Hey all - Heading to Pittsburgh and will be staying close to PNC Park next weekend. From the looks of it, Grist House Craft Brewery and East End Brewery or Taproom are the ones I should prioritize in a short weekend trip. Do you feel I am right with this assumption? Also, any and all recommendations are welcome! Thanks
Draai Laag Taproom 501 East Ohio Street Pittsburgh, PA 15209 They open at 5 pm on Friday and 3 pm on Saturday. Try the Godzilla Dog!
Just got back from a quick trip last weekend. Dancing Gnome was our favorite place "near" the stadium (12 minute Lyft ride). Spoonwood was our favorite overall experience; they also are one of the few places with a kitchen and open at lunch. Not super close to town but, again, Lyft was about 20 minutes each way. Also, Pittsburgh Beer Week starts Friday. You may know this, and I have never been, but Beer Weeks in other places tend to have a different dynamic than the usual visit (and may require more planning).
Southern Tier - just opened right down the street from PNC (between PNC and Heinz Field) Allegheny City Brewery - North Side, walkable or short Uber/Lyft from PNC Draai Laag + Grist House - hit both, they are a 5-10 minute walk from each other. Draai Laag specializes in more wild and interesting ales. Both great places to hang out. Lawrenceville area - Hop Farm / Full Pint / Roundabout (all close to each other), lot of food options My top 3 (Grist House is probably 3b for me): - Voodoo (Homestead - bit of a drive, seedier area, but very acclaimed and a cool place to hang out during the afternoon IMO) - Brew Gentlemen - Braddock (not the greatest area either, but excellent brews as well) - Dancing Gnome (I'm more of a porter/stout fan, but they have excellent ales), you can easily hit this along with Draai Laag/Grist House and they aren't far from the Lawrenceville options too. Vintage places that are cool to see if you're visiting: Penn Brewery and Church Brew Works Suburbs (south) - Hitchhiker, Mindful, Insurrection, Spoonwood. I enjoy these, but options above are probably better if you're visiting.
I guess it depends on if you're strictly speaking beer, beer/food or experience. I am surprised nobody's thrown in Fatheads. Also, the Rivertowne is near PNC Park and Southern Tier. IMO the best beer places near PNC are Fatheads, Roundabout, Grist House and Draai Laag. All about a 10 minute ride.
My $.02 Best Breweries Voodoo Brew Gentlemen Dancing Gnome Roundabout Insurrection Best bottle shops Giant Eagle Shadyside Bierport House of 1000 Beers Best bars to grab a beer at Pipers Pub Carson Street Saloon Fat Heads Saloon A bunch more I can't think of Feel free to PM me if you want more details. I wouldn't waste my time with East End, Draai Laag, and a few others. There's much better beer here. And it all depends on your personal preference as well. Brew Gentlemen, Dancing Gnome, Grist House, and Voodoo all have really good hoppy stuff. Voodoo crushes malty stuff. No sours worth trying really. Roundabout is really consistent with great low ABV stuff (lagers, pale ales, wheats, etc.). Truthfully, our beer scene is better than most think.
I'd agree with the above, the Pittsburgh beer scene is better than most think. I agree with most of what's already been said. Geographically, everything is a bit spread out however so you could split it into clusters. Northside/Millvale: As this will be closest to you, might be a good place to start. Allegheny City Brewing - small start up, small friendly space. Good to average beers, wouldn't prioritize if you have limited time. Penn Brewery - again wouldn't prioritize if you don't have time. Good German beers and mostly German food. Gristhouse (Millvale) - 5-10 minutes from Northside, I'd recommend going. Good mix of styles, they've been focusing on hoppy lately. If it's nice out, they have the best patio among breweries. Draai Laag (Millvale) - 5 minute walk from Grist. All sour/wild beers with a Belgian influence. I'd recommend going if you go to Grist unless you don't like those style. Dancing Gnome (Sharpsburgh): about a 5 minute drive from Grist House. Really good beers, focus is on softer, juicy pale ales and IPAs. One of my favorites, definitely recommend. Diftwood oven pizza is their on Friday's as well and has great pizza. Lawrenceville: 10 minutes from Northside, across the river from Millvale on the city side. A number of good restaurants here as well. Roundabout Brewing: Best brewery of the Lawrenceville bunch in my opinion but the taproom is lacking. Full Pint Wide Side Pub: Good beers but most can be found elsewhere around town, small space as well. Hopfarm Brewery: Really only go if i'm at the other breweries in Lawrenceville. East of the city (Homestead/Braddock) - the two breweries that will probably be recommended the most are also the farthest from you but worth it since you can hit both in the same trip. Brew Gentlemen - specializing in hazy pale ales and IPAs, consistently great. Fairly small space that can get busy but it's worth it. Look out for the Gaucho food truck here, Gaucho is one of the best restaurants in the city. Voodoo Homestead - they've been putting out a lot of great hazy IPAs lately and also been canning quite a bit. Your trip may line up with a can release, I would follow them on instragram to see what's available. There's more in the South Hills as well (Spoonwood, Hitchhiker, Mindful) which would make a good trip as well. Sorry for the word vomit, hope you enjoy the trip.
Great information in this thread! My wife and I are planning a day trip next weekend and I'm hoping to hit Brew Gentlemen and Voodoo Homestead for the first time. With both spots seeming to be pretty popular, what is the parking like? any recommendations?
Brew Gentlemen has a parking lot but can fill up pretty quick. Voodoo has a pretty good amount of street parking around their building and you can pay the meter from the Meter Feeder app.
