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Category Archives: Allegheny County

Searching for session beers

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Let’s be clear about one thing right off the top — I’m definitely a big fan of big beer.

But I love little beer too, especially since more breweries are putting an emphasis on making their lower-alcohol offerings as flavorful as possible. It’s a big enough deal that the trend has its own name — session beer, or beers that have low alcohol by volume without sacrificing flavor.

Why do session beers work? There are plenty of instances when cutting back on the amount of alcohol you’re consuming is a good idea, and if beer drinkers can accomplish that without losing the character and flavor that makes craft beer enjoyable, everyone comes out on top.

Just a few years ago, it would have been a little tough to track down a solid, locally produced session beer. That’s not the case today, though; I found two great options at Rock Bottom in Homestead, where brewmaster Brandon McCarthy — that’s him in the photo above — was happy to discuss how session beers gives his customers a chance to sample new flavors and styles without worrying about getting too sloppy during an afternoon shopping trip at the Waterfront.

Session beers have been at the forefront of Scott Smith’s mind pretty much since he opened East End Brewing; after some experimenting, he came up with a nut brown ale recipe that suited its namesake: Fat Gary. Mr. Smith has even established a session beer series of seasonals and one-offs, all with ABVs below 5 percent.

And as patrons of Piper’s Pub can attest, there are always several sessionable options available, a boon to those who are watching a Premier League football match or two.

That’s not even close to all of the options that are available, whether they’re locally produced or showing up at local distributors. So the next time you’re out for dinner, ask about what session beers are available. You’ll be pleasantly surprised at what you’re missing. And what you’re not.

Post-Gazette coverage of session beer:

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Doing deli — sort of — on Carson Street

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It can be a little tough to pin down Michael Murphy on the “deli” part of his business.

The “craft beer” part, however, is as straightforward as they come.

Mr. Murphy, the owner of Carson Street Deli and Craft Beer Bar, will quibble about whether the food he serves qualifies as delicatessen fare, and that’s understandable. Just look at the unconventional Carson Street Reuben; in spite of the familiar name, this deli’s version comes with tart slaw instead of sauerkraut and it’s not grilled, to better emphasize the Breadworks marbled rye.

But Mr. Murphy isn’t bashful about discussion the relationships he’s built with the region’s brewers; they’re a big reason why its not unusual to find beers at the deli that aren’t available anywhere else. And many of those custom-brewed beers find their way to the deli on Wednesday nights, when Mr. Murphy has held regular tasting sessions, pretty much since he took ownership of the deli five years ago.

Each Wednesday night might focus on a specific brewery — the week I visited it was Brooklyn Brewery — or on several examples of a common style. Whichever the case, Murphy — and his enthusiastic curiosity about all things craft beer — will be just as excited to get a taste as any of his regulars.

And if you get an unconventional deli sandwich to go alongside, all the better.

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Piper’s Pub: It’s where the firkins live

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It has a rough, cobbled-together look that seems appropriate for a Carson Street basement.

But don’t overlook the cask ale system that feeds the four hand pumps behind the bar at Piper’s Pub. It’s responsible for what is often the best-tasting beer in the city.

The original iteration of the system was installed in 2008, as owner Drew Topping sought more authenticity for his South Side Scottish pub. It’s grown to be able to handle as many as four casks now, and those lines are almost always spoken for, as the cask program, run by cellarman Hart Johnson, continues to flourish.

So what is cask ale? That’s a broad term to describe beer that’s been conditioned in the same vessel from which it’s served. That gives the beer a different kind of carbonation; instead of the fizzy mouthfeel we’re accustomed to, we get a creamy, velvety texture in its place. The most common container is a firkin, a keg that holds just shy of 11 gallons.

Also, cask ale is traditionally stored and served at cellar temperatures, somewhere between 45 and 50 degrees, so the taste of the beer isn’t masked by freezing cold. Are the beer’s malts sweet or bready? Do you taste citrus from the hops or do they lean toward a resinous, pine profile? It’s all right there, pretty much as close to the brewer’s intention as we can get.

Piper’s, at 1828 E. Carson St., doesn’t serve the only cask beer in town, but I don’t know of any place that does it with such care. And for that reputation, they often get casks that no one else can get their hands on. It’s a different beer experience, sure, but it’s worth a trip to Piper’s to give it a try.

Post-Gazette coverage of Piper’s Pub:

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Keeping cool at Penn

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Even walking just the few blocks from the bus stop to 800 Vinial St. on a sticky afternoon was enough a little sweaty … and more than a little thirsty.

And that’s OK. Inside that address — that’s the home of Penn Brewery — are more than a dozen ways to keep cool on a humid summer afternoon.

Since it was founded 29 years ago by the late Tom Pastorius, Penn has stood for one thing — German beers. The brewery has made its living brewing German styles, mostly the bright, clean — and don’t forget cold — lagers that country’s brewers are famous for.

Let’s make sure something is clear — our ubiquitous pale American lagers technically are related to what goes on at Penn, in that the giants brew alcoholic beverages that are of the same broad style, but that’s about where the similarities end. Those beers strive to be inoffensive. These beers? They strive to be crisp and a bit spicy (Penn’s Kaiser Pils), balanced with hints of dark bread (Penn Dark dunkel) or rich and roasted dancing with caramel sweetness and a little extra booze (Penn’s St. Nikolas Bock). Even the non-lager in the brewery’s year-round lineup — the sunshine-colored (and flavored) Penn Weizen — is a perfect representation of the southern German style.

Lagers are fermented at colder temperatures, because that’s the best way to keep lager yeast strains happy. And they have to sit in that cold for at least a month — as opposed to ales that can be ready to drink in a few days — while they settle. Maybe it’s that extra time in the cold, but summer has always seemed like the right time for me to track down Penn’s German beers. Go find a bottle of Penn’s Kaiser Pils and you’ll see what I mean.

Post-Gazette coverage of Penn Brewery:

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After 5 years, Arsenal finds a second cider house

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In their first year in business, Bill and Michelle Larkin occasionally found themselves with a problem — they were out of cider.

Arsenal Cider House, the cider and fruit wine tap room the couple started in their Lawrenceville home in 2010, proved to be popular enough that the Larkins occasionally had to shut down to allow the ciders in basement tanks to finish fermentation.

Demand for Fighting Elleck and Archibald’s Ado hasn’t flagged a bit, but the basement of the Larkins’ home — which sits across 39th Street from Arsenal Park — is filled with enough tanks to keep cider flowing at not one but two taprooms.

And that brings us to Soergel’s Orchards, the farm and country store in Wexford that has supplied Arsenal with base fruit juices since they got started. A discussion a few months ago turned into Arsenal’s second tap room, back in McIntosh Hall. The space is appropriately rustic for a Civil War-themed cider house, and there is plenty of room for outdoor tasting in a large, shaded patio in front of the hall.

The new location isn’t the only way Arsenal is marking the fifth anniversary. If you like outdoor drinking in the North Hills, chances are pretty good that you’ll like it even more at the newly completed cider garden, behind the original location. And if you show up on a weekend, chances are pretty good that you’ll also find one of Pittsburgh’s food trucks and maybe even a band back there.

Finally, I was happy to hear that the Larkins have plans to handle the demand that will likely come with the new spot. Mr. Larkin said they just bought a building in Penn Hills that will serve as a production facility when it gets running sometime in the next year. Arsenal’s staples will move to that spot, leaving Lawrenceville and Wexford available for small-batch experiments.

To summarize five years of Arsenal Cider: a garden, a second tap room and a way to ensure there’s plenty of cider to go around. And that sounds like a great anniversary to me.

Post-Gazette coverage of Arsenal Cider House:

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