Post-Gazette Blogs

Going whole hog for Groundhog Day

Posted

smiley gobblers knob

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: , ,

For Fat Head’s fans, there’s no rivalry in beer

Posted

fatheads tanks
I remember my first Head Hunter IPA.

I had tasted another Fat Head’s beer before, a tripel contract-brewed in Belgium for the Carson Street saloon and craft beer bar, but this was something else entirely. I didn’t know all the details then, but I had heard about a new Fat Head’s brewpub in Cleveland … and I had heard the IPA was excellent.

And that was an understatement; loaded with rich citrus and sharp pine flavors, Head Hunter wasn’t for the faint of heart, then or now … but it is for anyone who appreciates an aggressive, well-built IPA.

Since then, the Fat Head’s empire — spanning from the South Side to Cleveland’s western suburbs and now to a new brewpub in Portland, Oregon — has grown exponentially. The brand’s portfolio grows each year and with it the list of awards it brings home from the Great American Beer Festival and the World Beer Cup.

There definitely aren’t any signs of a rivalry between Glenn Benigni, who founded Fat Head’s in Pittsburgh nearly 25 years ago, and Matt Cole, the Ohioan who oversees the Fat Head’s breweries. And although I wondered about the arrangement when I first heard of it, there was nothing contentious about starting the brewing side in Cleveland; that’s where Mr. Cole found investors and a location as he finished up a years-long stint at Rocky River Brewing, also in the Cleveland area. A Fat Head’s franchise was sold in North Olmstead, and the Fat Head’s beer soon began flowing to the South Side.

“We look at it has having two backyards,” Mr. Benigni says when asked about the two cities. “We have the best of both worlds.”

And so do we, regardless of which city we call home.

Post-Gazette coverage of Fat Head’s:

Category: Ohio, Pittsburgh | Tags: , ,

Barrel-aging wood make that beer even better

Posted

wood me two

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:

Spreading the cheer with beer

Posted

gifts eliza bottles main art

Craft beer is a solid gift any time of year, and with so many special releases to round out the calendar, you’re bound to be able to find something the beer lover on your list will appreciate.

But wrapping six packs can be tricky, and most of us don’t keep refrigerators under the tree. So I spent some time tracking down some cool beer-related gift ideas that should do better accompanying a card or tucked in a stocking.

PuzzlePax: It’s unique, it’s sturdy, it’s practically zero-waste and it’s made with lasers. We’re talking about a PuzzlePax six-pack carrier, constructed at TechShop in Bakery Square. Company founders Gio Attisano and Nick Thompson got PuzzlePax started a little over a year ago, after spending weeks coming up with a design that would hold up to repeated use and leave very little wooden waste behind. The pax, available with custom engraving through Amazon, have taken off, so get your order in soon.

East End Brewing Grains to Glass Tour: Want to know what goes into making that delicious glass of Fat Gary Brown Ale or Black Strap Stout? You can follow the process from start to finish on the aptly named Grains to Glass Tour at East End Brewing. Each tour will give users a look — and several tastes — of the craft-brewing process, from the malts used in each East End beer, to brewing, fermenting and packaging. Each tour includes several samples and a little credit to spend in East End’s gift shop or in its tap room. Book your tour in advance at the East End web site.

Boozy baking at Eliza’s Oven: What makes an apple pie even better? When a taste of whiskey is baked inside. The same goes for a steak-and-stout hand pie. Whether you’re a fan of sweet or savory, you’ll find a boozy treat you’ll love at Eliza’s Oven in Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip. Owner Eliza Bowman began to develop a fondness for baking with beer and liquor when she realized exactly how many basic flavors have an alcoholic component, and she’s carried that expertise into dozens of recipes she serves at her shop in the market. She’s about to carry those recipes to a new storefront in Point Breeze as well; you can help out by giving her Indiegogo campaign a hand.

Carry home a crowler from Independent Brewing Co.: You probably know what a growler is, right? A refillable glass or metal container, usually holding a gallon, that brewers are happy to fill with their products. Crowlers are a newer thing, but they’re just as handy … and they may be even better for gift-giving purposes. A crowler is a 32-ounce can that is filled and sealed at a brewery or bar — in our case, with the help of Pete Kurzweg at Independent Brewing Co. in Squirrel Hill. The seal is generally tighter than the screw-on cap of a growler, so the beer inside will stay fresher longer; because it’s a can and not a glass container, there’s also no way for your precious cargo to be light struck and skunked. And if you find that your basement is filling up with dozens of growlers — or is that just me? — you’ll be pleased to hear that your empty, aluminum crowlers are simple to toss in the recycling bin.

Pittsburgh’s original Christmas beer: It doesn’t have fruit, nutmeg or cinnamon, and it’s definitely not released in October. But among all the excellent holiday beers or winter warmers, Penn Brewing’s St. Nikolaus Bock — and its big brother, St. Nikolaus Brewer’s Reserve Doppelbock — are worthy of the hype that follows winter seasonals. It’s rich and roasty, a gentle touch of sweetness and some alcohol warmth lurking in the background. Grab a six-pack at the store or a glass at the Troy Hill brewery … it’s the perfect way to spend an chilly December evening.

Category: Pittsburgh

Meeting an old friend in Beaver County

Posted

charles pour

I met Charles years ago.

But until my recent visit to Hollywood Gardens and Brixton Brewing in Rochester, Beaver County, I hadn’t had an opportunity to get caught up again.

Charles is the name of Brixton’s Belgian-style quadrupel, a complex, delicious monster of a beer. Back in 2011, it was the first beer introduced by Brixton, the house brewery for Hollywood Gardens, and I was so pleased to see him again when I visited.

Sightings of Charles and other Brixton beers had been occasional until October, when owner Frank Elia and brewer Zachery Ruskin really got going on their new 2-barrel brewing system to the degree that Brixton beers began to regularly appear on the tap list at Hollywood Gardens.

What was behind the wait? A little license juggling took up some time, but when Mr. Elia secured a brewpub license he and Mr. Ruskin set up a small system in the basement of the bar and began serving Brixton beers on weekends.

That Hollywood Gardens would be home a 12-tap system and a beer cave featuring bottles in the hundreds — much less to a brewery turning out quality IPAs and Belgian styles — is remarkable in and of itself. The bar was opened on Pinney Street in Rochester by Rocky Elia, Frank’s father, in 1958. Frank Elia took it over in 2009 after his father passed away and remade the place from a shot-and-a-beer bar to one that featured the craft beers he had come to love.

A chance meeting with Mr. Ruskin at the bar — and a few tastes of Mr. Ruskin’s home-brewed beer — got Mr. Elia thinking about making beer to serve in his place and in the spring of 2011, the pair hosted a welcoming party for Charles … and I was immediately smitten. So I was thrilled to see his name on the list when I visited last week. And just as thrilling? The other two Brixton beers on tap last week — a bitter named Matthew and a West Coast IPA named Robbie — were every bit as good.

It’s a small brewing system so for now, trying Brixton beers will require a drive to Beaver County. But for a chance to meet Charles, Matthew or Robbie, it’s worth the trip.

Post-Gazette coverage of Hollywood Gardens and Brixton Brewing:

Category: Beaver County | Tags: , ,
← Newer Entries Older Entries →