Pittsburgh continues to reap the benefits of our Craft Brewing Class of 2014, and one of the best of that group is Mt. Lebanon’s Hitchhiker Brewing.
Just a little over a year ago, I had my first taste of Hitchhiker’s beer, when Gary Olden, the brewery’s owner, and Andy Kwiatkowski, its head brewer, brought a sixtel of their Tumbleweed Oatmeal Brown Ale to a Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week event. That was the first time most of us had sampled what was to come from Hitchhiker … and we drained the keg in under an hour.
Hitchhiker memory No. 2: About two weeks after the conclusion of Beer Week 2014, Hitchhiker opened its doors at noon on a Saturday for what was to have been a soft opening … except that there was nothing soft about it. Excited customers crowded the bar through the day, buying enough beer that Mr. Olden and Mr. Kwiatkowski stopped filling growlers because they didn’t have enough beer to keep up.
What’s changed since that enthusiastic start? Mr. Kwiatkowski is quick to say that while the brewery’s first batches were good, they have steadily improved since. Getting dialed in on the equipment in the basement brew house has made a difference, as has tinkering with the chemistry of the water at the brewery.
If you’ve been impressed with Hitchhiker in its first year, Mr. Kwiatkowski says you should be sure come back again — it’ll only get better from here.
Post-Gazette coverage of Hitchhiker Brewing: