of the eastern suburbs of Pittsburgh, but worth the trip for a couple of reasons. (1.) John, the GM, is the friendliest guy you'll ever meet. Always willing to talk and has recommended some amazing beers to me over the years. (2.) As noted in some other reviews, some evenings they are a little short staffed, but they all work very hard and always have smiles on their faces when serving you. (3.) Beer selection is out of this world, especially their "bomber" selection. Yes, a little pricey, but they will have bottles you won't find anywhere else in the area. (4.) And this is the best reason to stop...THE GIANT PRETZEL! At $11 you might think it's crazy to order, but when this thing shows up in a small pizza box with the most awesome dipping mustards you've ever tasted...trust me...you'll thank me later.
Nov 16, 2015
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Reviewed by deleted_user_971432

4.93/5  rDev +13.1%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 5
I am going to re-review this as I have just visited this place for a second time. I did not however get any food items I was just going to pick up some beers to go, but I thought it would be ashame if I didn't get some beers on tap. I did notice that they have gotten some all new beers and quite a few that I was interested in. I like that they have some summery beers, but also still have a good selection of stouts, vegetable beers, IPA's and just a good strong variety in general. I went for the Neon Gypsy by DuClaw, the Citra Pils by Pizza Boy and the Neapolitan stout by Saugataw. The beers on tap always taste magical for some reason everytime I go. There are so many places that don't clean their taps, or don't keep them up to temperature that it is very refreshing to be at a place that does a good job on those counts. I bought some bottles there that I took to go. I do find that some of the bottles taste a bit kicked, or gone bad from time to time. I will have to be back to have some of the beers on tap.
Oct 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4.38 by Grodd87 from Pennsylvania

Aug 27, 2015
 
Rated: 4.01 by JArt from Pennsylvania

Jul 23, 2015
 
Rated: 4.8 by kkdowning from Pennsylvania

Jul 17, 2015
 
Rated: 4.33 by brother_rebus from Maine

Jun 25, 2015
 
Rated: 4.19 by Brown120 from Pennsylvania

May 23, 2015
 
Rated: 4.5 by YetiMaas from Pennsylvania

Apr 25, 2015
Photo of Bone53
Reviewed by Bone53 from Pennsylvania

4.39/5  rDev +0.7%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 3
Staff member was knowledgeable about beer and directed me to different ones. Definitely the best selection iv seen in the Pittsburgh area. They have certain beers you can mix and match for $10.95, but most of them are around that price at Giant Eagle anyways.. its cool being able to mix n match them though. Then there are beers that are more scarce, and you are going to pay a premium with that. However, some of those beers you can get at a reasonale price. Buy five beers and the sixth one (cheapest one) is a penny. The two negatives i would say about this place is the high price on certain hard to find beers, and beers being past their best by date. Theres more supply than demand and beers sit for months and months before being bought. Thats not good for an IPA. Moral of the story: Play smart and dont be tricked into paying a ridiculous price for a sought after beer, and either look for a date on IPAs or buy beers that age well. Just my two cents. Cheers!

I paid $30 for a sixer and bomber of highly rated beers that iv never been able to find before. Kind of high, but for those reasons i tell myself its worth it. I say its worth splurging here every once in a while or on special occasions
Mar 19, 2015
 
Rated: 4.4 by Whitey_from_Remedy from Pennsylvania

Feb 17, 2015
Photo of Dray
Reviewed by Dray from Pennsylvania

4.86/5  rDev +11.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 5
WOW!! literally a thousand beers! The mix six price was set lower than anywhere ive been, ever. There are beers there that I have never seen in western PA. I was blown away and as I was verbalizing how blown away with the selection I was one of the staff directed me toward their draft list! BOOM!!!! Oh yeah, we do growlers too!! Well over 35 beers on tap and I'm not talking Miller, Bud or Coors.
Feb 17, 2015
 
Rated: 4.45 by geodonnokepyo from Pennsylvania

Jan 27, 2015
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Reviewed by Joseph_Bodziock from Pennsylvania

4.9/5  rDev +12.4%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 4
They don't just sell beer; they're smart, fun, creative and very helpful. I'd go higher than 5 on the selection if I could. Offers among the best, if not the best, selection of beers on-tap. The food is fairly basic, but good, and getting better.
Jan 06, 2015
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Reviewed by Craft_Imperial from Pennsylvania

3.75/5  rDev -14%
vibe: 2.5 | quality: 3.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 3.75 | food: 3.75
Adjusted my food rating. Since the remodeling and upgrade to the food menu all prices have gone up and I no longer go here. This used to be my go to place. Some draft prices are higher than I've seen anywhere and plus it is a 10.5 oz or 9oz. Hope things become reasonable again and I'll come back, good bartenders and manager.
Dec 29, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by JuMa44 from Pennsylvania

Dec 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by baybum from Pennsylvania

Nov 17, 2014
 
Photo of Jeff412pgh
Rated by Jeff412pgh from Pennsylvania

4/5  rDev -8.3%
Great selection for the area. Little pricey but I manage to convince myself it's worth it every time.
Oct 15, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by McMatt7 from Pennsylvania

Oct 15, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Walkerjgt from Ohio

Oct 01, 2014
 
Rated: 4.2 by Possum77 from Pennsylvania

Sep 30, 2014
 
Rated: 5 by OleDixie from Pennsylvania

Sep 18, 2014
 
Rated: 4.75 by Dogleg from Pennsylvania

Sep 02, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by muskiesman from New Jersey

Aug 22, 2014
Photo of cwcolby74
Reviewed by cwcolby74 from Indiana

4.66/5  rDev +6.9%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.75 | selection: 5
The selection was terrific. It was especially good considering Pennsylvania has such arcane beer laws, and the Pittsburgh area doesn't seem to have many bottle shops, just bars/restaurants that have six-packs for carryout. This place had everything I could've asked for.

Second, the owner is great. Very knowledgable and helpful with regard to his inventory and what he can/can't get. I hadn't been in the store 30 seconds and he was all over me, asking if I needed help, picking my brain about what I was looking for, offering suggestions, etc. He followed me from shelf to shelf across the entire store for most of my time there, making suggestions about what's good, what's local, what's an interesting take on a particular style, etc. (and that was what I wanted. I'm not from Pennsylvania and hadn't even heard of most of the brands they had. I wanted a good cross-section that I could take back to Indiana with me). He even let me sample a Firestone Walker beer on tap that they had in bottle and I was intrigued by.

Third, as other reviewers noted, the place is totally out of the way. It's not hard to get to, per se, it's just remote. But I'm always up for a good road trip, especially if there's a payoff in the end.

Fourth, yes, some of the stuff he has is expensive. A lot of his bombers (the vast majority, actually) were priced way beyond what I would ever consider paying. A lot of his singles are marked up pretty significantly as well (even some of the lower-end stuff is $3.00 a bottle). He had pint cans of Half Acre from Chicago that he had priced at $7.50 each. HOWEVER....He seems to go to great trouble and expense to grab beers that no other place in the area would be able to get. He prices stuff accordingly, and if what he told me was true (and I have no reason to believe it isn't) he sells the stuff. It doesn't just sit. So if he can get that much money for the stuff, and it's helping him to keep the lights on and to pay the two other guys who work there, I don't have a problem with it.

The highlight for me was chatting with the staff and the mix six-pack area. Plenty of selection that seems to rotate frequently, lots of local and regional stuff, all for like $11. I bought five six-packs. I think if you're open-minded about the location and no-frills atmosphere of the store and you're looking for variety, it's perfect. If you have some money and are willing to pay for something you'd never have a chance of seeing otherwise, all the better.
Aug 08, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by classixIII from Pennsylvania

Jul 26, 2014
 
Rated: 4.25 by _morandi_ from California

Jul 14, 2014
 
Rated: 4.5 by miffsudd from Michigan

Jul 11, 2014
 
Rated: 4 by DrBier from Pennsylvania

Jul 11, 2014
House of 1000 Beers in New Kensington, PA
Place rating: 4.36 out of 5 with 116 ratings