A smattering of this and that to bring you up-to-speed from the last week or so of interesting news.
~ Betting this will be a better launch than the previous occupant's. [Link to Philly.com]
~ Rather odd, yet somehow not surprising, story. [Link to RateBeer.com]
~ Interesting bit of development in Ardmore. [Link to Philly.com]
~ Been a fan of Scott Smith and his East End brewery in Pittsburgh for quite a while. Here's an interesting story from him. [Link to East End Brewing's website]
~ Wow! Now that didn't take long. [Link to The Town Dish]
~ Lists are lists. This is a decent one and difficult to quibble with. [Link to Food and Wine]
~ Another list. This one an annual list from Zymurgy with a significant change atop it. [Link to the Brewers Assocation]
~ The Pistola's crew is shooting for another success in a third neighborhood. Smart money says this will likewise be a winner. [Link to Philadelphia Magazine]
© Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge, 2017. All content is owned and uniquely created by Bryan J. Kolesar. Unauthorized use and/or duplication of this material without express and written permission from Kolesar is strictly prohibited. Excerpts, images, and links may be used with advance permission granted and only provided that full and clear credit is given to Bryan J. Kolesar and The Brew Lounge with appropriate and specific direction to the original content. Contact Kolesar at TheBrewLounge@gmail.com
Showing posts with label East End Brewing. Show all posts
Showing posts with label East End Brewing. Show all posts
Friday, June 23, 2017
Wednesday, May 18, 2011
Back from Pittsburgh
Many of you know that I ran the Pittsburgh Marathon last weekend. I won't inundate you with a runner's rundown of minutia and other such geekey detail. Suffice to say that I knew going in that I'd stand little chance of setting a new personal best time and that my primary goal would be to feel comfortable and enjoy the race from start to finish as much as possible. If you like the running geekerie, drop a private note to me or meet me on a barstool somewhere and we can discuss in more detail.
Success! It did turn out to be the third best time in the six marathon races that I've run. But, more importantly, I felt pretty damn good for much of the run. Of course, there were times of exhaustion and little pains here and there. Plus, the amount of electrolytes, carbs, whatever is in those Gu packets, Clif Shot Blocks, and Gatorade that was sloshing around my stomach made the post-race beer and food all the more welcome.
The week leading up to each marathon that I run is virtually beer-free, allowing a little room, of course, for some liquid carb-loading but not much. So getting back on the (beer) horse after the race is always memorable for me.
For example, I can tell you that after the NYC Marathon, the first beer I had was Brooklyn Pennant Ale.
After the Marine Corp Marathon in D.C.? Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA.
In Philly the first time, it was General Lafayette's Lafayette's Escape at The tiedhouse and the second time was Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at Kite & Key.
After my first Pittsburgh Marathon, it was Church Brew Works Mad Brewer's Maibock and this year after the marathon, it was a short walk to the new (-ish) downtown location of Sharp Edge where I got things swinging again with a classic Duvel.
See? I said that my first post-marathon beer is always important and memorable.
What else can I tell you about Pittsburgh? Well, we stayed downtown at The Westin and didn't venture out of downtown during our stay, unless you count that my marathon went through 13 neighborhoods of Pittsburgh! Downtown has been, from my many visits over the years, one of the least-well-served neighborhoods for good-tasting, quality beer.
I found that judgement changed a bit this time around. For example...
- Lidia's on the edge of the Strip District, in all of its Italian goodness and accompanying (requisite?) wine selection, served up a perfect draft of Oskar Blues Dales Pale Ale for me. Other beers on tap there included ones from Stoudt's, Penn, and Magic Hat to name a few that I could remember without the aid of photography.
- Sonoma Grille behind the convention center, to prove that better beer is being found in more places these days -- or shall I say, more places want a piece of the craft beer action?, can be found pouring Weyerbacher Merry Monks, Kasteel Cuvée Du Chateau, and East End Big Hop IPA. Another wine place that seems to get it.
- The restaurant in our hotel, Original Fish Market, gave me a small taste -- since that's all I really wanted or needed the night before the marathon -- of East End's pleasantly bitter Big Hop IPA. Not a huge selection of beer, but a right smart choice of the local East End product.
- I stopped in at the Pittsburgh Public Market to find that Scott Smith's East End Brewery has indeed begun giving out tasters and selling growlers of its beer to go as he has touted on his website and email newsletters. Amongst nearly 40 other stands of local food, beverage, and art, East End beers fit right in with locally-crafted goods. Seems to be quite popular as well. Also spotted Jeff Appletans' creativity on sale as well at the brewery's growler stand.
- And, finally, Sharp Edge has come downtown. Their fifth location, called Bistro 922 Penn, opened nearly a year ago between 9th and 10th Streets on Penn Avenue. They have a house beer called Over The Edge produced for them by Belgian brewer, Van Steenberge. It's a Belgian Triple IPA (Belgo-American, or something like that?) and went nicely with my Buffalo Burger. Prices are bit high at the Bistro and I chalked it up to both a higher cost of business downtown and capitalizing on (taking advantage of?) the business and tourist crowds in the Downtown District. But, I understand from locals that this is not unusual for the Sharp Edge family.
What else can I share with you? Oh yeah, I wrote an article over at The Washington Times looking at the Pittsburgh beer scene from a mile-by-mile perspective along the marathon course. Check it out and let me know what you think. I'll be updating it shortly with my newest findings.
Now tonight, I must get back to beer and cheese tastings :)
Success! It did turn out to be the third best time in the six marathon races that I've run. But, more importantly, I felt pretty damn good for much of the run. Of course, there were times of exhaustion and little pains here and there. Plus, the amount of electrolytes, carbs, whatever is in those Gu packets, Clif Shot Blocks, and Gatorade that was sloshing around my stomach made the post-race beer and food all the more welcome.
The week leading up to each marathon that I run is virtually beer-free, allowing a little room, of course, for some liquid carb-loading but not much. So getting back on the (beer) horse after the race is always memorable for me.
For example, I can tell you that after the NYC Marathon, the first beer I had was Brooklyn Pennant Ale.
After the Marine Corp Marathon in D.C.? Dogfish Head 60 Minute IPA.
In Philly the first time, it was General Lafayette's Lafayette's Escape at The tiedhouse and the second time was Sierra Nevada Pale Ale at Kite & Key.
After my first Pittsburgh Marathon, it was Church Brew Works Mad Brewer's Maibock and this year after the marathon, it was a short walk to the new (-ish) downtown location of Sharp Edge where I got things swinging again with a classic Duvel.
See? I said that my first post-marathon beer is always important and memorable.
What else can I tell you about Pittsburgh? Well, we stayed downtown at The Westin and didn't venture out of downtown during our stay, unless you count that my marathon went through 13 neighborhoods of Pittsburgh! Downtown has been, from my many visits over the years, one of the least-well-served neighborhoods for good-tasting, quality beer.
I found that judgement changed a bit this time around. For example...
- Lidia's on the edge of the Strip District, in all of its Italian goodness and accompanying (requisite?) wine selection, served up a perfect draft of Oskar Blues Dales Pale Ale for me. Other beers on tap there included ones from Stoudt's, Penn, and Magic Hat to name a few that I could remember without the aid of photography.
- Sonoma Grille behind the convention center, to prove that better beer is being found in more places these days -- or shall I say, more places want a piece of the craft beer action?, can be found pouring Weyerbacher Merry Monks, Kasteel Cuvée Du Chateau, and East End Big Hop IPA. Another wine place that seems to get it.
- The restaurant in our hotel, Original Fish Market, gave me a small taste -- since that's all I really wanted or needed the night before the marathon -- of East End's pleasantly bitter Big Hop IPA. Not a huge selection of beer, but a right smart choice of the local East End product.
- I stopped in at the Pittsburgh Public Market to find that Scott Smith's East End Brewery has indeed begun giving out tasters and selling growlers of its beer to go as he has touted on his website and email newsletters. Amongst nearly 40 other stands of local food, beverage, and art, East End beers fit right in with locally-crafted goods. Seems to be quite popular as well. Also spotted Jeff Appletans' creativity on sale as well at the brewery's growler stand.
- And, finally, Sharp Edge has come downtown. Their fifth location, called Bistro 922 Penn, opened nearly a year ago between 9th and 10th Streets on Penn Avenue. They have a house beer called Over The Edge produced for them by Belgian brewer, Van Steenberge. It's a Belgian Triple IPA (Belgo-American, or something like that?) and went nicely with my Buffalo Burger. Prices are bit high at the Bistro and I chalked it up to both a higher cost of business downtown and capitalizing on (taking advantage of?) the business and tourist crowds in the Downtown District. But, I understand from locals that this is not unusual for the Sharp Edge family.
What else can I share with you? Oh yeah, I wrote an article over at The Washington Times looking at the Pittsburgh beer scene from a mile-by-mile perspective along the marathon course. Check it out and let me know what you think. I'll be updating it shortly with my newest findings.
Now tonight, I must get back to beer and cheese tastings :)
Monday, November 01, 2010
Back to the 'Burgh
I haven't talked much about Pittsburgh lately, so I figured this little snippet buried in Scott Smith's latest email would be a good place to start again. His East End Brewing Co. continues to take Pittsburgh by storm. Read on, and let me know if you have already stopped in at the Growler Shop in the Strip.
"GROWLERS IN THE STRIP DISTRICT: COME AND GET IT!" "I know you're not used to going for Growler fills in easy-to-find locations, but I hope you can adapt. We've got a brand new Growler Shop up and running in the new Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip District. Yes, I said GROWLER SHOP. It's the very first place in the state of PA where a brewery is selling Growlers of fresh beer outside of the brewery, not in a bar. And believe it or not, there is no rioting in the streets, civilization is not crumbling, in wave after wave of rampant immorality. It's completely legal, and (brace yourselves)... we're even open on Sundays. Granted with four beers on tap, the selection isn't quite as diverse as it is at the brewery, and we don't carry our Home Made Root Beer, Kegs or BIG bottles there. But for that quick Friday-after-work fillup, or capping off the all-day Saturday in the Strip District shopping extravaganza, or even that Sunday afternoon "whoops, I forgot to get beer for the game" pickup, it will certainly do the trick. And we’ve got plenty of spare jugs around. The tap list at the Market will be in constant rotation, so watch the website and the Twitter feed for the latest updates on what's pouring at BOTH locations. And for more info about the new Pittsburgh Public Market, including a map to the place, the Market's Hours, and our Growler Shop Hours, have a look here. I'll see you in the Strip!"
"GROWLERS IN THE STRIP DISTRICT: COME AND GET IT!" "I know you're not used to going for Growler fills in easy-to-find locations, but I hope you can adapt. We've got a brand new Growler Shop up and running in the new Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip District. Yes, I said GROWLER SHOP. It's the very first place in the state of PA where a brewery is selling Growlers of fresh beer outside of the brewery, not in a bar. And believe it or not, there is no rioting in the streets, civilization is not crumbling, in wave after wave of rampant immorality. It's completely legal, and (brace yourselves)... we're even open on Sundays. Granted with four beers on tap, the selection isn't quite as diverse as it is at the brewery, and we don't carry our Home Made Root Beer, Kegs or BIG bottles there. But for that quick Friday-after-work fillup, or capping off the all-day Saturday in the Strip District shopping extravaganza, or even that Sunday afternoon "whoops, I forgot to get beer for the game" pickup, it will certainly do the trick. And we’ve got plenty of spare jugs around. The tap list at the Market will be in constant rotation, so watch the website and the Twitter feed for the latest updates on what's pouring at BOTH locations. And for more info about the new Pittsburgh Public Market, including a map to the place, the Market's Hours, and our Growler Shop Hours, have a look here. I'll see you in the Strip!"
Friday, May 08, 2009
Baseball, Bikes, and Beer in Pittsburgh
Scott Smith may not have set up a beer stand for me in his 'hood when the Marathon passed by last Sunday, but it was probably because he's so tired from all of the activity at the brewery and around town as demand for his well-made local product continues to grow.
It's great to see the demand for East End Brewery's beer expand to include PNC Park, where the Pirates play. Talk about getting better exposure in "mainstream" markets. Plus, in the club level? Big Congrats!
Speaking of the ballpark, PNC Park has something going on this summer called Beer Passport Nights. Here's a blurb from East End's website describing what and when this is all about. If you live in or are traveling to Pittsburgh this baseball season, keep an eye on the schedule.
To help spread the word that Club 3000 is serving fresh local beer this season, some fresh local brewers (some "fresher" than others) will be there in person, chatting you up, and personally pouring your pre-game beers. On Beer Passport Nights, for $35 - that's 20 bucks LESS than the regular price of a Club section seat, you'll get 1.5 hours of unlimited pre-game sampling of beers from East End Brewing and The Church Brew Works (and possibly beer from a 3rd not-so-local brewery, but don't quote me on that). And of course, a winning baseball game... fingers crossed. * May 16: Beer starts at 5:30, game at 7:05pm * June 27: Beer starts at 5:30, game at 7:05pm * Aug 7: Beer starts at 5:30, game at 7:05pm * Sept 25: Beer starts at 5:30, game at 7:05pm And on one other note about East End, the annual Keg Ride with Pedal Pale Ale is coming up a week from this coming Friday. I'm beginning to think this would have been an easier way to see Pittsburgh than to run 26.2 miles through it, ha! Once again, I'll put my fingers on lazy, cruise control and turn the keyboard over to Scott.
So, maybe you read about the keg ride in the Post Gazette? (See "Pump Up Your Tires") But what the Post Gazette DIDN'T tell you is that for the first time this year, we'll be crossing a river. Don't worry, you won't need a paddle or a life preserver because everybody knows that full kegs don't float. Instead, we'll use a bridge, which in this town, doesn't narrow the possibilities very much. Let's review the particulars: Show up at the brewery at 6pm on Friday May 15th, get signed in, and collect your token. Be prepared to head out at 7pm for a low-speed scenic ride of 6-7 miles, mostly on paved roads, but with some parts on smooth trails. (There will be no "off road" riding - the keg trailer doesn't like that.) So any bike will do. Just follow the keg, or the person in front of you, until we stop. Lock up your bike in the space we've set up for it, and go have a beer on me! The goal this year is to get as many people as possible on this ride, and shatter last year's record of 225 riders. This is definitely a case of the more the merrier - and the more beer we have to pull! So be sure to forward this to anyone you know who you think would enjoy a gentle bike ride on a warm summer evening, ending with a crisp, hoppy pint of Pedal Pale Ale! PEDAL ON, MY PINT-PUSHING PEOPLE!
To help spread the word that Club 3000 is serving fresh local beer this season, some fresh local brewers (some "fresher" than others) will be there in person, chatting you up, and personally pouring your pre-game beers. On Beer Passport Nights, for $35 - that's 20 bucks LESS than the regular price of a Club section seat, you'll get 1.5 hours of unlimited pre-game sampling of beers from East End Brewing and The Church Brew Works (and possibly beer from a 3rd not-so-local brewery, but don't quote me on that). And of course, a winning baseball game... fingers crossed. * May 16: Beer starts at 5:30, game at 7:05pm * June 27: Beer starts at 5:30, game at 7:05pm * Aug 7: Beer starts at 5:30, game at 7:05pm * Sept 25: Beer starts at 5:30, game at 7:05pm And on one other note about East End, the annual Keg Ride with Pedal Pale Ale is coming up a week from this coming Friday. I'm beginning to think this would have been an easier way to see Pittsburgh than to run 26.2 miles through it, ha! Once again, I'll put my fingers on lazy, cruise control and turn the keyboard over to Scott.
So, maybe you read about the keg ride in the Post Gazette? (See "Pump Up Your Tires") But what the Post Gazette DIDN'T tell you is that for the first time this year, we'll be crossing a river. Don't worry, you won't need a paddle or a life preserver because everybody knows that full kegs don't float. Instead, we'll use a bridge, which in this town, doesn't narrow the possibilities very much. Let's review the particulars: Show up at the brewery at 6pm on Friday May 15th, get signed in, and collect your token. Be prepared to head out at 7pm for a low-speed scenic ride of 6-7 miles, mostly on paved roads, but with some parts on smooth trails. (There will be no "off road" riding - the keg trailer doesn't like that.) So any bike will do. Just follow the keg, or the person in front of you, until we stop. Lock up your bike in the space we've set up for it, and go have a beer on me! The goal this year is to get as many people as possible on this ride, and shatter last year's record of 225 riders. This is definitely a case of the more the merrier - and the more beer we have to pull! So be sure to forward this to anyone you know who you think would enjoy a gentle bike ride on a warm summer evening, ending with a crisp, hoppy pint of Pedal Pale Ale! PEDAL ON, MY PINT-PUSHING PEOPLE!
Tuesday, April 28, 2009
26.2 miles to Good Beer in Pittsburgh, PA
This will be my last substantive posting until I return from the Pittsburgh Marathon next week. I'll have some filler material to keep you and your RSS feeder/reader occupied until then, so it won't be like I'm really MIA!
I had a lot of fun putting together my marathon of D.C. beer back in 2007 to coincide with my running of the Marine Corps Marathon. I laid out a map with some descriptions of beer-worthy landmarks along the way. The idea didn't dawn on me three years ago for my first in NYC and for some reason I skipped doing one back in the fall when I ran Philly.
Now, I'm heading to da 'Burgh this coming weekend for the return of the Pittsburgh Marathon...26.2 miles starting and ending downtown by the Convention Center. Along the way, my running will take me and almost 10,000 other runners through the North Shore, South Side, Oakland (PittU), Shadyside, and Lawrenceville.
Some of you already know of the places that I'll pass along the way. For those others, read along below to get a good representation of what makes up a pretty decent beer scene in the city of Pittsburgh. And, for those of you in and around the City on Sunday, 5/3...feel free to come out and witness the return (from hiatus) of the Pittsburgh Marathon. Believe it or not, the only significant hill (uphill that it is) is Forbes Avenue through Oakland. Find me, and I may even buy a beer for you afterwards. Oh, by the way, does anyone have a good recommendation for a place to "carb up" on Saturday night in the City?
Runners, beer drinkers take your mark... The route begins on Smallman Street just outside the Convention Center and heads off on a short loop through downtown of approximately 4 miles before heading to the North Side. There is (or at least used to be) a smattering of half-decent places to grab a good beer downtown, but not like in other neighborhoods, particularly South Side, which we'll get to in, oh, an hour or so.
The only place downtown where I've dabbled in good beer has been the small-ish Penn Taproom inside the William Penn Hotel where you'll find a couple of beers from Penn on permanent taps. Unfortunately, Market Street Ale House has recently closed and left Market Square (just a few blocks from the Convention Center start of the Marathon) a bit more empty. I'll leave it up to some of you to chime with any worthy downtown beer joints that should be checked out.
I suppose the homebrewing scene must be across the rivers, because all I could find on Beer Advocate for homebrewing in the City was in the Strip District a half mile from the starting line in the form of Triangle Homebrewing Supply. Though, if the user reviews are accurate, it may not be the place that many of us would want to buy supplies from. But, as always check it out for yourself and decide. Or, if you homebrew in Allegheny County, I ask you: Where do you buy homebrew supplies?
Here a bridge, there a bridge Of the most vital components in Pittsburgh's aesthetically-pleasing landscape, none perhaps is more identifiable than the bridges. Somewhere in the past, I'd recalled hearing that Pittsburgh has more bridges within the city boundaries than any other city outside of Venice. I'll have to look around to see if that can be confirmed.
In any case, this marathon will go across three bridges. The first leaves downtown around mile 4 and crosses the Allegheny river at 16th Street. Although, the route veers west, just a handful of blocks to the east after crossing the bridge is the home (past home, and soon to be home again) of Penn Brewery. Penn is the wonderful Pittsburgh landmark on Vinial Street. They'd just recently celebrated their 20th anniversary and got a very large rent increase bill in the mail. After some backing-and-forthing, Penn is heading back to the brew kettles. Though, if I understood the chain of events correctly, the equipment had been sold. So, what this all means, I'll need to look into...but not during the run!
A bit of tooling around the North Side, then to the West End Bridge, where at roughly mile 8.5 we'll cross over into the neighborhood where the joint is always jumpin': South Side. As we make our way down Carson Street, Mt. Washington will be up the hill above us (home to some of the most breathtaking views of the city)...take one of the Inclines/Funiculars, either Duquesne or Monongahela, for a quick peek.
Where do all the Hippies Meet? The mood of Carson Street will change a few times over as we go from one end almost the other. But, one thing that won't is the energy level. We'll be on there from mile 8.5 to almost mile 12. Along the way, the scenery will include tattoo parlors and tea houses, ethnic eateries and esoteric bookstores, bohemians and babes, and yes, of course, Fat Head's. Let's work our way from west to east along Carson.
First up will be Fat Head's on the left (north) side of the street. Fat Head's is equal parts restaurant, bar, takeout bottle shop, sports bar, and party scene that is on the short list of many a beer traveler when in Pittsburgh. During one of our annual guys trip to Pittsburgh, we went in for lunch, watched some games, drank some great beer, and stayed long enough to be hungry for dinner. On Carson Street, Fat Head's is usually in the middle of most parties and celebrations that take place in the South Side neighborhood. That they are one of the best beer bars in the city and region of Pittsburgh doesn't hurt either.
Within spittin' distance on the other side of the street is Piper's Pub. If I could count the number of times that I've been told to visit Piper's, I'd also then be able to tell you the number of times that I didn't go. Based on their reputation, I'd say the punchline to the joke of "Why didn't Bryan cross the road from Fat Head's to Piper's?" would be "Because he's an idiot." Perhaps you, too, can tell me what a great place Piper's is?
Back to the north side of the street at 20th is where you'll find Smokin' Joe's. Smokin' Joe's used to truly be smoking. I've only been once to this bar and, man, smoke-filled just about describes what it used to be like before the state-wide smoking ban was enacted. With that out of the way now, the pool, darts, food, and beer have never been better.
I'll be making a left across the Birmingham Bridge from Carson Street at 23rd Street. This left comes just a few blocks before South Side Works, home of the recently unveiled Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh. Schnitzel, steins, and sausage prevail (as do dirndls, dudes, and dunkels...and...beer, babes, and bratwurst...someone, please stop me) at this new German-style Beer Hall overlooking the Monongahela River. Since I was last there, the outside deck and biergarten may be well on their way to completion.
Back to School After weaving our way around the interstate tangle, we runners will head up Forbes Avenue toward the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to the venerable institution of coleslaw and fries on the sandwich (that'd be, of course, Primanti Bros.), the Oakland section of the city around the university campus also is home to a location of the Mad Mex family and Fuel and Fuddle, a couple of the better beer bars near campus.
In addition to a decent beer lineup, Mad Mex will also help sate your thirst with their Big Azz Margaritas. Specialties at Fuel and Fuddle include Tröegs-brewed Fire Brick Brown Ale and Pumphouse Pale Ale, pizzas done a dozen different ways, and foods that are flavored ten ways 'til next Tuesday.
The trip up Forbes Avenue contains an incline approximately two miles in length at an average incline of 2-3%. This represents the most significant hill of the course. It seems counter-intuitive in a city known for hills almost as much as bridges. After cresting Oakland at almost mile 14, the tony neighborhood of Shadyside will provide tree-lined streets, exclusive residential addresses, and high-end shopping. Unfortunately, not much in the way of notable beer bars or breweries.
Heading east on Penn Avenue to then make a left on Braddock, where a right on Braddock would instead take you south to Regent Square and D's Six Pax and Dogz where those with a little hunger and thirst will leave with neither. Home to one of the area's best take out beer caves, D's completed a renovation a couple of years ago that now allows them to stock close to 1000 brands of beer. The menu of frankfurters and sausages is like icing on the cake, or head on the beer.
As the neighborhoods become a bit quieter and bleaker, two more first-class beer joints will pop up and try to lure me in for some liquid refreshment...only if they were open at the time on a Sunday. Point Brugge and Sharp Edge Beer Emporium have both been around for a while and are establishing themselves and their beer lineups as among the city's best. This is Sharp Edge's original location of a 4-location local quad of great beer bars. The only location of theirs that I've been to is the Creekhouse just on the city's westerly limit. Based on reputation and word-of-mouth, these are the kind of places that most beer geeks would be happy to find themselves stranded at.
It won't take long to leave behind the civilized tone of Shadyside for the more rough-and-tumble, other side of the tracks neighborhoods of Point Breeze and Homewood. Actually, it is the other side of the tracks where East End Brewing resides. I'm still trying to coax owner/brewer, Scott Smith out of bed early on Marathon Sunday to set up a beer refreshment stand for me and the runners to get us through the neighborhood at miles 19 and 20...let's see how that goes. Y'know just a little dixie cup of Gose or Kvass...it's the mythical "wall" you know? I don't want to hit it!
It's all Downhill from Here With just one significant hill (albeit 2 mile hill), the course does not seem to overly intimidate me from afar. But, no matter, when it comes to the last almost 4 miles, I'm thinking they might be a just reward for putting in a few hours of running on this lovely upcoming Sunday morning!
Around mile 23, I'll be already into a mild downhill that will take me directly in front of and by Church Brew Works. CBW is another one of those Pittsburgh institutions that is on the very short list of many a beer traveler to Pittsburgh. Housed in a desanctified church, CBW is celebrating 13 years in business in 2009. The ambiance alone is enough reason to visit, not to mention the food and beer menus as well. In the nice weather, they have a patio that might just be open by the time I arrive for the marathon, we shall see.
Across Liberty Ave. from Church Brew Works is the larger-than-life Pittsburgh Brewing Company. I guess you might have to be from Pittsburgh to have some sentimental feelings about I.C. Light. I once had an Iron City can of beer with the 1970s Steelers team on it. That's probably the closest I'll ever come to have a can of I.C. Light in my paws.
I'm going to go ahead and throw this out here in the public domain, because I feel like being optimistic and letting the world (or at least the 3 of you that have made it this far) know my finishing time goal for Sunday. After running almost 600 miles during this training plan and feeling like I just may be in the best running shape of my life, I believe I'm ready to go for the magical 4 hour finish on Sunday. For many "average" runners such as myself, 4 hours is a threshold that becomes a mission to achieve.
After that, qualifying for Boston Marathon would be the next. But, first let's get to 4 hours. With a previous best of 4:21:31, this may be a stretch, but I'm feeling good enough to state it and go for it!
Remember: "You either Do or you Do Not, There is No Try"
Other Brew Lounge Links to Pittburgh's Beer Scene
The Steelers in 2006 Super Bowl
A review of Church Brew Works
A review of Fat Head's
A review of North Country Brewing
A 2006 trip through Pittsburgh
A quick 2008 trip to Pittsburgh
Bottling Gratitude at East End Brewing in 2008
2009 Flyers/Penguins hockey trip
Triangle Homebrewing Supply 2100 Smallman Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Penn Brewing Co. 800 Vinial Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212
Fat Head's 1805 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203
Piper's Pub 1828 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203
Smokin' Joe's 2001 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203
Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh 2705 South Water Street SouthSide Works Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203
Mad Mex Oakland 370 Atwood Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
Fuel And Fuddle 212 Oakland Avenue Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
D's Six Pax & Dogz 1118 South Braddock Avenue Swissvale, Pennsylvania 15218
Point Brugge Cafe 401 Hastings Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206
Sharp Edge Beer Emporium 302 South Saint Clair Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206
East End Brewing Co. 6923 Susquehanna Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208
Church Brew Works 3525 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15201
Pittsburgh Brewing Co. 3340 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15201
I had a lot of fun putting together my marathon of D.C. beer back in 2007 to coincide with my running of the Marine Corps Marathon. I laid out a map with some descriptions of beer-worthy landmarks along the way. The idea didn't dawn on me three years ago for my first in NYC and for some reason I skipped doing one back in the fall when I ran Philly.
Now, I'm heading to da 'Burgh this coming weekend for the return of the Pittsburgh Marathon...26.2 miles starting and ending downtown by the Convention Center. Along the way, my running will take me and almost 10,000 other runners through the North Shore, South Side, Oakland (PittU), Shadyside, and Lawrenceville.
Some of you already know of the places that I'll pass along the way. For those others, read along below to get a good representation of what makes up a pretty decent beer scene in the city of Pittsburgh. And, for those of you in and around the City on Sunday, 5/3...feel free to come out and witness the return (from hiatus) of the Pittsburgh Marathon. Believe it or not, the only significant hill (uphill that it is) is Forbes Avenue through Oakland. Find me, and I may even buy a beer for you afterwards. Oh, by the way, does anyone have a good recommendation for a place to "carb up" on Saturday night in the City?
Runners, beer drinkers take your mark... The route begins on Smallman Street just outside the Convention Center and heads off on a short loop through downtown of approximately 4 miles before heading to the North Side. There is (or at least used to be) a smattering of half-decent places to grab a good beer downtown, but not like in other neighborhoods, particularly South Side, which we'll get to in, oh, an hour or so.
The only place downtown where I've dabbled in good beer has been the small-ish Penn Taproom inside the William Penn Hotel where you'll find a couple of beers from Penn on permanent taps. Unfortunately, Market Street Ale House has recently closed and left Market Square (just a few blocks from the Convention Center start of the Marathon) a bit more empty. I'll leave it up to some of you to chime with any worthy downtown beer joints that should be checked out.
I suppose the homebrewing scene must be across the rivers, because all I could find on Beer Advocate for homebrewing in the City was in the Strip District a half mile from the starting line in the form of Triangle Homebrewing Supply. Though, if the user reviews are accurate, it may not be the place that many of us would want to buy supplies from. But, as always check it out for yourself and decide. Or, if you homebrew in Allegheny County, I ask you: Where do you buy homebrew supplies?
Here a bridge, there a bridge Of the most vital components in Pittsburgh's aesthetically-pleasing landscape, none perhaps is more identifiable than the bridges. Somewhere in the past, I'd recalled hearing that Pittsburgh has more bridges within the city boundaries than any other city outside of Venice. I'll have to look around to see if that can be confirmed.
In any case, this marathon will go across three bridges. The first leaves downtown around mile 4 and crosses the Allegheny river at 16th Street. Although, the route veers west, just a handful of blocks to the east after crossing the bridge is the home (past home, and soon to be home again) of Penn Brewery. Penn is the wonderful Pittsburgh landmark on Vinial Street. They'd just recently celebrated their 20th anniversary and got a very large rent increase bill in the mail. After some backing-and-forthing, Penn is heading back to the brew kettles. Though, if I understood the chain of events correctly, the equipment had been sold. So, what this all means, I'll need to look into...but not during the run!
A bit of tooling around the North Side, then to the West End Bridge, where at roughly mile 8.5 we'll cross over into the neighborhood where the joint is always jumpin': South Side. As we make our way down Carson Street, Mt. Washington will be up the hill above us (home to some of the most breathtaking views of the city)...take one of the Inclines/Funiculars, either Duquesne or Monongahela, for a quick peek.
Where do all the Hippies Meet? The mood of Carson Street will change a few times over as we go from one end almost the other. But, one thing that won't is the energy level. We'll be on there from mile 8.5 to almost mile 12. Along the way, the scenery will include tattoo parlors and tea houses, ethnic eateries and esoteric bookstores, bohemians and babes, and yes, of course, Fat Head's. Let's work our way from west to east along Carson.
First up will be Fat Head's on the left (north) side of the street. Fat Head's is equal parts restaurant, bar, takeout bottle shop, sports bar, and party scene that is on the short list of many a beer traveler when in Pittsburgh. During one of our annual guys trip to Pittsburgh, we went in for lunch, watched some games, drank some great beer, and stayed long enough to be hungry for dinner. On Carson Street, Fat Head's is usually in the middle of most parties and celebrations that take place in the South Side neighborhood. That they are one of the best beer bars in the city and region of Pittsburgh doesn't hurt either.
Within spittin' distance on the other side of the street is Piper's Pub. If I could count the number of times that I've been told to visit Piper's, I'd also then be able to tell you the number of times that I didn't go. Based on their reputation, I'd say the punchline to the joke of "Why didn't Bryan cross the road from Fat Head's to Piper's?" would be "Because he's an idiot." Perhaps you, too, can tell me what a great place Piper's is?
Back to the north side of the street at 20th is where you'll find Smokin' Joe's. Smokin' Joe's used to truly be smoking. I've only been once to this bar and, man, smoke-filled just about describes what it used to be like before the state-wide smoking ban was enacted. With that out of the way now, the pool, darts, food, and beer have never been better.
I'll be making a left across the Birmingham Bridge from Carson Street at 23rd Street. This left comes just a few blocks before South Side Works, home of the recently unveiled Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh. Schnitzel, steins, and sausage prevail (as do dirndls, dudes, and dunkels...and...beer, babes, and bratwurst...someone, please stop me) at this new German-style Beer Hall overlooking the Monongahela River. Since I was last there, the outside deck and biergarten may be well on their way to completion.
Back to School After weaving our way around the interstate tangle, we runners will head up Forbes Avenue toward the University of Pittsburgh. In addition to the venerable institution of coleslaw and fries on the sandwich (that'd be, of course, Primanti Bros.), the Oakland section of the city around the university campus also is home to a location of the Mad Mex family and Fuel and Fuddle, a couple of the better beer bars near campus.
In addition to a decent beer lineup, Mad Mex will also help sate your thirst with their Big Azz Margaritas. Specialties at Fuel and Fuddle include Tröegs-brewed Fire Brick Brown Ale and Pumphouse Pale Ale, pizzas done a dozen different ways, and foods that are flavored ten ways 'til next Tuesday.
The trip up Forbes Avenue contains an incline approximately two miles in length at an average incline of 2-3%. This represents the most significant hill of the course. It seems counter-intuitive in a city known for hills almost as much as bridges. After cresting Oakland at almost mile 14, the tony neighborhood of Shadyside will provide tree-lined streets, exclusive residential addresses, and high-end shopping. Unfortunately, not much in the way of notable beer bars or breweries.
Heading east on Penn Avenue to then make a left on Braddock, where a right on Braddock would instead take you south to Regent Square and D's Six Pax and Dogz where those with a little hunger and thirst will leave with neither. Home to one of the area's best take out beer caves, D's completed a renovation a couple of years ago that now allows them to stock close to 1000 brands of beer. The menu of frankfurters and sausages is like icing on the cake, or head on the beer.
As the neighborhoods become a bit quieter and bleaker, two more first-class beer joints will pop up and try to lure me in for some liquid refreshment...only if they were open at the time on a Sunday. Point Brugge and Sharp Edge Beer Emporium have both been around for a while and are establishing themselves and their beer lineups as among the city's best. This is Sharp Edge's original location of a 4-location local quad of great beer bars. The only location of theirs that I've been to is the Creekhouse just on the city's westerly limit. Based on reputation and word-of-mouth, these are the kind of places that most beer geeks would be happy to find themselves stranded at.
It won't take long to leave behind the civilized tone of Shadyside for the more rough-and-tumble, other side of the tracks neighborhoods of Point Breeze and Homewood. Actually, it is the other side of the tracks where East End Brewing resides. I'm still trying to coax owner/brewer, Scott Smith out of bed early on Marathon Sunday to set up a beer refreshment stand for me and the runners to get us through the neighborhood at miles 19 and 20...let's see how that goes. Y'know just a little dixie cup of Gose or Kvass...it's the mythical "wall" you know? I don't want to hit it!
It's all Downhill from Here With just one significant hill (albeit 2 mile hill), the course does not seem to overly intimidate me from afar. But, no matter, when it comes to the last almost 4 miles, I'm thinking they might be a just reward for putting in a few hours of running on this lovely upcoming Sunday morning!
Around mile 23, I'll be already into a mild downhill that will take me directly in front of and by Church Brew Works. CBW is another one of those Pittsburgh institutions that is on the very short list of many a beer traveler to Pittsburgh. Housed in a desanctified church, CBW is celebrating 13 years in business in 2009. The ambiance alone is enough reason to visit, not to mention the food and beer menus as well. In the nice weather, they have a patio that might just be open by the time I arrive for the marathon, we shall see.
Across Liberty Ave. from Church Brew Works is the larger-than-life Pittsburgh Brewing Company. I guess you might have to be from Pittsburgh to have some sentimental feelings about I.C. Light. I once had an Iron City can of beer with the 1970s Steelers team on it. That's probably the closest I'll ever come to have a can of I.C. Light in my paws.
I'm going to go ahead and throw this out here in the public domain, because I feel like being optimistic and letting the world (or at least the 3 of you that have made it this far) know my finishing time goal for Sunday. After running almost 600 miles during this training plan and feeling like I just may be in the best running shape of my life, I believe I'm ready to go for the magical 4 hour finish on Sunday. For many "average" runners such as myself, 4 hours is a threshold that becomes a mission to achieve.
After that, qualifying for Boston Marathon would be the next. But, first let's get to 4 hours. With a previous best of 4:21:31, this may be a stretch, but I'm feeling good enough to state it and go for it!
Remember: "You either Do or you Do Not, There is No Try"
Other Brew Lounge Links to Pittburgh's Beer Scene
The Steelers in 2006 Super Bowl
A review of Church Brew Works
A review of Fat Head's
A review of North Country Brewing
A 2006 trip through Pittsburgh
A quick 2008 trip to Pittsburgh
Bottling Gratitude at East End Brewing in 2008
2009 Flyers/Penguins hockey trip
Triangle Homebrewing Supply 2100 Smallman Street Pittsburgh, PA 15222
Penn Brewing Co. 800 Vinial Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15212
Fat Head's 1805 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203
Piper's Pub 1828 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203
Smokin' Joe's 2001 East Carson Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203
Hofbräuhaus Pittsburgh 2705 South Water Street SouthSide Works Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15203
Mad Mex Oakland 370 Atwood Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
Fuel And Fuddle 212 Oakland Avenue Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15213
D's Six Pax & Dogz 1118 South Braddock Avenue Swissvale, Pennsylvania 15218
Point Brugge Cafe 401 Hastings Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206
Sharp Edge Beer Emporium 302 South Saint Clair Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15206
East End Brewing Co. 6923 Susquehanna Street Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15208
Church Brew Works 3525 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15201
Pittsburgh Brewing Co. 3340 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania 15201
Tuesday, December 09, 2008
East End Firkin at The Drafting Room Beats Running
At least this Thursday it does; when faced with running in 35 degree weather, darkness, and the threat of showers on the leading edge of a nor'easter, I'm choosing The Drafting Room in Exton instead.
They've got a firkin of East End's Big Hop on the bar this coming Thursday evening (as does their sister location in Spring House).
East End is a small brewery in Pittsburgh that only gets out to the eastern side of the state (heck, even out of Allegheny County is an accomplishment) once in a while. The beer is usually top notch, so I don't want to miss this treat. Plus, I can't recall that I've ever had anything cask-conditioned from East End in the past. This IPA should be an excellent introduction. I can always run on the weekend.
Tuesday, August 05, 2008
Bottling with Gratitude at East End Brewing in Pittsburgh, PA
FINALLY! A chance to take Scott Smith up on one of his e-mail requests for volunteers at his East End Brewing in Pittsburgh, PA. We were already in town for the meetup of Craft Beer Radio and The Brew Lounge to complete the surrender of goods from the hockey playoff wager. This occurred later on Saturday the 28th and Scott was looking for volunteers in the early morning hours.
Seeing the market release of the '07 Gratitude scheduled for 8/9 (important details here) reminded me of the need to get this posted for your consumption. Volunteering at this community-based brewery (not that the community actually owns it, or anything but...you see?) was too good of an experience not to share. Scott's late getting this '07 barleywine out; I'm late getting this message out...at least we're in the same boat. At least in his case, the barleywine ages well...my commentary, not so much so.
We headed over to East End on that particular Saturday morning for a 9am kickoff of the bottle wrapping project. If you've never seen the finished Gratitude product, this marks the 3rd year running (no, this isn't about beer and fitness, for a change ;-) that Scott has wrapped each bottle completely in recycled paper and wax-topped them to boot. It's a long, time-consuming process that is better performed as a group.
It's a messy process, too. From wetting the paper with flour-based glue to wrapping the bottle (ensuring all air bubbles are carefully squeezed out) the process takes an average of a couple of minutes per bottle. With 1500 bottles (125 cases, if I divide correctly) to wrap, it took each and every volunteer pitching in on this warm and muggy morning to get the entire inventory wrapped and stacked by mid-afternoon.
We cut out around noon, giving us enough time to grab some lunch and relax before heading over to Bocktown for our meetup with Jeff, Greg, and the Craft Beer Radio crew.
Not, though, before sampling some of Scott's gose. For those not familiar with this revived style (okay, maybe it's not completely revived quite yet), it reminded me a bit of a kinder, gentler berliner weisse. As you likely know, the berliner weisse can be quite a tart wakeup for the palate. The gose is too but in a, how shall we say (oh wait, I already said), kinder and gentler way. His first attempt at the gose was unsuccessful, but after a 3 day sour mash Scott was happy enough with this second batch to keep it and keg it. It's appropriately named 'Here It Gose Again' and by now may very likely be a distant memory. It had me thinking that this would make a great citrus-y poolside refresher during hot summer months.
After some conversation about his conservation efforts, I grabbed a new lid (sported after a beer run, astutely spotted by Scott), a couple of more pictures, and took off. But, not before Scott slipped a couple of unmarked '07 barleywines under my arms for a preview taste.
During a recent trip to The Shore (to be ready for your reading pleasure very, very soon, I promise...pins and needles, I'm sure), Mark Haynie, his wife Mary Lu, and I enjoyed a bottle. So much so, I'm doubting that I'll be able to resist for much longer opening the second bottle. A little extra time in the bottle has done all that it needs to do to make this ready to drink immediately.
From some of the chatter in the forums, it looks as if the stash won't last for long as fans are due to sweep in on the brewery this coming Saturday, August 9 for the debut of the '07 Gratitude.
As to my "community" comment earlier on, I don't think Scott would mind my reprinting of his thank-you note to the volunteers who showed up to help wrap the bottles on 6/28.
Hey there FOTB,
I usually don't send a message out after these volunteer projects, but I'm making an exception this time around... and I may have said this before, but it bears repeating: I HAVE THE BEST BREWERY VOLUNTEERS EVER!
I was thinking we'd get through labeling maybe 300 bottles, but thanks to your generous help and support (and tolerance for heat), we did all 1500 - and I still can't believe it. The labels are drying nicely now, and I'll start the waxing later this week. Look for this beer and some other goodies to be released in our special "late-winter" event, which is slated for JULY - as in next month.
I'm so happy to have this part done, and I clearly couldn't have done it without you. Thanks again to everyone who came out. You guys rock!
Cheers,
Scott
Wednesday, February 27, 2008
24 Hours in Pittsburgh, PA
This year's installment of the guys hockey and beer trip to Pittsburgh came and went in the blink of an eye. In the past, it's been more like 4-6 guys for the weekend. This year it was yours truly and the Lancaster County Correspondent in all of about 38 hours. Not to say that we didn't make the most of it.
We headed out on Saturday morning and made it from Lancaster County to D's Six Pax & Dogz in the Regent Square area of Pittsburgh (just on the eastern side of Squirrel Hill tunnel) in just over 3 hours. We made it through a few snow squalls in the mountains with no problem and found a little more than an hour to spend at D's and setting up at the hotel before heading over to the Mellon Arena for the Penguins/Kings game at 1pm.
After a couple of dogs and our first pre-noon pints, we headed to the back "cave" at D's to fill up a 6-pack of beers, like Great Lakes and others that can not ordinarily be found in the eastern half of PA. Since the last time we were in Pittsburgh, D's has expanded by I'm guessing at least 100%. The restaurant area is now much more comfortable with some additional seating. The takeout area is a bit roomier and allows customers to more easily get around and find the beers that they're looking for. Plus, they've added a whole room on the front of the takeout area with hightop tables and separate checkout for the takeout customers.
Even though D's is still a bit pricier than 3 Sons Dogs & Suds north of Pittsburgh up in Wexford, D's is now a much more comfortable place to hang out and buy some beers, especially when coming in to Pittsburgh from the east.
On to the hockey game, our ice-side seats were killer. I've never seen a hockey game from right up on the glass, especially in the corner where a lot of the mucking, banging, and fighting starts and finishes. Our friend who works with the team usually hooks us up with great seats somewhere in the arena, but these were one of a kind....or maybe one of a few hundred of a kind.
While visits to East End and Penn Brewing were initially in the plans, they were not meant to be this time around. We went out with our friend and his friend instead to Fat Heads for beers and dinner (every beer trip to da Burgh requires at least one stop in at Fathead's). As you can tell from the picture, the tap list is still as quality as ever, now with the welcome addition of Bear Republic. I did my best to add as many beers to my Frequent Flyer Beer Tour card. One day, I hope to learn just how many points, miles, beers, or whatever I've accrued to this card. Until then, they claim that the computer can not tell even the staff. Uh...
Anyway, after wings and other munchies and several beers at Fathead's, we wandered down the street to a new joint (well, at least new in the sense that I'd never been there) called Smokin' Joe's. I resisted the call of the Beer Union 6-pack shop and only walked out of Fat Heads with a keychain bottle opener. Ah, the willpower at work.
Smokin' Joe's. Now there's a name that tells you what you need to know. No doubt the smoking ban has yet to land in Pittsburgh. While the smoke wasn't oppressive, it was definitely noticeable. Not enough to kill the taste of a DFH 90 Minute as we settled into some darts. Pool tables, music, and a typical South Side type of bar atmosphere was the order of the night here. They claim around 65 taps or so. I never could get a good view of the bar and all of the tap handles spread out around the long bar to confirm, but perhaps they were hiding some taps around the corner. And, though I have a better picture of the chalkboard tap list, I thought the picture here was more humorous as one of our guys took the opportunity to relax against the board. I think I can almost make out some of the beer names...maybe if I hold it up to a mirror!
That about concludes the beer portion of the trip. We got in a good night sleep, poked around the hotel lobby in the morning with breakfast and meetups with some of the Flyers players (they stay in the same hotel), and checked ourselves out of the hotel.We saw the Flyers come up just a bit short against the Penguins in a semi-spirited game. Though, it wasn't quite the cross-state brawl we were expecting. Maybe the Old Time Hockey from the prior day took a bit out of them. But, with the young talent in Pittsburgh, it's certainly good to see the city with an exciting hockey team again packing the arena. Plus, with a new arena on the horizon in a couple of years, the state of hockey in Pittsburgh looks quite favorable in the near future.
We both kept it dry at the game since there really wasn't much decent beer to speak of. The temperarture had dropped into the 10F range, with wind chill, and snow had fallen, so we hit the road and fortunately made a very quick trip home. I'm thinking with a lot of these short trips that I make, I could start a series called "24 Hours of Beer in {City Name Here}".
Oh, somewhere along the way here I neglected to mention our elevator ride with Mario Lemieux. No picture, sorry.
We headed out on Saturday morning and made it from Lancaster County to D's Six Pax & Dogz in the Regent Square area of Pittsburgh (just on the eastern side of Squirrel Hill tunnel) in just over 3 hours. We made it through a few snow squalls in the mountains with no problem and found a little more than an hour to spend at D's and setting up at the hotel before heading over to the Mellon Arena for the Penguins/Kings game at 1pm.
After a couple of dogs and our first pre-noon pints, we headed to the back "cave" at D's to fill up a 6-pack of beers, like Great Lakes and others that can not ordinarily be found in the eastern half of PA. Since the last time we were in Pittsburgh, D's has expanded by I'm guessing at least 100%. The restaurant area is now much more comfortable with some additional seating. The takeout area is a bit roomier and allows customers to more easily get around and find the beers that they're looking for. Plus, they've added a whole room on the front of the takeout area with hightop tables and separate checkout for the takeout customers.
Even though D's is still a bit pricier than 3 Sons Dogs & Suds north of Pittsburgh up in Wexford, D's is now a much more comfortable place to hang out and buy some beers, especially when coming in to Pittsburgh from the east.
On to the hockey game, our ice-side seats were killer. I've never seen a hockey game from right up on the glass, especially in the corner where a lot of the mucking, banging, and fighting starts and finishes. Our friend who works with the team usually hooks us up with great seats somewhere in the arena, but these were one of a kind....or maybe one of a few hundred of a kind.
While visits to East End and Penn Brewing were initially in the plans, they were not meant to be this time around. We went out with our friend and his friend instead to Fat Heads for beers and dinner (every beer trip to da Burgh requires at least one stop in at Fathead's). As you can tell from the picture, the tap list is still as quality as ever, now with the welcome addition of Bear Republic. I did my best to add as many beers to my Frequent Flyer Beer Tour card. One day, I hope to learn just how many points, miles, beers, or whatever I've accrued to this card. Until then, they claim that the computer can not tell even the staff. Uh...
Anyway, after wings and other munchies and several beers at Fathead's, we wandered down the street to a new joint (well, at least new in the sense that I'd never been there) called Smokin' Joe's. I resisted the call of the Beer Union 6-pack shop and only walked out of Fat Heads with a keychain bottle opener. Ah, the willpower at work.
Smokin' Joe's. Now there's a name that tells you what you need to know. No doubt the smoking ban has yet to land in Pittsburgh. While the smoke wasn't oppressive, it was definitely noticeable. Not enough to kill the taste of a DFH 90 Minute as we settled into some darts. Pool tables, music, and a typical South Side type of bar atmosphere was the order of the night here. They claim around 65 taps or so. I never could get a good view of the bar and all of the tap handles spread out around the long bar to confirm, but perhaps they were hiding some taps around the corner. And, though I have a better picture of the chalkboard tap list, I thought the picture here was more humorous as one of our guys took the opportunity to relax against the board. I think I can almost make out some of the beer names...maybe if I hold it up to a mirror!
That about concludes the beer portion of the trip. We got in a good night sleep, poked around the hotel lobby in the morning with breakfast and meetups with some of the Flyers players (they stay in the same hotel), and checked ourselves out of the hotel.We saw the Flyers come up just a bit short against the Penguins in a semi-spirited game. Though, it wasn't quite the cross-state brawl we were expecting. Maybe the Old Time Hockey from the prior day took a bit out of them. But, with the young talent in Pittsburgh, it's certainly good to see the city with an exciting hockey team again packing the arena. Plus, with a new arena on the horizon in a couple of years, the state of hockey in Pittsburgh looks quite favorable in the near future.
We both kept it dry at the game since there really wasn't much decent beer to speak of. The temperarture had dropped into the 10F range, with wind chill, and snow had fallen, so we hit the road and fortunately made a very quick trip home. I'm thinking with a lot of these short trips that I make, I could start a series called "24 Hours of Beer in {City Name Here}".
Oh, somewhere along the way here I neglected to mention our elevator ride with Mario Lemieux. No picture, sorry.
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Beer Tasting: East End Ugly American
The Beer: East End Ugly American
Style: A "corrupted Belgian Tripel" (hence the Ugly American!)
Reviews: Beer Advocate Rate Beer
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Packaging & Date Stamping: 1 liter swing-top brown bottle; no date stamping
From where & how stored: Purchased from the brewery by Adam, who made a personal visit in March '07; stored at 48F since then
Pricing: $x.xx
Availability: Late 2006, Early 2007, likely not again until 2009
ABV, IBU, and Other Available Stats: 7.8% ABV
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Bryan's Notes
The Look:
- Slight cloudy, golden color
- Very thick, tight shaving cream type head
- Drapes all over walls of glass long after the liquid is gone
- thick sludgy sediment on bottom of bottle
The Aroma:
- hops not so noticeable in the aroma
- sweet dubbel aroma; yeasty
The Taste:
- a bit slick like a triple IPA
- hop presence is subdued up front but catches you in the finish and lingers pleasantly
- pepper, clove, and orange citrus easy to detect
- drink on the cooler side, since the flavors and overall taste profile is cleaner and more enjoyable than at room temperature
The Verdict: Scott Smith would be disappointed if you tried to call this beer (or maybe any of his) by a particular style. He sticks by the credo with this brew which, to me, was flip-flopping back and forth between an American triple IPA and a Belgian dubbel (as opposed to the double IPA and tripel). Ah, those crazy Americans, always flip-flopping!
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Adam's Notes
The Look:
- straw color
The Aroma:
- sweet nose as it warms
The Taste:
- not severe but big
- not ugly
- round hops too
- bitter finish
- a little peppery alcohol
- slight grapefruit
- malt is there to support
- double er triple
- clean when cold
The Verdict: Ran out of beer to taste, note to self, don't share with Bryan next time ;-) I think this one deserves a second tasting. Lively and interesting, marketing makes you think it is a frankenstein of the the Belgian tripel and American Double IPA styles. It is truly something outside of those styles. This is what we need more of. You can tell Scott likes to experiment. I'm happy to taste the fruits of his labor.
Saturday, June 02, 2007
My favorite beers of the past 3 months
Here is a listing of what has tantalized my taste buds over the past few months.
Brooklyn Local 1
Dogfish Head Red & White
Du de Ciel Peche Mortel
Rogue Brewer
Rogue 10000
Iron Hill Cassis
Allagash Curieux
Westvleteren 12
Alaskan Smoked Porter
East End Fat Gary Nut Brown Ale
Boon Unblended Lambic
Tuesday, March 27, 2007
East End Brewing, Pittsburgh, PA
This story is long overdue, but, too important to pass up.It was a beautiful day if not a tad cold in "dahn-tahn" Pittsburgh, PA. I just got some great news and I was ready to go back to Southeastern, PA. Of course I couldn't pass up the opportunity to see what East End Brewing had to offer. Especially since it was Thursday and Scott opens up for growler hours from 5:00-7:00.
Now I used to live in Pittsburgh, but, it has been a long time and had no idea where this place was located. Google maps helped me out a bit and before I knew it I was looking at a very unassuming facade. Some might think, "this is it?". I was thinking, "This is IT!". Hey, I like informal places ;-) Two cars out front and uh...where's the front door?
Oh there it is. The one with the sticky note that says "Come on in!". Now that is informal. In a way I felt like I was at a dance club in Pittsburgh's Strip District or perhaps in Buffalo, NY. Basically it seemed like an old building that was re-purposed into industrial park like spaces. Not too different from Tom Baker's old place in Ocean, NJ.Inside there's a long dark hallway leading back to the brewery. If you look at the picture on the front page of his website you'll see basically the same tanks, taps and well Scott Smith himself. I kinda milled around while he was talking to somebody and introduced myself as that guy from The Brew Lounge that emailed him and he asked what I might like to taste. There were five options that night. Fortunately I wrote them down.
All of them were very tasty. The Fat Gary is a solid session beer. The Witte needed a little more time to mellow out and lose a bit of the nose, but, it tasted great. The Big Hop was obviously for those of you our there who enjoy a ridiculous amount of hops. Don't miss it. I don't remember it being noticeably out of balance, but, I don't usually care about that anyway. Black Strap Stout is well just plain delicious. Reminded me somewhat of Perkuno's Hammer from Heavyweight. American Wheat #7 was delicious, if not a bit cold, but, hey its winter and the keg was on the concrete floor. Nice hit of hops with enough malt to keep it grounded.
Scott is definitely enthusiastic. I guess you have to be when you run a brewing business by yourself in a freezing cold warehouse atmosphere with concrete floors and icicles hanging from your nose...ok..ok, it wasn't that bad. Scott, does have some volunteers. The place is definitely charming in that manly kind of work your butt off way...heheh. Ever since Bryan brought East End to my attention and I checked out his site, I have been interested in meeting the one man machine behind the scenes.My time was running short. I had over three hours to drive and as much as I wanted to stay, really need to get on the turnpike. So I asked Scott to pack up two bottles of The Ugly American and two of the 2006 Gratitude. One each for Bryan and I. I also took a growler of Fat Gary's Brown Ale. (after quick trip to a ATM I was all set)
What a truly great guy who brews very good beer. Pittsburgh is lucky to have a brewer like Scott. I hope to be back soon. In the meantime I'll have to find somebody to share those two big bombers with. Did I mention that all this beer is brewed in an environmentally sustainable way.
Thanks Scott. BTW, next time I'm coming in the summer!
Tuesday, March 06, 2007
East End Brewing Company & Trip to Pittsburgh
I'll be in that neck of the woods soon and I'm planning to stop at East End Brewing Company on Thursday. As luck would have it I'll be able to make it for Growler Hours.
Any suggestions on what to get my growler filled up with?
Thursday, January 18, 2007
East End Brewing at Capone's in Norristown, PA
East End beats Pliny! Is this like David vs. Goliath, Villanova vs. Georgetown or what?! Last night at Capone's in East Norriton, PA was advertised as Russian River (& much more) Night. They featured on tap: Russian River's Pliny the Elder and Damnation, Nodding Head's BPA, Brewers Art's Resurrection, East End's Big Hop IPA and Black Strap Stout, Troegs' Mad Elf, Heavyweight's Lunacy, Stone Double Bastard, High Point's Ramstein Winter Wheat, and Rogue's Younger's Special Bitter.
Anyway, back to topic. This isn't so much about Capone's as it is about East End Brewing. They debuted a couple of years ago and I haven't been able to get my hands on any of it. I was on the fence about going to Capone's last night, but the inclusion of East End sealed the deal.
I finally got to savor what I've been longing for. And, boy, did it not fail to disappoint! Maybe it was because I knew what to expect from Pliny and perhaps it was because the Elder came out somewhat under-carbonated and lacking some of the flavorful hop punch that I recall from previous tastings.Or, maybe just maybe it had nothing to do with Pliny and everything to do with East End's near flawless attempt at a beautifully crafted bountifully hopped beer.
So it seems that the future holds for me a visit to the brewery, some growler fillups, and a full-fledged review of what's going on out there at this up-and-coming brewery in da 'burgh. Oh, and by the way, they're another one of those responsible breweries with the whole environmental-friendly approach. Kudos to Scott and all of his volunteers!
Oh, and for those of you interested in stats, here they are for the Big Hop IPA from East End. 5.8% ABV, 1.054 OG, 70 IBUs
Sunday, February 05, 2006
Pittsburgh: A Super Bowl Homage to its Beer & Steelers
I live in the Philadelphia area, so what am I doing posting this "homage" about the beer scene and the Super Bowl Steelers of Pittsburgh (approx. 300 miles or 180 kilometers from home)? Well, there are two motivating factors. The first is the extremely lackluster writing that I read recently from a San Diego beer writer and the second is that the Steelers are the favorite football team of at least a few of my friends (and a couple of family members as well). Additionally, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Pittsburgh Steelers really do not share all that much of a rivalry, largely because of the separate conferences to which they belong. Interestingly enough, for one year during the second World War, the teams combined to form the Steagles.
Enough background information, onto the beer scene of Pittsburgh. Unlike the article which I referenced earlier, I will write nothing of Rolling Rock (kind of close to Pittsburgh) or Stoudt's (very far from Pittsburgh, actually a little more than 50 miles from Philadelphia). I'm surprised he didn't write about Yuengling from Pottsville, PA. Here's my guess: he walked into the local beverage store in San Diego and bought the only two beers made in Pennsylvania that he could find. Instead of writing about the very interesting beer scene of Pittsburgh, he wrote about average Rolling Rock and a very good, but irrelevant from Pittsburgh's perspective, Stoudt's. It's like writing about the San Diego beer scene and mentioning Anchor and Russian River, but not Stone or Pizza Port. In this day and age of information (i.e. the Internet), I'm surprised at this subpar writing.
Ok, didn't I say I was moving on to the Pittsburgh beer scene? Ha, enough complaining. So, if you're coming into the city from the Pennsylvania Turnpike, you'll want to stop at D's Sixpax and Dogz at Regent Square in Swissvale. This is just outside the city limit on the other side of the Squirrel Hill tunnel. Nothing fancy here but a variety of hot dogs and hundreds of bottled beer selections. A good stop for a stash of beer for your hotel room or as a gift for your house host.
Now that you're in the city, here are some good options for finding great beer. I've decided to only speak of what I know from first-hand experience. It would be disingenuous of me trying to represent something that I can not speak of personally. Let me start by saying that no matter where you go for beer in the city that you should find a good brew by Penn Brewing and East End Brewing. These are the two most representative local brews of Pittburgh currently on the scene. Penn Brewing has a much more rich and award-winning tradition than does East End, which is only a couple of years old. According to its website, East End's brewing equipment is from the Foundry Ale Works (Strip District), which sadly is no more. While you will not be able to visit East End Brewing as a brewpub (but you can go and fill a growler), Penn's location in the city's North Side district is nicely built out with plenty of room for dining and drinking, including a ratskeller room. Their beers, most especially the Pilsner, are very finely crafted brews and have garnered their fair share of awards. They certainly strive hard to be an authentic German brewery in every sense of it.
Also important on the local brewing scene is the Church Brew Works brewpub not far from the city's Strip District. They've won a few awards in the past and their presence continues to grow in the Pittsburgh area. I've had great experiences in the past with both the dark lager and the maibock from CBW. And, the scene here is worth checking out. This brewpub really is in a converted former church. Pews have been rearranged, the alter has been....um, altered...into brewing operations, and the structure as a whole as been mostly left in tact otherwise. This is both a decent dining place as well as beer drinking place, if not a bit sacrilegious depending upon the strictness of your religious beliefs :)
Also, when in Pittsburgh, you might find be able to find Erie Brewing products on tap. Their Railbender Ale, especially, is worth checking out. I only mention it because, in Pittsburgh, these beers are easier to find then in the Philadelphia area.
From the perspective of good beer bars in Pittsburgh, I'd say that you can start and stop at Fathead's (South Side District). It's on most beer lover's lists of stops to make on a beer pilgrimage through the Midwest which begins in Pittsburgh. They have approximately 40 draft lines and hundreds of bottles from which to select. It's a classic beer bar/pub that has recently expanded and carries a better-than-average food menu replete with typical burgers, sandwiches, buffalo wings, salads, and ribs. This is an absolute must stop in Pittsburgh for a rollicking atmosphere, friendly staff, and some of the best beers you'll find on draft.
Mad Mex adjacent to the University of Pittsburgh campus in the Oakland section also boasts a quite respectable lineup of beers along with some very decent margaritas. It also has a fun, trendy, and young college scene, especially on the weekend nights.
The places that I have not been to, but have a good reputation and are on my list for the next trip, include: Gooski's; Market Street Ale House; Point Brugge Cafe; Sharp Edge Beer Emporium; and Smokin' Joes.
So, there you have it. Our first, I believe, tribute posting. Somewhat of a tourist's guide, perhaps. In any case, I said that this was an homage to both the beer and Steelers of Pittsburgh. Since this is a site primarily about beer, I'll end this posting with three simple words: LET'S GO STEELERS!!!
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