French Broad River Brewery is definitely leaning into being more of a music venue than a brewery. I would too if I were them since their beer is subpar. I enjoy going to shows there but I always drink guest taps which they normally have plenty of. Kinda reminds me of Pisgah, whose new indoor Taproom has a stage with a killer lighting rig. But I popped in to have a beer there recently since I was in the neighborhood and they only had one thing I thought I'd like and it wasn't good. They've always been more of a music venue than a beer geek focused brewery
They do have a respectable black IPA and made their name with the Wee Heavy-er, but the last one I had was subpar. I have been to several music events and find that acoustics simply suck. You can't even understand when they are just talking between numbers. The owner, who lives in Cary, also owns Asheville Music Hall downtown, so clearly music-focused.
I probably mentioned it but the food at the Pittsburgh Fat Heads was so bad I refuse to go back. Literally tire quality brisket and the server kept walking away from our table as I was trying to get food, so what I got came out 30 minutes after everyone else. Beer was really good, but that's probably because I was starving and hadn't had a beer in 2 weeks when we went.
Exactly. Food and service there leave A LOT to be desired. Not for nuthin', but their Fathead's beer lineup is excellent. Problem? They used to have amazing guest taps too. So much for that. If they were an emoji, they'd be a
Agreed, the indoor stage doesn't have the best sound but when they set up the outdoor stage it's much better
I think business model is a big part of it. Many people started breweries without working out a rational plan.
Ding. A lot of them don't think out their idea as something that might actually grow and that they are now responsible for the people they have working for them.
That's sad to hear. Used to go there and the Church when in Pittsburgh and loved them both. Used to visit Four Points in Charleroi and they've moved to Pittsburgh. Hope they hold on!
If a beer listing needs a BA score to be eligible for a 'shelf talker', then many smaller production beers are simply not going to be eligible since so few hit the minimum threshold of 10 ratings/reviews. That said, I first found out about Beer Advocate from those 'shelf talkers'. It was between this and the now deceased beer rating website, but opted for BA.
It’s very standard for start-ups that the founders have no thought of the impact on the employees who supported them when the project goes bust. An issue at multiple levels.
Damn. I remember having my first Head Hunter here and being blown away. I ordered that that giant Headwich with the pierogis and kielbasa that was named best sandwich in America at the time. Also remember being sooo disappointed that they were all sold out of Head Hunter to go (4 packs of bottles at the time).
Southside Slopes. Nice! I think it was featured in Maxim, if I'm not mistaken. And, yeah, Headhunter was kind of a thing when it first hit the scene.
Don't know if you get the "fresh hopped" Headhunter where you are, but it's probably my favorite fresh hop beer and definitely makes me look forward to the hop harvest every year. Fresh-Hopped Head Hunter | Fat Head's Brewery & Saloon | BeerAdvocate
Another Pittsburgh mainstay that has been all over the place for, basically, the last 10 years with ownership and direction. Betting they'll be acquired by year's end. Possibly just the most successful brands and not the brewery itself. Another sad day in Pittsburgh. Penn Brewery insists it’s not closing despite filing for bankruptcy protection
Shame. Penn Dark was my go to when I had a little extra walking around money when I lived in Pittsburgh.
It was my go to when I went to baseball games at Three Rivers Stadium and PNC Park. They had a booth where you could bye a draft or a bottle. They would open a bottle and pour it in a cup. I would always go with two drafts and on occasion get a Penn Gold Helles Lager.
My time in Pittsburgh was over 20 years ago. Completely different city than what it is now. Used to drink my lunch at a corned beef sandwich spot near where I went to culinary school. Bartender was named Tank. They had another location further east in the golden triangle, and the bartender there was another huge guy named Bear.
