Greetings from Pittsburgh. I've been away for a while, almost five years to the day. Some of that comes from getting lost in Untapped, but most of it concerns my wife's battle with breast cancer. She's been to hell and back and I've been along for a ride that I wouldn't wish on any of you. The beer business is BOOMING here in Western PA. At last count, we're up to close to 50 microbreweries just in Allegheny County. Many are old friends that we're starting to catch up with with some new ones that are on the visit list. Just to give you an idea of where my pallet is these days, here's what's on the Beers to Kill For List: Odell's 90 Schilling Breckenridge Brewery Cookie Porter Apen Brewing Company Conundrum Red Ale North Country's Firehouse Red and Imperial Red Penn Brewing Octoberfest, Marzen, Pilsner, Dark, St. Nicholas Bock, and Brewers Reserve Otto's Pub and Brewery Red Mo and Black Mo
Hey, Slapshot, welcome back! I’m also from the burgh. First off best wishes to your wife, to you, and your family. I hope all is well going forward. Not long ago I pretty much knew of every brewery in Pittsburgh. Fast forward to today, I cannot even keep up with how many breweries there are within a 5 mile radius of my house. What are some of your favorite breweries from the burgh? I like a few beers from the Brew Gentlemen. I’ve been a big fan of the Penn Brewery over the years and I still have a soft spot for East End Brewing even though I haven’t been there in a while. I would have to say Fat Heads Brewery is my favorite regional brewery, if you consider iFat Heads a regional brewery. Hang in there on the home front. My wife has been battling cancer as well. Hodgkin’s lymphoma and she went through a stem cell transplant procedure not to long ago. The prognosis looks positive and I totally understand the hell and back part of it. And if you are familiar with the WBAYDN thread, it’s still going strong. A lot of good people over there. Cheers!
Ditto on this sentiment, guys. Best wishes to all of you. Penn Brewing is a great place! I decided that after just my first visit last year when I stopped there on my way to visit family in Virginia. I'll probably make it a regular stop on future trips.
I'm glad you found some time to check in and hope things are moving in a positive direction for you and your family. Hopefully BA can provide you with a bit of stress relief. Already mentioned, the WBAYDN thread is usually good for that. Cheers!
Welcome back! I feel your angst. My wife was DX with breast cancer in 2008, then a rare variety of peritoneal mesothelioma in 2017. After multiple surgeries/treatments/doctors in 7 States and France, she is currently going strong! Our wives our tough women! BA has been a welcome place of refuge for me …Cheers to you and your wives @Slapshot and @oneeye !
