Pittsburgh Recs

I’m not from Pittsburgh but took a beer trip there last year. My highlights were Dancing Gnome and Grist House. Also enjoyed Voodoo, Abjuration, Brew Gentlemen.

Plus Hightower Brewing about an hour drive away had some tasty stuff. I’d say worth the trip if you have time.

Also, just searched Untappd and Old Thunder Brewing looks like a place to go. Sounds great.

 

Grist
Hitchhiker
Cinderlands
11th Hour
Brew Gentleman
Voodoo is a fun place

11th and Cinderlands are close to each other. I think Dancing Gnome is overrated but you may like it, plenty do.

Insurrection Ale is outside the city. I really like it.

 

Whoever mentioned Old Thunder above, is correct. I've only had cans from there, but their tap room is supposed to be excellent as well.

The old guard is always reliable (Dancing Gnome has a beer garden that just opened, Grist just re-opened) - but Brew Gentlemen is still to-go cans only.

If you're going to go to Dancing Gnome, probably worth checking out Hitchhiker, as it's a 3 minute drive away. DG, Hitch and Grist House are all within 10 minutes of each other.

I'm not the biggest Cinderlands / 11th Hour guy, but they're both respectable and fun spots (and both are open).

I would highly suggest checking out the new Four Points taproom on Western Avenue in the North Side of downtown - their original tap room is in Charleroi (so like an hour outside the city) but you could get their cans - the tap room is now much closer and open for on site pours - I think they've eclipsed Dancing Gnome haze-wise in the city. Just killed it through the pandemic.

The aforementionend Hightower in Ohio (an hour outside of downtown) is also excellent, but I get that it's a hike. I try to truck it down there quarterly, but your time might be better spent sticking to the breweries that are close.

Enjoy yourself!

 

Guess this wont help OP but Brew Gentlemen today announced they're launching a beer garden downtown at the Allegheny Overlook on June 24. Taproom won't be open until September.

 

Why has Brew Gentleman been closed so long? I know covid, but they could have opened by now.

 

Not really sure. I have some theories. For instance, I think they try to brew the shit out of General Braddock and keep cans available throughout the city, and that might be hurting production when it comes to other varieties (and subsequently, stocking beers for draft), but their last email update said that they are re-opening Braddock [taproom] "in a new format in the fall," whatever that means.

 

They're going to reopen in the fall "under a new format". No one knows what the hell that means, since they have already served as both a brewpub and now as a to-go only can sales spot.

Not sure what other format there is, but we'll see.

 

@trevord133 Just wanted to bump this and ask you what your highlights were

I'll be in Pitt in a few weeks and will have some free time to putt around for good beers

 

Cinderlands Foederhouse has good beer and the in-house food was really, really good.

 

I'll be in Pittsburgh next week for a kids hockey tournament. I'll be staying south of the city in the Green Tree area. Anyone have any recommendations of where to buy to go local craft beer (specifically interested in Brew Gentlemen stuff) around that area? I'll also take food/restaurant recommendations as well. Thanks.

 

Banksville Beer may be your best option. They're near Green Tree, they're listed as a distributor on Brew Gentlemen's website, and their Untappd says they have BG.

 

Just found out I'll be staying near the Frick next month for two nights, nominally to visit the Zoo and Children’s Museum with the kids. Does anyone have any good beer place recommendations (restaurants especially, but also bottle shops or breweries) to hit in that area?
Thank you in advance!

 

I can help you with all three

Breweries in that area - there are four within maybe a 10 minute drive - Dancing Gnome and Hitchhiker are both in Sharpsburg, which is essentially right across the bridge on the other side of the Allegheny River. Both are worth visiting - slightly north of there is Old Thunder - great mix of classics and haze - I like this place a lot. South of Sharpsburg is Grist House - I like the atmosphere more than their beer, but both are acceptable.

Also - if you stay on the side of the river where the zoo is, there are several options (although I prefer the ones I mentioned above). Eleventh Hour, Cinderlands, Coven and Hop Farm are all over in that Lawrenceville neighborhood. I would skip Hop Farm over all the others, and Coven is new, so I haven't been there - but heard decent things.

As far as food, Lawrenceville has great options, namely Smoke Taqueria, Industry Public House has decent bar food, Condado is another taco place that's quite good in that area. You have kids, so I assume you're not going for fine dining, but on the off chance that you are, upscale italian at Piccolo Forno.

There's a pretty solid bottle shop over in this area, right next to Smoke Taqueria, called Bierport. They also have a bar downstairs. Definitely worth checking out.

I think a Smoke dinner / grab some bottles at Bierport is a great night, but everything I mentioned above should be acceptable. There used to be a hot dog place called Franktuary over in that area, but i think it closed. Would have been a good place to take the kids.

 

Wow, thank you so much for the in-depth recommendations! Those all sound like great option for the family, but tacos in particular are always a hit.

I'll definitely look into Bierport as well. Do you know off the top of your head if any of the breweries you mentioned have a full dinner menu that'd be worth it? That might be a good option for dinner on our second night.

 

I think the only option for dinner at those breweries was Cinderlands, and I think their menu to be a bit expensive - their food is fine, but not fine enough for what they charge (IMO) - the rest of them will all have food trucks (some will have multiple food trucks). Most of the breweries around here are pretty good at having their food truck lineup on their web site, so that might help you plan (or you might just love Cinderlands food and think I'm crazy).

 

I think Dancing Gnome Lustra and Bants are two great ales. So if the locals consider them overrated, or eclipsed by others, perhaps I need to make a trip out west to Pittsburgh.

 

I have to respectfully disagree with this post. The food is fantastic at Cinderlands and all done in house- well worth the expense, although not that expensive compared to Boston prices.

 

Their fine. There’s 10 places between the strip and lawrenceville I’d go before cinderlands

 

Is Church Brew Works still open? Never blown away by the beer, but the setting is impressive and I always made it a point to swing by for at least a beer.