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Category Archives: Region

Going whole hog for Groundhog Day

Posted January 21, 2016 • 0 comment

Groundhog Day is a big deal around here.

How big? Think about it: with two beers being brewed to commemorate the 2016 edition of the day, there’s only one holiday — Christmas — that gets more attention from the brewers around here.

In the case of Straub in St. Mary’s, putting out a beer with a groundhog on the label has been a regular thing for years. Four years ago, though, its Groundhog Altbier represented a shift in the brewery’s very foundation. It was the first beer the brewery had produced since before Prohibition that wasn’t made with adjuncts … and it was the start of a shift towards a craft beer lineup that now includes about a dozen styles, mostly German.

The altbier serves as the brewery’s winter seasonal, and it’s perfectly suited for it. There is a little heft to the beer, rich and a touch sweet up front; that’s backed up with a balancing bitterness to finish. It’s delicious, and it would be perfect for drinking on Gobbler’s Knob in Punxsutawney … if such things were still allowed up there on Groundhog Day.

But you won’t have to drive to Punxy to meet the town’s most famous resident on Saturday, Jan. 23. You’ll just have to get to Penn Brewing on the North Side, to meet Punxsutawney Phil and to get a taste of Penn’s Punxsutawney Philsner, a beer made to commemorate the visit.

The Philsner tastes a bit like Penn Gold — OK, it tastes a lot like Penn Gold — but that’s not a bad thing; the Munich Helles is slightly biscuity, slightly spicy and perfectly balanced, and if Phil ever gets tired of the elixir he’s fed every few years to keep him going — this will be his 130th prognostication — I have to think he’d be happy with a glass of the Philsner.

And regardless of which beer we’re talking about, so will you.

Category: Region | Tags: breweries, Groundhog Day, seasonal beer

Barrel-aging wood make that beer even better

Posted December 23, 2015 • 0 comment

If you leave a liquid inside a wood barrel long enough, magical things can happen.

This isn’t a secret. Vintners from from France to California and distillers from Scotland to Kentucky couldn’t do without the wood casks; their wines and whiskeys wouldn’t be the same without them.

These days, those wine and whiskey barrels often end up in the hands of craft brewers, who cherish them for the same reason — months inside a barrel will impart similar flavors the beer wouldn’t have otherwise. And yes, that means oaky notes or tannins from the wood, and additional layers from the booze that was left behind. Aging a stout in a bourbon barrel? You’re going to notice hints of that whiskey in your glass. And setting aside that same beer in barrel that was used to age pinot noir means you’re likely to find tastes of fruit alongside the beer you’re expecting.

There are plenty of famous examples of barrel-aged beers out there — the annual November release of Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout always causes an uproar — but before you go chasing down those, take a good look around here first, because there are plenty of examples to taste.

In the pursuit of the last two shows alone, I’ve come across several that are worth the time and effort to track down. At East End Brewing, I’ve tasted Old Knobby, the brewery’s bourbon-barrel aged stock ale, for the show and Steel Cut Oatmeal Stout off camera. You’ll see my reaction to my first taste of the excellent Red Russian stout at Hop Farm Brewing in this episode; the red wine-tinged imperial stout was worth being excited about. And if you happen to stop at Penn Brewery and they still have a bit of their barrel-aged St. Nikolaus Bock available, you shouldn’t pass it up.

I have another suggestion: Grab yourself a ticket to second-annual Good Wood Festival, scheduled for Jan. 16 at East End, which co-sponsors the event with Wigle Whiskey. Breweries all over the region are doing great things with barrels of all varieties — and they’ll all be available in one place that night.

Category: Allegheny County, Region | Tags: barrel aging

Thankful for local beer on the table

Posted November 12, 2015 • 0 comment

Thanksgiving is just two weeks away and if you’re planning a full Thanksgiving dinner, you’ve got some decisions to make: How to cook the turkey? Sweet potatoes to go with the mashed? How many pies will be needed for dessert?

Oh, right — and what are we drinking?

Here’s a suggestion. Why don’t you skip the overly chilled bottle of chardonnay and track down a locally made beer to go with your bird?

Making the choice to serve beer isn’t hard; picking a specific beer or two, though, could feel a bit overwhelming. In the immediate area alone, there are dozens of breweries, each making multiple styles that would complement your feast. What’s the right choice to make?

Relax. This isn’t as complicated as it sounds. First off, it would be tough to come up with a wrong choice; personal preference counts for a lot in this case. But if you’re still struggling, let Meg Evans, Jake Voelker, Scott Smith, Steve Ilnicki, Michael Murphy and Andy Kwiatkowski — all pros at local craft beer businesses — give you a hand.

I asked each one for recommendations for a beer they brew or pour that would work well with a traditional Thanksgiving meal; I got responses ranging from a saison to a combination of spiced pumpkin beer and a sturdy stout. Why the picks? It might be a broad pairing with most of the dishes that will show up on your table; it might also be a notion that a hefty oatmeal stout would stand up to a smoked turkey breast.

(We asked our pros for another pick, one that they’re not responsible for making or selling; I’ll post those in a bonus video on the Beer Me Facebook page early next week.)

A bunch of choices. All available locally. I hope you can find a couple that would work on your Thanksgiving table.

Category: Allegheny County, Pittsburgh, Region | Tags: breweries, brewpubs, pumpkin beers, seasonal beer, Thanksgiving

Something’s brewing in Pink Boots

Posted October 15, 2015 • 1 comment

Krystle Eaton, Meg Evans and Devon Murdoch enjoy a beer at Grist House Brewing in Millvale.

Brewing isn’t a boys club.

Just ask Krystle Eaton, one of the owners of Grist House Brewing in Millvale. Or Devon Murdoch, who blogs about the city’s beer scene — along with food, restaurants and other libations — at penniespintspittsburgh.com. Or Meg Evans, who just took over as head brewer at Rock Bottom in Homestead.

The three are the leaders of the Pink Boots Society of Western Pennsylvania, the local chapter of a national group that unites and promotes women in the craft beer industry. And since the group was founded earlier this year, its members have found plenty of support, here and as far away as Denver, at the recent Great American Beer Festival.

Ms. Evans said she started thinking about organizing a local chapter after International Women’s Collaboration Brew Day last spring; that event, which resulted in a United Red Ale that raised money for the Pink Boots Scholarship fund, brought together women from all segments of the industry, and Ms. Evans said it was enough fun that she wanted the collaborations to continue.

That’s resulted in tasting sessions, a trip to a local hop farm and plans for more, including training towards beer judge certification. It’s also resulted in growth; the chapter’s Facebook group already counts 45 members.

Ms. Eaton said the point isn’t necessarily a hunt for equality; women are already well-established in the industry, here and elsewhere. But, she added, there is much the chapter’s members can teach each other: she knows the business side of brewing, for example, while Ms. Evans can discuss professional brewing and Ms. Murdoch, who manages the chapter’s Twitter and Instagram accounts, has a handle on marketing and promotion.

Knowledge and networking are the keys, the trio says. They’ll make everyone in the industry — women and men — better for it.

Category: Region | Tags: Pink Boots Society

The (craft beer) holidays have arrived

Posted September 17, 2015 • 0 comment

Don’t pay any attention to what the calendar says; the holidays are here.

This shouldn’t come as a surprise to anyone. After all, we’ve been seeing pumpkin beer — the recently crowned staple of autumn craft beer drinking — in stores and at distributors for weeks.

But if you work in the business, what we’ll call Holiday Beer Creep gets started even earlier. Want to make sure your bar has its fair share of pumpkin beer this year? You’re placing orders in June and July. Don’t want your customers to be shut out of Troegs Mad Elf or Sierra Nevada Celebration Ale in December? You’ve got Christmas beer on your mind in August.

The autumn and winter seasons bring distinctive, spicy profiles to the coolers of your favorite bottle shops. In the fall, that means beer that’s part of a larger trend for pumpkin-flavored everything; if it tastes like pumpkin pie, it’s probably going to make customers happy.

(Note: This doesn’t include Oktoberfest beers, those malty German lagers meant to accompany the folk festival that started in Munich in 1810. Before you get too caught up in the pumpkin craze, be sure to give a couple of fest beers a try.)

The winter flavor profiles aren’t as confined, but a bunch are similar: clove, ginger, cinnamon, honey, and maybe with a kicked-up ABV to help keep us warm.

The more jaded among us tend to give a sideways glance at the fall and winter seasonals and, especially, how they seem to stretch the start of their seasons earlier and earlier. But as Chris Dilla, owner of Bocktown Beer and Grill restaurants in Robinson and Monaca who is pictured above, told me this week, there are new ones to try every season — and it would be a shame to miss them.

Category: Allegheny County, Beaver County, Region | Tags: beer bar, Christmas beer, distributors, oktoberfest, pumpkin beers, seasonal beer, winter warmer