Pittsburgh Beercation ADVICE

I recommended hotels tonight app if you dont mind bouncing from part of town to part of town for rooms to be close to your drinking that day! otherwise get deal wherever in city id say southside holiday inn is 10$ uber to all places worthwhile! the places worthwhile are: draii laag, grist house and dancing gnome are all within 5 min of each other and gh and dl are walking distace from one another. roundabout is in Lawrenceville worth a stop for sure. brew gentlemen and voodoo are less than 10 min apart and are the 2 I would go to if only could go to 2! fatheads saloon and pipers pub are across street from each other and have great draft lists usually as well as carson st deli......if you want food and all local draft list hit smallman galley(chef incubator) it is awesome spot in strip! honorable mention; insurrection, rivertowne, east end

 

I've never been there, but I would check out The Brew Gentlemen. They're doing some New England IPAs that are getting very high praise lately.

 

Prague, Brussels, Pittsburgh......

One of these things is not like the others......

 

Does brew gentlemen make it on tap in downtown area? Only going to be there for a day and won't be able to make it out to Brewery.

 

So born and raised here, but have been living out of state for 3 years now. So Pittsburgh has changed immensely in terms of the breweries. Been back for a week and having been to 6 of them, here's my advice.

Brew gentlemen: out east of Pittsburgh and a great brewery. Apparently the recipes have changed since I was last there a couple months back and it has only gotten better.
Dancing gnome: making good iPas that would rival many in the city. Their double I had today was excellent!
Insurrection: easily my favorite. Everything I tried was amazing and the food rocked. In my mind, best beer in Pittsburgh.
Grist house: solid place and a great atmosphere. Really love the location.
Draai lag: if you want Belgians and sours, this is a must stop.
Spoonwood: beer has gotten better but the pizzas are the highlight.
Voodoo: enough said. They have had a high amount of ipas on tap recently which I have thought were too malty for my palate (friend thinks I got bad cans) but still one of the best.

You can Uber around the city fairly cheap and their are a lot of places to stock up on bottles that aren't from the breweries favorite being giant eagle in shadyside. All in all, very shocked at the quality of beer being brewed. It has greatly gone up in quality in a short time. Enjoy!

 

Brew Gentlemen, Voodoo, and Dancing Gnome are must stops. As for hotels, I would use the Priceline Express Deals page for a Downtown Pittsburgh hotel. The deals are unreal.

 

If you're into Sours hit up Draai Laag. It's only 3 blocks from Grist House, which is also a very solid brewery, mostly traditional styles with some more extreme IPAs.
As others have said, Brew Gents (GREAT NE IPAs) and Dancing Gnome (Bright and delicate IPAS) are both worth enjoying while in the area.
Roundabout brewery is solid too...they don't have a signature beer for me yet though. I like pretty much EVERYTHING they make though.

I would recommend avoiding anything from Full Pint (I find their beers sub par) and Hop Farm (just never had anything mind bending good).

 

Brew Gentlemen and Voodoo are the must-visits. Draai Laag will have weird sours but some will be good.

@Moopband check out Smallman Galley. They usually have something from BG on tap.

 

Your best bet to find BG beer on tap downtown would be Proper Brick Oven on 7th Avenue. Or Smallman Galley, which is a short ride (or healthy walk) from downtown. Either will have plenty of good local offerings.

 

No one mentioned Church Brew Works, is that place still around? Don't remember it having the best beers, but always thought it was cool to turn a church into a brewery.

 

Church Brew Works is still around. Their food is good and its a cool building, but their beers are just okay IMO. Thunderhop is mild but satisfying IPA. I do give them props, because along with Penn Brewery, Foundry Ale Works and Valhalla they were the vanguard of the Pittsburgh craft scene and they have stuck.

 

It is hit or miss with their beer. I have been there when it was meh and have had some that was great... same beer - Pipe Organ Pale Ale I think. Maybe I got it real fresh the good time...dunno. It is a very cool place to go, just for the ambiance.

 

Can anyone add some recommended bottle shops in the Pittsburgh area? Some place where I can mix 6 some locals would be great. Cheers!

 

Whole Foods in Wexford, Bierport in Lawrenceville or Market District in Shadyside are all good places to start.

 

Much appreciated, thanks!!

 

Jumping in on this thread - going to be in town for the outdoor game and staying downtown. Was wondering if their is a Piitsburgh beer calendar similar to DC Beer that lists upcoming events.

Secondary question - does Voodoo sell any of their barrel aged series for on-site consumption?

 

First Question - Not really. Unless its Pittsburgh Craft beer week.
Second Question - No, they don't sell any barrel room beers for onsite consumption.. They might still have Caution Contains Real Pumpkins available, but I'm not sure. Barrel aged stuff sells out pretty fast, especially at the Pittsburgh location. They occasionally have cans, but the hoppy stuff usually sells out in 2-3 days.

 

I would also hit The Wigle Distillery in the Strip District

 

Pittsburgh winter beerfest is at the convention center February 24-25...I believe that's the dates you'd be in town too