I went back to Pittsburgh for business, and had to decide on whether or not I wanted to go to the same places as last time, or do I try someplace new. It’s a tough decision, because there are standard favorites that everyone should see and when you travel with different people you feel almost compelled to go back. Fortunately my associate, Greg, is laid back and allowed me to do the planning.
We arrived at rush hour on Tuesday, and instead of sitting too long in traffic, I took Greg to the Sharp Edge Creekhouse (http://sharpedgebeer.com/html/full.htm). Sharp Edge specializes in Belgian drafts, and their list is impressive. Unfortunately, I had them all before and had to try some of the microbrews. I had Great Lakes Blackout, which was a stout, as well as East End Pink Clouds Porter. East End brags that they are the small Pittsburgh microbrewery, and it looks like they have a limited distribution of their beers. We then went to Fatheads (see last entry) for dinner and I had the Legacy Hoptimus Prime on cask. I also had the Jalapeño Cheddar cheesesteak, and again had plenty to carry me over for lunch the next day. I purposely did not get the Penn Brewing Penndemonium at either location since I planned to take Greg out for German food the next night (more about that later).
The next night I agreed to take Greg to Penn Brewing (http://www.pennbrew.com/data/english/about.htm), which serves some standard German beers to go along with authentic German food. As I mentioned before, I wanted to try their newest release called Penndemonium (their version of a Maibock). Unfortunately, they only made a certain amount for release at the brewery, although there was plenty available at the other locations (go figure). My disappointment was tapered with a wonderful Rouladen (sirloin beef wrapped around bacon, onions, and a dill pickle) with a Penn Pilsner. I next took Greg to the Church Brew Works, but they had the same beers as my last visit. To make matters worse, I left my rain coat at the Church, and had to go back after almost getting back to the hotel. The company was good, even if the beer search wasn’t.
On Thursday we finished up early so we went to John Harvard’s Brewhouse (http://www.johnharvards.com/brews.htm) in Monroeville. What I liked about this place was they had a large selection of beers and offered samplers. Greg and I split one, and I particularly liked their Altbier flavored with Heather that they had on cask (Remember: Ask for Cask). Afterwards Greg and I stopped at a wonderful beer shop called D’s Six Pack and Dogs (http://www.regentsquare.net/ds6pax.html). They are the home of the Chicago Dog (I guess the Pittsburgh version although the fries weren’t stacked on it), and has a good selection of bottled beers. I got a draft and a six pack to go. All in all, it was a much better day than the one before. - 4160
"Beer, if drunk in moderation, softens the tongue, cheers the spirit, and promotes health." – Thomas Jefferson
