Cinderlands Beer Co.

 

 

Went on a typical busy but not too busy Saturday afternoon and was able to sit at the upstairs bar (it's a big place) and watch some sports while sipping on a couple beers. I didn't try the food but it looked good (the people who sat next to me ordered), but as for a brewery/bar the service was nice and prompt, vibe is laid back although busy (crowded), and the beer styles are the basics but the two beers I had were really good so this is a place I'll have to stop by again and get some grub.

After a slight hiccup coming in hot and using the facilities, we had the most enjoyable of experiences with their offerings and brews. Their sandwiches are on point - from the spinach offering, to the turkey, to the grill cheese- it was all spectacular...Probably the one place I would make a return trip to...

 

 

From the outside this place looks tiny, and that feeling remains upon entering, with a tight bar area that has a classic feel, almost like a cocktail bar with nice hardwood features, white tiles and a marble bar top. However, continuing on past the bar--which is coupled with a line of mini booths that complete its old school vibe--leads to the rear seating area, which has a few larger, elevated booths, as well as longer table seating for bigger groups. The "Foederhouse" has an entirely different feel back here, with large windows and skylights that let in a ton of natural light feeding the potted plants they've placed right next to your seats, almost giving it a tea room vibe. Taking into consideration that there is also an upstairs space, this is actually a deceptively large brewpub that can host a decent crowd of people.

Order placement is achieved via QR code on your smartphone, which I have to admit is not only a method I'd thought all but disappeared even as the pandemic resurged last year, but there's something about the way it works here at Cinderlands in particular that just rubbed me the wrong way. When you bring up the menu, you're immediately prompted to input some information to help identify you and your purchasing solutions, and are then encouraged to place your order right then and there. This in essence encourages everyone in your party to order separately, as they're already in the menu simply for the purpose of making a choice. Otherwise they all must tell one person in your group what to order, essentially assigning some poor sap in the group as the waiter, at least for these first steps. I felt like all this took a little more attention away from each other than traditional menus would, so it was a little inconvenient, but maybe it wouldn't be if I was ready for it and already used to doing it here as a regular. It may have become a moot point shortly thereafter, as everything came out in quick succession, but it stuck with me nevertheless.

Despite being named a Foederhouse, the taplist was very lackluster for me, as it only featured one saison, otherwise dominated by IPAs and "Dad beers"--their words, not mine. However, we actually came here for a bite to eat, and thank goodness we did, because the food was absolutely delicious. The fried olives were fine enough, but the meatball poutine with sour cherry sauce and chicken cassoulet with an unbelievably savory array of flavors just knocked our socks off. In fact, it did so much so that we ordered two more dishes to-go for dinner later that night.

While I'd come back to eat again, I wouldn't recommend this as a first stop on a brewery crawl.

 

 

 

 

Can't say enough positives about Cinderlands! My wife and I visited on a Friday night (the day the governor of PA announced the closing of all public schools because of covid-19, so I'm assuming there crowds were lighter than normal.) The place was full but not packed. It has two floors. We did not go upstairs, but the place is rather large. They have two indoor shuffleboards, a foozeball table, table hockey, and corn hole. They may have more, but I didn't notice. We had the focaccia bread with tallow butter, YUM. We also had the fish, hush puppies and fries.... Another good choice. The beer.... We tried 3 IPAs... All quality. A barley wine, and two imperial stouts.... Again all high quality. Beer is a bit pricey, but it's good quality stuff! We highly recommend this place!

Cinderlands was in an old building and was pretty cool. Overall the place is small and cozy with some tables available for dinner and a small bar. The quality of the beer was good. The service was friendly and attentive. I thought the menu for beer and food looked a little limited. I did not try the food.

Nice brewery but limited options. They quality is good however. This place is small, but there is a nice variety of seating options. The food is quite excellent.

 

This was my first time actually doing something in Pittsburgh, rather than driving right past it, and, man, it is a charming city. It reminds me of a gigantic version of one of the river towns that line the upper Missipipi: the buildings are all old and surprisingly tall, densely packed together atop hills and sinking into valleys. It's the biggest city I've ever been to that had a small town feel.

And Cinderlands matches that vibe quite well. It feels like a place that you would find in Dubuque, Iowa: an old, exquisite building with tall ceilings and big windows that look out upon what feels like a small town's downtown.

The brewery's decor is pleasant but intentionally sparse. I was there at the start of a dinner rush and the vibe was peaceful. The building is long and very weirdly narrow, and I could see it getting cramped fairly quickly.

The beer was all very contemporary. It ranged from okay to very good. No huge standouts, but nothing bad.

Overall, the neighborhood is very pleasant and I'd encourage you to stop by. Don't plan on getting blown away, but it's still worth your time to stop.

 

 

The best accidental brewery visit I've had yet. I was aiming for 11th hour, but they were closing. This spot is very close, and I figured I'd give it a shot. Great call. Really, really quality beer. I had three knock out IPA's and wanted to try several more. This is gonna be the place everyone is talking about for the Pittsburgh area.

 

OK, so this was an... interesting, place. The two beers I had were good, one being really really good. I don't remember how many they had total but seemed like a fair amount, maybe 10-15 beers on tap, a bunch of theirs and a few other breweries. The servers seemed pretty knowledgeable at least, and the food was quite good.

The problem was the food time. It took us about an hour to get our food, and after a day of drinking that was really tough. It was fairly busy but not over crowded, at 6PM on a Thursday night. Our appetizers came out quickly, but then the food never came. A few tables came and even finished eating before we heard anything. The server came over a few times and asked us if we got the food, for which we said no, then disappeared. Yet still nothing came. Finally the manager came out and mentioned that the food was finally on the way, and actually comped all the food which was very nice. So we got a free dinner essentially, but the wait was crazy and difficult when we were very hungry. I assume either the waiter never put the food in, or the ticket got lost.

The vibe was basically a typical modern city restaurant, brick walls, bare lights, plants, some flair here and there, etc.