Church Brew Works

This is a favorite stop when in Pittsburgh. It's an old church converted into a brewpub. The beer is brewed at the Altar! They offer a wide variety of beer with a good selection of European styles. They also have an extensive menu of food that I would say is good, not great. It's just up the hill from the old Iron City brewery. It's a little out of the downtown area but not too far and they have plenty of parking. Crowds have varied when I've been from rather sedate to jam packed.

 

 

 

When I found out this place was here, we had to check it out go. I suppose we were pretty fortunate after scanning some of the other reviews. When we got there it wasn’t too crowded, although there were a lot more people there as we were leaving.
The building space isn’t ideal for its current configuration or use. For example, sitting at the bar next to a column that’s about 30 inches diameter as we did is a bit odd, especially since it’s not easy to see if the wait staff you’re looking for is on the other side of it. Not all seats are like this though.
The beer list was pretty diversified when we visited. All beers were good, some better than others. The food was also good, everything was very tasty. The service was a little slower than we would’ve liked though.
A unique brewery, well worth the visit.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Well-known in Pittsburgh, this is one of the older craft breweries in the city. Super crowded on weekends, the place has more of a neighborhood feel during the week. Beers are good, but not as spectacular as the best breweries in the city. Good food and service though.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The beer here is pretty good, but not amazing, especially compared with some other breweries in Pittsburgh. Food is pretty standard bar food, and I absolutely love their sweet potato fries. Service is very slow, especially on busy nights. I have spent 2+ hours here just to grab dinner and drinks. That being said, it's a must see for any beer lover when you visit Pittsburgh. The space itself is really beautiful and the novelty of drinking beer in a large church is worth the stop. Just prepare yourself for a long visit.

As you can plainly see, this is a brewery restaurant located inside a converted church. Despite the signage on the outside of the church finding the entrance was a bit challenging. I wasn't the only one who found it confusing. Just go up the steps and enter the middle doors like you would if you were going to service.

The architecture is interesting and they did their best to keep the look and feel of the original interior. Upon entering the eye is taken to the brewing equipment. The stained glass are the originals. The place has a dated feel about it. The bar tops are a bit worn and there are sticky areas. The place could probably use a good power washing. That said, this is still place that is interesting to visit, if for no other reason than the feel of the place.

The beers are top notch and those that were made to a style seemed to be on target. The food is rather pricey, but the beers are average priced. T-shirt are actually pretty cheap as far as brewery shirts go (100% cotton). Despite the food price, there are appetizer special during happy hour (half price) and on Tuesday's there are $6 burgers until 9. The burgers are decent, but not amazing. The service was a bit slow, but it was crowded as well.

I recommend going at least once when you're in PIT.

Well, you can't miss this place. This is an absolutely massive church where you walk through the front door greeted by an old, musty church smell and creaky, bouncy floors galore. The table arrangement is a little odd. The semi-open floor plan tries to fit seating into some of the leftover pew space--it almost feels like a crowded Applebee's, especially considering how popular this place is. While unique, the place could use some touching up, as tables are a bit sticky and funky. We should have just sat at the bar on the left, which has really cool tanks behind it, and of course there is the even nicer display up by the alter where the beer is apparently brewed.

Food is really off the wall and all over the place style-wise--we had alligator pierogies and Japanese beef cheesesteak--both were surprisingly good.

Service is prompt and attentive, but not at all knowledgeable about their brews, or beer in general, again reminding of Applebee's, especially with the goofy beachy theme going on this day. With their size and how busy they are I imagine their staff pool largely consists of recent chain restaurant employees, but they should still train them more on their product.

The beer selection is pretty wide for a moderate to small taplist, hitting many styles including IPAs and stouts, but with special focus on German styles, which in my opinion were the best options of the day.

 

 

I visited the Church Brew Works for the first time on a Sunday in Feb, 2017. Had some food and got a flight of most of the beers on tap that day. The longtime manager came by and visited us for a while, regaling us with stories about this storied place, so that was cool. The food was decent. For the beer, I was expecting an assortment of Pilsners/Lagers, since this iconic Pittsburgh craft beer location has long featured those styles. Instead, there was a bit more variety, although no IPAs, as they had recently sold out. A decent bock and a nice wine barrel aged tripel were available. The vibe is not a beer geek vibe, but the place is cool to see nevertheless. If you are visiting Pittsburgh, maybe this shouldn't be #1 on your list, but it is definitely worth a visit!