CraftPittsburgh #15

CraftPittsburgh

CraftBeerMagazine Issue No. 15 - Summer 2014

plus

have you tried... • cooking with beer • home brewing • upcoming beer events1 CraftPittsburgh.com

t s e f l a c o L

AUG 11– 17

featuring

– Regional tap takeovers and samplings – locally-sourced features – Farm Stand Days with Conover Organic Farm

SEPT 16–17

PUMPKINFEST

Featuring Fall favorites and a special menu

Robinson Across from Target | 412-788-2333 | @BT_Robinson Monaca Next to Macy’s | 724-728-7200 | @BT_Monaca | bocktown.com

Pittsburgh’s Brewing Renaissance

Another issue. Another new brewery in the area. Actually, four by my count (Milkman Brewing opened in the Strip District just prior to this printing, and there are at least two more on the way: Spoonwood Brewing in the South Hills and Insurrection Aleworks in Heidelberg, owned by the folks at 3 Rivers Six Pack in Delmont). The course of the previous issue saw the openings of Gristhouse Brewing in Millvale, Hitchhiker Brewing in Mt. Lebanon, and The Brew Gentlemen Brewing Company in Braddock.

The Brew Gentlemen announced the planning of their brewery in Braddock about three years ago as a project for their entrepreneur’s class at CMU (their professor encouraged them to begin promoting it immediately). Asa Foster and Matt Katase capped off the long trip with the hiring of head brewer Brandon Capps from Georgia in February and the recent opening of their tap room on Braddock’s main drag. Brian Eaton and Kyle Mientkiewicz of Gristhouse quietly installed an impressive 15bbl brewhouse into an old slaughterhouse space off a side street in Millvale this past winter and began serving pints at their brewpub shortly after. Andy Kwiatkowski, head brewer at Hitchhiker, had been exploring his options for opening his own brewery for most of the four years I’ve known him, but he always found that the numbers were working against him. In what is perhaps a moment of serendipity, he was introduced to Hitchhiker’s founder Gary Olden through a mutual friend just after discovering his employer was closing his office and putting him to a serious decision about making the leap into professional brewing.

A lot of different things have been said about he influx of smallbatch brewers lately, but these brewers have put in the leg work, encountered and overcame all setbacks, and earned their spots in recreating Pittsburgh’s brewing renaissance. And I can confirm that each is making very good, if not great beers. Make sure you check them out so they can earn your support.

Cheers,

Tim Russell

BEERFACTS:

2

Craft Pittsburgh | Issue 15

• Cenosillicaphobia is the fear of an empty glass.

• A Buddhist temple in the Thai countryside was built with over a million recycled beer bottles.

on tap specials

THIS ISSUE

4 Style Profile: Gueuze 6 Pittsburgh Beer Up-And-Comers

A blend of beers that are generally

one-, two-, and three-year-old lambics

Hitchhiker Brewing, Grist House Brewing, and The Brew Gentlemen

the regulars

5 14 16 18

Upcoming Events

Beer Review

PAGE6

Home Brewing

Cooking with Beer

PAGE18

FOLLOWUS PUBLISHER

CRAFT MEDIA, LLC

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

TIM RUSSELL tim@craftpittsburgh.com

MANAGING EDITORS

MIKE WEISS mike@craftpittsburgh.com

GRAPHIC DESIGN

ROB SOLTIS soltisdesign.com FOR INFORMATION ON CONTRIBUTING EDITORIAL CONTENT OR PLACING DISPLAY ADVERTISING PLEASE CONTACT US AT INFO@CRAFTPITTSBURGH.COM Craft Pittsburgh is issued quarterly by Craft Media, LLC. All information and materials in this magazine, individually and collectively, are provided for informational purposes.

The contents of this magazine do not necessarily reflect the views and policies of Craft Media, LLC., nor does the mention of trade names or commercial products constitute endorsement or recommendation for use. No portion of this magazine may be reproduced in whole or part without expressed written permission from the publisher. Advertisements are subject to the approval of Craft Media, LLC. Craft Media, LLC. reserves the right to reject or omit any advertisement at any time for any reason. Advertiser assume responsibility and complete liability for all content in their ads

CraftPittsburgh.com

CraftPittsburgh.com

3

The more young beer used, the brighter and sharper the taste will be. This must be balanced with the sweetness wanted to not give the gueuze a cloying taste, which is generally not the goal.

Once blended, the new beer can go back into casks to age further or it can be bottled to start carbonation and conditioning, which is commonly the case.

CHARACTERISTICS OF A GUEUZE

Gueuzes are considered wild ales since “wild” yeast is used.

During the blending process, other organisms can be introduced to give some more unique characteristics than is present in just the lambics. A standard gueuze has a wild, slightly sour taste that is often dry and reminiscent of a dry cider. Some acidic qualities can be present but should only support the wild yeast profile. A light fruity, honey character can be present as well. Sweetness should be kept to a minimum and not detract from the wild character.

By Brian Meyer

A fairly unique beer style that falls into the Belgian category is gueuze.

The pronunciation and spelling varies, but what’s widely accepted is what sounds like “ooze” but with a soft G at the beginning.

While you may not be familiar with this style, you probably are with what makes it up. Gueuze is a blend of beers that are generally one-, two-, and three-year-old lambics. The sugar remaining in the younger lambics allows for additional fermentation in the old, giving a character that is more than the sum of its parts and creating beer that is truly unique.

SO, WHAT IS A LAMBIC?

In case you haven’t had one before, lambic is a beer created using open fermentation tanks known as “coolships” where wild yeast inoculates the wort. This gives it a unique character unlike those controlled in cleanroom-like environments.

Today these wild yeast strains are controlled to an extent to help give a more uniform product. Lambics traditionally use up to 40% un-malted wheat paired with malted barley for the fermentable brewing material, as well as hops that are aged as long as four years. This use of aged hops is so all the hop character flavor and aroma is killed off while keeping their preservative values. This provides the sharp, clean taste that lambics are known for.

Once brewed, lambics are aged in wooden casks for some time. Generally speaking, this goes by years, but truthfully, a good cellerman will keep a close eye on the beer and age it as long as is necessary to gain the properties he or she is looking for. Once this occurs, the beer is ready for the next step. The various aged lambics are now blended together in a ratio that varies depending on the character the brewer is looking for.

4

Craft Pittsburgh | Issue 15

More than anything else, a gueuze should be balanced. The balance is what makes this style of beer so unique and amazing. The more balanced the acidity, sourness, and sweetness is, the better these beers are considered to be.

The famous beer writer Michael Jackson said of gueuze: “They are a marriage between youth and experience.”

This is just about as perfect a description of this style as anyone could give, and basically means these beers offer the best of both the fresh and aged worlds. This is an example of a style that has been largely unchanged for over 400 years, and for good reason.

COMMERCIAL EXAMPLES

- Cantillion Gueuze 100% Lambic

- Monks Cafe Cuvee De Monk’s Gueuze - Boon Oude Gueuze

VITAL STATISTICS:

OG 1.040 – 1.060 FG 1.000 – 1.006 IBU N/A SRM 3.0 – 7.0 ABV 5.0 – 8.0

That’s about it for gueuzes. There is a LOT more to these beers than meets the eye. Since these require so much barrel aging, it is fairly difficult to properly home-brew a gueuze, but there are amazing professionally brewed examples out there, so do your best to find one and see what you think.

Brian founded and writes for pghcraftbeers.com and craftbeeracademy.com.

CHECK OUT CRAFTPITTSBURGH.COM FOR ADDITIONAL DETAILS, UPDATES & MORE EVENTS ENTER FOR A CHANCE TO WIN A COMPLETE SET OF

july

INCLUDING: CORNHOLE, HORSESHOES, KAN JAM* AND A JUST BEER GRILL

18/19 Pittsburgh Summer Beer Fest Up the River to Hell PA Brew Tour 19 Paddling 26 Beer on the Bay 26 North Coast Breweries PA Brew Tou

The Just Beer Project Just Summer Sweepstakes: No Purchase necessary. Sweepstakes open to US residents in GA, NH, NJ, NY, PA, RI, TN and VA who are 21 years of age or older. 1 Grand Prize: A Just Beer Project Prize Pack valued at $559.00.

Sweepstakes begins at 12:01 a.m. EST on 6/1/2014 and ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on 7/31/2014. Prize winner will be selected in a random drawing on or around 8/1/2014. To enter visit the Just Beer Project Facebook page by entering the website or scanning the QR code or visit www.justbeerproject.com/justsummer and enter your name, address, email address, telephone number and date of birth. For official rules visit The Just Beer Project Facebook page and/or www.justbeerproject.com/summer. Void where prohibited.

9 Slippery Rock Beer Fest 9 Full Pint PA Brew Tour 9 Millvale Brew Fest 16 Beer Forth to the North PA Brew Tour 22/24 Coopers Lake Homebrewer’s Fest

september 6 Full Pint PA Brew Tour 6 Steel City Big Pour 12 Zoo Brew 13 Mars/Cranberry Tap Fest

®

august

N TH E I CA

E R HA N DY AM S F A T ®

TM

CR

mer m u S This

october 11 Brewing Up a Cure 25 Sin Season PA Brew Tour

Traveler Kick Back and Have a Ball Sweepstakes: No purchase necessary. Contest open to US residents in AL, CT, DC, DE, FL, GA, IA, IL, IN, KY, LA, MA, MD, ME, MI, MN, NC, ND, NH, NJ, NY, OH, PA, RI, SC, TN, VA, VT who are 21 years of age or older.

One (1) Grand Prize — Traveler Prize Pack including a kickball set, 30 koozies, 30 mustaches and $1,000.00 with an ARV $1,089.52.

Contest submission period begins at 12:01 a.m. EST on 6/2/2014 and ends at 11:59 p.m. EST on 7/31/2014. To enter visit the Traveler Beer Company Facebook page or scan the QR code or visit www.travelerbeer.com/HaveABall and enter your name, address, email address, telephone number and date of birth. Grand Prize will be selected on August 1, 2014. For official rules visit The Traveler Beer Company Facebook page and/or www.travelerbeer.com/haveaball. Void where prohibited. © THE TRAVELER BEER COMPANY, BURLINGTON, VT

ENJOY IN A DIGNIFIED MANNER.

CraftPittsburgh.com

5

PITTSBUR

UP-ANDBy Bennett Summers

H

itchhiker Brewing, Grist House Brewing, and The Brew Gentlemen Beer Company are up-and-coming Pittsburgh craft breweries whose enthusiasm, diligence, and innovation are a reflection of the city they brew in and the city’s current beer scene.

The breweries, which have all been operating for less than a year, are spread out around Pittsburgh in areas that symbolize the history and current growth of Pittsburgh from steel titan to technological and medical pioneer. Hitchhiker’s pub sits in Mt. Lebanon, one of the most affluent and storied neighborhoods of Pittsburgh, and its welcoming bar and draft beers make it an appreciated stop for locals on a walk, bikers navigating the wide sidewalks of the city, or visitors appreciating the historical architecture and many shops and parks scattered around the neighborhood. Grist House Brewing’s Millvale location attracts audiences who hope to grab some high-quality craft beer or food before walking up the hill to catch a show at Mr. Small’s, one of Pittsburgh’s leading small venue for indie rock, metal, and future musical superstars/pioneers. Its barrel tables, garage door 6

Craft Pittsburgh | Issue 15

entrance, and locally-sourced menu wouldn’t feel out of place in the trendy neighborhoods of Portland or Brooklyn, but the electric meat hook hanging from the ceiling bares the building’s industrial roots as a slaughterhouse and thus continues the proud and uniquely Pittsburgh tradition of repurposing, reinventing, but not expunging industrial spaces for new growth. The Brew Gentlemen’s gorgeous exposed brick taproom caters to the citizens of Braddock and visiting beer fans, providing an affordable and delicious experience that has a balance between stylishness and unpretentious pride in their craft that’s come to represent all of Pittsburgh. The three breweries bring fresh business and a new perception to the revitalized, modern Pittsburgh.

Each brewery shares a vision of beer as a force of and for the community. A brewery brings together beer fans of all types to a welcoming, friendly place, injects excitement, interest, and business into areas that have the potential to rejuvenate and renew the surrounding region, and acts as a meeting place and heart of a neighborhood. Hitchhiker’s addition to the celebrated restaurants

RGH BEER

-COMERS of Mt. Lebanon gives the area exclusivity, a new “regular” that features potential favorite brews that can’t be found anywhere else.

While most visitors would only find themselves in Millvale to catch a concert, the presence of a quality brewpub like Grist House has the potential to convince audiences to end their journey for post-show grub and a Black Rye IPA after just making a detour before getting in the car instead of driving over to the Southside. Just as Braddock’s burgeoning businesses like The Brew Gentlemen Beer Company are trying to revive a town, Hitchhiker’s and Grist House’s presence in established neighborhoods will attract and compliment new and existing business. Breweries like Hitchhiker, Grist House, and The Brew Gentlemen are beneficial features to an area because of the business they bring in but also for the attention brought to the area for the breweries’ unique food and brews.

Andy Kwiatkowski, the head brewer at Hitchhiker Brewery, explains that the commonality and community of beer is at the heart of their company. In fact, it’s what inspired their name. “The significance of the name [of our company] is a hitchhiker can be anyone, just like

the person next to you at our tap room. It could be a CEO or your next-door neighbor, you just never know. Craft beer like hitchhiking is communal so we want to bring everyone together.” Kwiatkowski explains that Hitchhiker is connected to the “neighborhood by being walkable,” but also in support for their product and development. He mentioned, “Most people that come are residents of Mt. Lebanon and they treat us like a neighborhood pub. Some people don’t even know we brew beer on site. We also feature as many local items as possible.

Local is becoming a cliché phrase. However, we want to support as many local small businesses as possible.” Gary Olden, the owner of Hitchhiker, elaborated on the practicality of their communitymindedness, saying, “There’s an opportunity for instant feed-back for what we’re working on. We’ll know if something works just as soon as we pour it. The samples, ideas, and advice from homebrewers, surrounding breweries like Roundabout, and regulars let us change what we do quickly.”

Kwiatkowski explained that the flexibility is what makes them, and craft brewing, so unique, saying “We are the type of beer drinkers CraftPittsburgh.com

7

HEAdline brews!

ND

YEAR ROU

ust late Aug

ND

YEAR ROU

ND

YEAR ROU

2014 WORLD BEER CUP® AMERICAN-STYLE INDIA PALE ALE

HITCHHIKER BREWERY

SPOOKY TOOTH IMPERIAL PUMPKIN ALE THE PUMPKIN BREW WITH BITE! AVAILABLE IN STORES & ON TAP LATE AUGUST.

AWARD-WINNING

TRAIL HEAD PALE ALE • FRESH HOP ALE SILVER MEDAL ER FESTIVAL 2013 BE GREAT AMERICAN ®

IN CANS NOW!

GRISTHOUSE BREWING

GET IT WHILE YOU CAN! THIS AWARD-WINNING ALE IS AVAILABLE IN LIMITED RELEASE IN PITTSBURGH ONLY AT FAT HEAD’S.

award-winning beer, handcrafted for you!

HOP JUJU • GOLD MEDAL • IMPERIAL INDIA PALE ALE • GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL® 2013 HEAD HUNTER • SILVER AWARD • AMERICAN STYLE IPA • WORLD BEER CUP ® 2012 & 2014 TRAIL HEAD • SILVER MEDAL • FRESH HOP ALE • GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL® 2013 BONE HEAD • SILVER AWARD • IMPERIAL RED ALE • WORLD BEER CUP ® 2014 BLACK KNIGHT • SILVER MEDAL • GERMAN-STYLE SCHWARZBIER GREAT AMERICAN BEER FESTIVAL® 2013

FATHEADS.COM

BREW GENTLEMEN

who always love to try something new, as a result that is the approach we take at the brewery. Even beers we have brewed before are being tweaked each batch. So if you come back to the brewery a beer you enjoyed before will be updated.” A flexible business and customer base is key to getting to their goal “to make the best beer in the world.

We won’t settle for anything less than that, ever.” And a part of being the best is trying something new. Kwiatkowski stated, “We plan on doing an extensive barrel program focusing primarily on sour beers.

That maybe a bit down the road but I can’t wait for us to take the next step and grow into something bigger. I long for the day I can blend sour beers and share them with the area, it’s something I feel we need in this beer scene to continue to evolve.”

Hitchhiker knows that just because you’re trying to be the best around, it doesn’t mean you have to step on anyone else to get there. In fact, Kwiatkowski said that giving back is important part of growing as a business, clarifying that “once we get a bit more settled and work out the kinks on the business end we will be hosting educational classes at the brewery - everything from homebrewing, to beer judging, to food pairings. I want to help the area as much as homebrewers and pros alike took the time to educate me and make me the brewer that I am. We want to help garner national acclaim for this city being more than just a drinking city but a craft beer culture.”

Hitchhiker, like nearly every Pittsburgh brewery are strong believers in the “I’ll scratch your back, you scratch mine” philosophy.

Kwiatkowski claimed, “There certainly is a lot of camaraderie in the beer scene here. Everyone is so willing to help one another with information about anything from brewing techniques to PLCB laws.

They are also willing to share ingredients. Your yeast didn’t ship and you’re stuck? You can call pretty much anyone and grab a pitch.”

Kwiatkowski was amazed at the kindness of Pittsburgh’s grassroots, close-knit craft scene, saying, “The other day I had a growler law question so I called Scott Smith at East End. He was more than happy to take the time to answer my question plus provide additional information that was really useful. If I have a recipe building question I can call up Sean Gentry at Helltown or talk to Steve Sloan at Roundabout. Everyone is extremely helpful and wants to see the scene succeed and move forward.“ Brian Eaton’s and his brother-in-law Kyle Mientkiewicz’s Grist House Brewing is ready to take their place in the booming rejuvenation in Millvale, which now has two breweries, the other being Draii Laag, and the Pittsburgh scene. As a longtime Mr. Smalls fan, the mere presence of another place to grab some grilled food and the choice of either Draii Laag’s Belgian-inspired beers or Grist House’s traditional ales is a godsend. Grist House’s taproom is a microcosm of the Pittsburgh culture, past and present, and its beers and food exemplify American favorites. From chili dogs to “the best beef jerky we’ve ever had in our lives” which is picked up from the meat market in the heart of Pittsburgh, the simple grilled food is fantastic for a pre-concert meal inside or outside the brewery. Plus, the tap room’s welcoming atmosphere and servers makes it feel like every day at the brewery is a cookout.

Eaton and Mientkiewicz’s goal is to make beers that are “approachable and drinkable so that anyone coming in can find something that they like that is full of flavor but easy to drink. We don’t want people to come in and say ‘that’s a good beer but I can only drink one,’ but we want them to say ‘that’s a good beer and I’ll drink seven.” Their Buy-A-Friend-A-Beer encourages regulars to try beers and purchase a growler for a relative or friend, which is then put up on the wall and can be redeemed whenever the friend comes in. The sight of all those names up on the board is a neat word-of-mouth campaign that puts a new spin on the old Cheers’ dream of going to a place “where everybody knows your name / And they’re always glad you came.”

Grist House’s ethos of making a product that is welcoming enough for the beer newcomer but hearty and complex for the most exacting beer fan has its industrious and practical roots in the very foundation of the slaughterhouse-turned-brewery that houses their fermenters.

Asa Foster and Matt Katase, the two founders of The Beer Gentlemen Beer Company, said that the unique charms of Pittsburgh are what

HITCHHIKER BREWERY

drew them to the area. Braddock’s status as a near desolate steel town has certainly improved thanks to initiatives by the city but its lack of modernized equipment could have scared potential entrepreneurs away. However, Foster and Katase saw promise in the DIY spirit of the town and, after graduating from CMU, set up the brewery with some help from a successful Kickstarter campaign and lots of help from the town. Foster and Katase picked up Brandon Capps as a head brewer. Foster says that Pittsburgh and Braddock have impressed Katase and him, who are from Hawaii and Boston, respectively, for their culture of hard-work, and can-do spirit. Foster explained, “There’s not a lot of ‘traditional’ ways you can bring an area back that has been so hard hit. There’s this attitude of DIY and grassroots efforts that is everywhere in the town. We wanted an area where we could do everything ourselves, where we could give back, and we wanted to be a part of – not the ground level because there’s an enormous amount of work that came before us but – the foundation of this large-scale revitalization.”

Bringing a town back from the brink of desolation requires hard work and also loads of innovation. Braddock, and Pittsburgh in general, is one of the only areas of the country that have suffered large economic losses and recovered. The same spirit of invention and humble pride in work is alive and well in The Brew Gentlemen’s Rapid Prototype Factory series, which is similar to Tröegs Scratch series, allows them to produce “experimental and incredibly technical” one-off beers.

Even the most popular Rapid Prototype beer, a cucumber wheat beer, sales don’t get anywhere near their White Sky, a tri-spiced wheat beer, or General Braddock IPA (named after the original Braddock brewery) but the opportunity to try radical, bold beers is reflective of the confident, state-of-the-art Pittsburgh craft beer scene and the culture (and city) in which it is brewed.

While Braddock’s revival is the most dramatic of the effects of craft breweries on a neighborhood, Brew Gentlemen taps into the hardworking, unpretentious, and passionate spirit that is infused in Pittsburgh, Hitchhiker, Grist House, and every other brewery in the city. As Hitchhiker’s Kwiatkowski said, “Pittsburgh is on the verge of exploding onto the national craft beer scene. We always seem to play second fiddle to places like Philadelphia… We are kind of lost in the shadow of the great beer scene out there.” But that promises to change as more and more breweries that are dedicated to ambitious brewing, customer’s taste, and a strong but healthy sense of competition emerge. Looking at the first-rate brews made in less than a year by these three excellent breweries, it is easy to agree with Kwiatkowski’s claim that “this is the most exciting time to be a beer drinker and it’s only going to get better.”

GRIST HOUSE BREWERY 10 Craft Pittsburgh | Issue 15

HITCHHIKER BREWERY

BREW GENTLEMEN

RIBUTING IST

VECENIE D

MPANY CO

80 th

1933

SI

NN N II V V EE RR SS AA RR YY AA N

VECENIE DISTRIBUTING CO. 140 North Avenue, Millvale, PA 15209

412.821.4618  beersince1933.com

2013

NCE 1933

Western Pennsylvania’s Premier Wholesaler of Regional, Craft, Imported Beers and Specialty Sodas

Wolaver’s

Organic

ENJOY CRAFT IN CANS FOR WARM WEATHER Anderson Valley, Bell’s, Jack’s Cider, Lancaster, North Country, Oskar Blues, Tröegs & More

BREW GENTLEMEN

CraftPittsburgh.com

11

DISTRIBUTED LOCALLY BY

WilsonMcGinley 85 36th Street, Pittsburgh 15201 wilsonmcginley.com

12

Craft Pittsburgh | Issue 15

THANKYOU 3 Rivers Six Pack

Galli Beer

3100 Craft Beer

Giant Eagle

6750 Hollywood Blvd., Delmont (724) 468-3005 3riversbeer.com

Frank Fuhrer Wholesale 3100 East Carson St., Pittsburgh 15203 (412) 488-8844 fuhrerwholesale.com

Beer Express

4326 Steubenville Pike, Pittsburgh 15205 (412) 920-0511 beerexpressisbest.com

Blue Dust

601 Amity St., Homestead (412) 461-6220 bluedustpgh.com

Bocktown Beer & Grill

690 Chauvet Drive, Pittsburgh 15275 (412) 788-2333 500 Beaver Valley Mall Blvd Monaca 15061 (724) 728-7200 bocktown.com

Caliente Pizza & Draft House

4624 Liberty Ave Bloomfield 15224 (412) 682-1414 pizzadrafthouse.com

D’s SixPax & Dogz

1118 S Braddock Ave, Pittsbugh 15218 (412) 241-4666 ds6pax.com

Full Pint Brewing

1963 Lincoln Hwy., North Versailles 15137 (412) 823-4657 fatheads.com

Four Seasons Brewing

800 Anderson St., New Kensington 15068 (724) 337-3581 gallibeercorp.com

gianteagle.com/beer

Just Beer Project justbeerproject.com

OTB Bicycle Cafe

2518 East Carson St., Pittsburgh, 15203 (412) 381-3698 otbbicyclecafe.com 10301 Pearce Mill Road, Allison Park 15101 (724) 940-5000 otbbicyclecafe.com

Tony Savatt, Inc.

19-29 Shingiss St., McKees Rocks 15136 (412) 331-1222 tonysavatt.com

The Traveler Beer Co. travelerbeer.com

Vecenie Distributing Company

140 North Ave., Pittsburgh 15209 (412) 821-4618 beersince1933.com

Wilson-McGinley

85 36th St., Pittsburgh 15201 (412) 621-4420 wilsonmcginley.com

Zoe’s Beer Distributor

4102 Clairton Blvd., Brentwood 15227 (412) 881-4002 zoesbeer.com

745 Lloyd Avenue Ext, Latrobe 15650 (724) 520-4111 fsbrewing.com

Maggie’s Farm Rum

3212A Smallman St., Pittsburgh 15201 (412) 709-6480 maggiesfarmrum.com CraftPittsburgh.com

13

Recommended if you enjoy: Rock Bottom Uppity Jagoff, He’Brew Bittersweet Lenny’s RIPA, East End Big Hop, Lavery Imperial Red Ale, Great Lakes Nosferatu

have you

TRIED?

By Hart Johnson

1. LONG TRAIL | brush & barrel saison 7.1% Belgian Style Saison - longtrail.com

Long Trail is celebrating 25 years of brewing beer this year. In craft beer years, that puts them in AARP discount range. They’ve also going through a bit of a reinvention the past few years. New labels, an acquisition of the Otter Creek and Wolaver Organic family of beers, new beers of their own, and a new brewmaster. Hey, even if you brew the best-selling beer in Vermont (Double Bag), it doesn’t mean you can’t keep stepping your game up. The Brush & Barrel series of beers slaps the artwork of a Vermont artist on the label. Neat. The Saison is a straightforward take on the style. It’s hazy a gold with meringue foam that almost overstays its welcome. The nose pops out like a fresh pack of Juicy Fruit that got lost in a mound of proofing French bread. And there’s a little hint of smoky phenolic, also. Big and juicy on the palate, it becomes doughy again with some lemon pith, pink peppercorn, and a nice firm bitterness that holds up through the finish. A damn near perfect answer to late summer humidity.

Recommended if you enjoy: Southern Tier Grand Arbor, Lavery Liopard Oir, Heavy Seas Red Sky At Night, New Holland Monkey King, Great Divide Colette

2. LAKEFRONT | fixed gear 6.8% Red Ale - lakefrontbrewery.com

While we’re on the subject of breweries that keep on keeping it real, here’s Lakefront. Since 1987, they’ve introduced to the US one of the first pumpkin beers, the first Certified Organic beer, and the first gluten-free beer. So, yeah, all those cool and hip things they do, plus a beer called Fixed Gear. It’s a deep garnet red in color, with a nose like a red Twizzler dipped into cascade hop dust, Fun Dip style. There are toasty, semi-sweet, layers of malt flavor but without being cloyingly sweet nor over the top bitter. Just simple, balanced, and delicious.

Recommended if you enjoy: Victory Hop Devil, Green Flash Hop Head Red, New Holland Mad Hatter, Sierra Nevada Celebration, Full Pint All-In Amber

3. FINCH’S | fascist pig 8% Red Rye Ale - finchbeer.com

I’m a sucker for anything with “red” and “rye” on the label. There’s something about RED beer, like that first sight of a Killians however many years ago. That idea planted in your head that beer could be something other than extra pale lager. And something about RYE, like those first bottles of bootlegged Bear Republic Hop Rod Rye from years back, sticky, sweet, and dank with a hop flavor like nothing I had ever tasted. So, I’m going to quit talking about how old I am. Pig has the sweetness of a candy apple coating off the bat with fluffy cotton candy.

Then, the hops come in with enough pine tar bitterness to get George Brett off the bench.

14

Craft Pittsburgh | Issue 15

4. SMUTTYNOSE | vunderbar!

5.1% German Style Pils - sumttynose.com

Somewhere near the peak of the modern self-righteous beer geek bell curve is the realization that fizzy yellow beer doesn’t have to be for wussies. I’ve been there, scoffing at anything with “lager” on the label, laughing at every pint of pils. Then, someone handed me a brilliantly fresh German-style pils on a screaming hot day and I forgot all about that silly little catch phrase. Smuttynose attacks the style with a clean take featuring all Czech Saaz hops, those glorious herbal little cones that made Pilzen a beer mecca. Bright gold in the glass, that signature Saaz aroma sings a soft melody of juiced blood oranges, fresh cut hay, and lavender with a hint of fresh baked crusty bread. Slightly sweet and malt forward at first, the hops take over with tongue refreshing bitterness that could rid the mouth of days worth of bad feelings. Pair this guy up with a humid evening on the porch after a long day of yardwork.

Recommended if you enjoy: Troegs Sunshine Pils, Sly Fox Pikeland Pils, Fat Heads Gudenhoppy Pils, Penn Brewery Kaiser Pils

5. H E’BREW/CATHEDRAL SQUARE| immaculate collaboration st. Lenny’s 10% Belgian-Style Double Rye IPA - shmaltzbrewing.com

So, what we have here is essentially Lenny’s RIPA from He’brew fermented with Cathedral Square’s house Belgian style yeast strain.

That’s a lot of things going on. Lenny is a rather large malty take on the Rye IPA style and Belgian yeasts have a knack for not accentuating hop flavors. Strap in folks, we’re going on a weird ride. Bright red in color, it sure it looks like a Rye IPA. Then, the aroma of white grapes, rose hips, candied peaches, and caramel hit you. Intriguing.

You put it to your lips and caramelized malt, husky rye grain, fresh cut hardwood, and overripe plums sweetly wash over your palate before the bitterness finally comes in like the janitor in Rocky and Bullwinkle and sweeps all that away with his sharp little citrus burn.

Drinking this is like witnessing a phoenix born out of the ashes of a hop-forward barleywine, a rich, malty Belgian strong dark ale, and a dash of American IPA. Recommended if you enjoy: Stone Double Bastard, Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, Terrapin Big Hoppy Monster, Hoppin Frog Hop Dam Triple IPA

6. GRIST HOUSE | black rye ipa 6.8% Black IPA with Rye - gristhousebrewing.com

Tucked off a side road in Millvale is a parking lot. And tucked off around the corner from that gravel lot is a shiny new 15bbl brewhouse tucked into a new urban brewpub. I know, I know, 15bbl in today’s uber-nano-hyper-local beer scene is almost obscene, right? Whatever, as long as the beer is awesome, I’ll be there. These guys are starting off by just plain making good beer. Brown ale, session pale, red ale, American wheat? Sure they’re not mango sour ales, but you gotta run before you walk right? So, the Black Rye IPA. It’s a challenging beer style. Add a bit too much dark grain to get that black color and next thing you know you have ashy hop stew. What I really like about every Grist House I’ve had so far is a really fresh, toasty malt character.

The black rye is no exception, which is a wonderful base to layer four varieties of hops over. There are wonderfully toasty and nutty malt with big juicy hop flavors of pine sap, black currant, and lemon balm.

Go find their little hidden place of wonderment and enjoy yourself.

Recommended if you enjoy: East End Snow Melt, 21st Amendment Back In Black IPA, Duck Rabbit Hoppy Bunny, New Holland Black Hatter, Blue Point Toxic Sludge

1

2

3

4

5

6

CraftPittsburgh.com

15

HISTORY STARTS IN THE HOME:

GRISETTE

By Brian Reed

D

espite what that poorly dressed, odd-smelling high school social studies teacher lead you to believe, history is wildly interesting. Not only does it provide us with a cognitive link between our past and where we are today, but it can often supply subtle clues and suggestions about where we’re likely headed in the future. A famous sociopath once said, “Whoever wishes to foresee the future must consult the past; for human events ever resemble those of preceding times…” I doubt Machiavelli was referring directly to beer styles when he penned that line, but let’s just pway pwetend.

Whether we’re talking about Gose, Grodziskie, or Kentucky Common, the act of resurrecting and/or reinventing historic beer styles is, currently, all the rage with the kids. In fact, news out of the 2014 National Homebrewers Conference in Grand Rapids is that BJCP President Gordon Strong announced the inclusion of a ‘Historical’ category in the long-awaited update of the BJCP Styles Guidelines.

You’re probably asking yourself, “What historic style are all of the hip youths rappin’ about nowadays?” If you are thinking that then, firstly, I suggest you tone it down a bit. Secondly, I submit for your approval, the Grisette.

The style is an oft-forgotten working-class beer from the Hainaut region of southern Belgium, in Wallonia; think ‘Saison is to farmers, as Grisette is to mine-workers.’ According to Phil Markowski, author of Farmhouse Ales: Culture and Craftsmanship in the Belgian Tradition (2004), Hainaut Province transitioned largely from an agricultural region to a coal mining region during the late 1800s. Around this timeframe local brewers began to brew a beer marketed to the growing population of mine workers. Twas the Grisette.

In French, the name translates literally to “little gray;” a reference to the dull-gray frocks worn by young factory worker women who served the beer to the miners upon the assent from the mine. The phrase eventually evolved to mean simply a ‘working-class woman’ but was also known to bear the occasional unfavorable connotation (depending on the timeframe/region).

Grisette could be described as a light (3.5-5% ABV), refreshing, lower-gravity blond ale.

Because the beer was of lower to moderate ABV, it was likely drank fresh and, in turn, lacked (get it? like ‘lact…obacillus’…shut up) the tartness of historic Saisons. Grisette was generally lighter and more drinkable but with a substantial mouthfeel due to the fact that they were often brewed with a significant percentage of wheat.

The style’s drinkable, yet flavorful nature, cool story, and close proximity to the everpopular Saison make it a likely contender for the hearts and minds of dudes and dudettes wearing Dickies work shirts.

16

Craft Pittsburgh | Issue 15

GRISETTE Batch Size – 6 gallon Boil Time – 90 min.

OG – 1.040 FG – 1.007 ABV – 4.3% IBU – 15-20 *Assuming 70% brew house efficiency

GRAINBILL

• 5.25 lbs. Belgian Pilsner Malt • 2.75 lbs. White Wheat Malt • 1 lb. Vienna Malt * traditionally unmalted wheat might have been used but in order to avoid a long and complicated mash I suggest White Wheat Malt ** Extract Brewers: Replace Pilsner Malt with 5.25 lbs. Pilsner LME or 4.25 lbs. Extra Light DME. Crush and steep additional malts at approximately 150 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove steeping grains and commence boil, adding malt extract.

HOPS

• 1 oz. Styrian Goldings (5.4% AA) – 90 min. * a small, late hop addition may be desirable for additional hop aroma (Saaz would be particularly nice)

MASH

• Single Infusion @ 150 degrees for 60 min.

YEAST/FERMENTATION

• Favorite ‘clean’ saison or farmhouse strain—remember, this beer is meant to be drank fresh so avoid strains with bugs or brett (e.g. Wyeast 3711 French Saison, WLP566 Belgian Saison II) Primary Fermentation: 10 days; pitch as 65-68 degrees F and raise temp slowly over course of fermentation. Max temp of 75 degrees.

Conditioning: carbonate to approximate Saison levels (1.9-2.4 volumes) and serve relatively fresh.

e s i t r e adv

!

R E BE

info@craftpittsburgh.com CraftPittsburgh.com

17

FULL PINT WHITE LIGHTNING BRINED SHRIMP

By Mindy Heisler-Johnson

U

sing beer to cook with seafood was one of my first discoveries and remains one of my most favorite things to do with brewed beverages. Though wine is traditionally used with fish, I found that beer offered a much wider range of flavors to play with and a medium that appreciated being cooked quickly and at high heat.

A particularly delicious pairing is wheat or wit beers with shellfish. The light, citrusy, yeasty flavors found in most unfiltered wheat styles are perfect with the sweet, briny flavors of shrimp, crab, lobster and scallops. It was actually while enjoying a Full Pint White Lightning that this dish was born. I loved it with shrimp, but it would also work on any grill-friendly seafood like salmon, cod, swordfish, or lobster tail.

For the brine I added more citrus, coriander, and a hint of cumin along with some fresh jalapeno to the White Lightning, then tossed in the thawed shrimp, letting it sit in the fridge for a few hours. I tossed this in the quick to make brine when I got home from work and by the time I was ready to get down to the business of making dinner, about 2 hours, they had taken on an INSANE amount of flavor. I left some in overnight, about 18 hours. Still delicious and with a more pronounced burn from the jalapeno that was amazing.

Tune the brine for your own preferences. I loved the heat from the jalapeno, but if you’re not a fan of that add a touch of honey to sweeten it up and cut back on the pepper. Want more heat? Add some ground chilies. Switch up your fresh herbs. Try cilantro, lavender, lemon balm, lemongrass, ginger, kafir lime, thai, or fresh basil.

All will pair beautifully with the citrus and spices. The beer-to-citrus ratio is the only important factor so you don’t cook the seafood ceviche style.

18

Craft Pittsburgh | Issue 15

I served it with a brown rice and pistachio pilaf and some roasted broccoli, but next time… TACOS. With some tortillas, a little gauc, and some pico?

This would also be amazing chilled on a salad or skewered with some pepper. I can go on and on, but I think you get the drift. This as an amazingly easy way to make some seriously delicious and versatile shrimp. Or Salmon. Or Cod… Full Pint White Lightning Brined Shrimp for 4 people •

1 12oz bottle Full Pint White Lightning

•

2 each Lemon

•

1 each Lime

•

1 each Orange

•

1 tsp Ground Coriander

•

1 tsp Ground Cumin

•

2 tsp Salt

•

½ tsp Fresh Ground Black Pepper

•

2-3 sprigs Fresh Thyme

•

5-6 leaves Fresh Parsley

•

1 each Fresh Jalapeno, sliced

•

2+ pounds 21-25 Peeled and Deveined Shrimp*, thawed (approximately 10 shrimp per person)

Get the beer into a bowl. Zest a little from the lemon, lime, and orange then juice them, adding the seeds and all into the bowl with the beer. Add everything else and stir until the salt is dissolved. Remove the tails from the shrimp and place in the brine. Cover and store in the fridge for 2 to 18 hours.

When ready to grill heat your chosen method of grilling to HOT. You want to cook the shrimp quick and get some marks on them.

Drain off the brine and discard. Grill the shrimp, about 2 minutes per side, until they are cooked through. Then eat up. However you like. While drinking a cold beer! You earned it with all this grilling! *Note on Shrimp: 21-25 or 16-20 are the sizes that works best for grilling. If you buy the shrimp already peeled and deveined buy 21-25. If you are buying shell-on and doing the grunt work yourself get the 16-20. In the end they are about the same size. This can also be used on small shrimp, but I’d cook those in a sauté pan to avoid picking them out of the grill grates.

BEFORE YOU TOAST...

TAKE A TOUR!

Great for bachelor or bachelorette parties, birthday celebrations, corporate events and much more!

CraftPittsburgh.com

19

Hundreds of domestic, import & craft beers now available in over 30 Giant Eagle and Market District CafĂŠs throughout Western PA.

For store locations or more information, please visit GiantEagle.com/Beer. Not all items available in all locations. Restrictions apply. See store for details.

Find your Favorite Brews at the NEW Elizabeth 20

Craft Pittsburgh | Issue 15

OPENING JUNE 2! – 1000 Hayden Blvd.