CraftPittsburgh Issue #17

IT’S

BIG BEER SEASON Brewing Up A Cure Great American Beer Festival have you tried... • cooking with beer • home brewing • upcoming beer events

table of contents Serving up creativity in the glass, on the plate, and in the community since 2006.

16 American craft beers on tap rotation Regional tap takeovers Weekly beer samplings

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

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editor’s letter style profile: barleywine the locals upcoming events beer geer brewing up a cure road trip: otter creek brewing great american beer festival have you tried... home brewing: barleywine brownies cooking with beer: peanut butter hefeweizen illustrated breweries of pennsylvania

on the cover Scott, at East End Brewery was kind enough to open his personal collection of Gratitude and update us on this year’s batch.

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 17

Now that they completed the ROY G. BIV wax topper spectrum, they’re moving away from the elaborate paper overwrap but the series itself isn’t going anywhere. This year they’re releasing two versions, one that’s been aging in Bourbon Barrels since March of 2014 (10th Anniversary Edition) and a “regular old boring Gratitude Barleywine,” their words, not ours.

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They’re expecting to release both of these beers in standard 750ml bottles by February of 2015. Scott says they used this same release schedule before, and yes, they’re still calling it “2014 Gratitude” because that’s when both beers were brewed.

For more information on the Gratitude Series, it’s release date and all the other things East End Brewing, visit EastEndBrewing.com.

So many ways to

e t a n r e HiBe

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

CraftPittsburgh.com

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

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staff

PUBLISHER P•Scout Media, LLC

EXECUTIVE EDITOR Rob Soltis rob@craftpittsburgh.com

MANAGING EDITOR Mike Weiss mike@craftpittsburgh.com

COPY EDITOR Melanie Huber

CONTRIBUTORS Brian Myers, Dino Juklo, Rebecca Johnson, Melanie Huber, Mike Weiss, Mindy Heisler-Johnson, Hart Johnson, Kathleen Ganster, Frank Cunniff, Nils Balls, Jack Smith

PHOTOGRAPHERS Mike Weiss, Tim Burns, Malcolm Frazer

AD SALES sales@craftpittsburgh.com

CREATIVE

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Soltis Design soltisdesign.com

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FOR INFORMATION ON CONTRIBUTING EDITORIAL CONTENT OR PLACING DISPLAY ADVERTISING PLEASE CONTACT US AT INFO@CRAFTPITTSBURGH.COM Craft Pittsburgh is issued bi-monthly by P•Scout 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 P•Scout 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 P•Scout Media, LLC. P•Scout 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.

editor’s letter

Thank You

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s many of you already know, in early September there was a change in ownership at CraftPittsburgh. Four years ago, shortly after the release of the second issue on a chance meeting at House of 1,000 Beers, Tim and I struck up a conversation. The following week I was the new graphic designer of CraftPittsburgh. Fast forward to today, and I still can’t believe I’m the owner. I’ve had the privilege of watching the magazine grow right along with the local beer scene and I’m excited for the future.

Tim founded this publication over four years ago with the goal of connecting and informing the local beer community. He believed in running an honest publication with non-biased coverage of great events and local beer news. I plan on holding true to those standards and giving you, the readers, a publication worthy of this amazing community.

I can truly say I’ve never met a more welcoming and helpful group of people. From day one the brewers, wholesalers, bar owners, readers and everyone in between have been great. When I talk with them and hear how passionate they are about their craft it inspires me to put out the very best publication I can. I can’t thank you all enough for the advice and support.

We have a lot of great things planned for 2015, the biggest being that we’re growing from four issues per year to six. With the craft scene booming like it is, there is simply too much to cover quarterly. We are excited about the growth of our magazine, as it’s in direct response to the growth of the craft beer community, happening at a rate which can only be described as fast.

In addition to more issues, we’re increasing content. This issue is four pages longer than the previous and our hope is to continue to expand with each release. We will always be a local beer-centric magazine, but we have some other things in the works that I think everyone will enjoy.

There are big things happening at CraftPittsburgh.com too. Be sure to follow us on social media to stay up to date.

Lastly, I want to say thank you to my friends, parents and especially my wife Taten. I couldn’t have made this happen without your love and support.

CraftPittsburgh.com

Cheers,

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style profile Written by Brian Meyers, photo by Mike Weiss

The History of Barleywines The original barleywines actually originated in ancient Greece and were for the most part wine made from barley. While these were referred to as “barley wines” in recorded history, they were extremely dissimilar to what we think of as barleywines today, most notably due to the lack of hops, which are a major component in barleywines of today.

Barleywines as we know them today came about as a way of making higher-class beers for the aristocracy in 18th century England. This meant that barleywines were only available to the higher class for some time until being mass-produced.The first beer to be sold under the style of barleywine was Bass No. 1 Ale around 1870.

Anchor Brewing Company introduced the style in the US in 1976 with its beer Old Foghorn Barleywine Style Ale. This is actually the reason barleywine became a single word, as Anchor was afraid of having issues with labeling regulators by including the word “wine” on the bottle.

English Barleywines

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The two categories that barleywines tend to fall into are English and American. Much like IPAs, the English version is sweeter and often has less alcohol than its American counterpart. Simply put, English barleywines are very malt focused and often found to have a moderate to strong fruitiness as well as a moderate alcohol taste.

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English barleywines are very complex beers that have a wonderful mix of tastes ranging from dark fruit, sweet malt, and even resiny hops.This isn’t to say that an English barleywine can’t have a very high alcohol rating, as many America iterations of these beers often do, but the alcoholic taste tends to not be forefront.

Some examples of English Barleywines include: Blithering Idiot from Weyerbacher Brewing Co., Heavy Seas Below Decks from Heavy Seas Beer, and Old Foghorn from Anchor Brewing Company.

Barleywines

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hile the name might fool you, a barleywine is definitely a beer. Technically speaking, these high-alcohol beers are known as barleywine style ales, but more often than not, they are referred to simply as a barleywine. There are two major types of barleywines that most available will fit into fairly well: American and English barleywines. We’ll get into the specifics in a minute, but before the details it’s worth knowing the history of these extraordinary beers to see how they came to be.

American Barleywines Just like a strong American IPA, the American version of a barleywine is very much hop driven. These can run the gamut from slightly hopforward to in-your-face hop taste and aroma bordering on a dark triple IPA. Speaking of dark, more often than not, dark malt isn’t used in these beers, but instead the color comes from the large amount of malt and the extra long boil time used to achieve the higher alcohol found in these beers.

American barleywines also feature American hop varieties, giving these beers a much different hop profile than their English brethren. While some American barleywines, like Bigfoot from Sierra Nevada, can come off as a triple IPA, they still carry a strong malt backbone that’s present even with the massive amount of hops used.

Some examples of American barleywines include Sierra Nevada Bigfoot, Olde School from Dogfish Head, and Old Guardian from Stone. If you’re lucky, you can also find a few local versions of American Barleywines including Gratitude from East End Brewing Company.

Vital Statistics: OG – 1.080-1.120 FG – 1.018 – 1.030 (1.016 – 1.030 for English) IBU – English: 35-70, American: 50-120 SRM – English: 8-22, American: 10-19 ABV – 8-12% or higher Brian founded and writes for pghcraftbeers.com and craftbeeracademy.com.

the locals

Written by Dino Juklo

Jarret Lewis

RX Kettlebells @ Stout Training Pittsburgh

We don’t need to tell you that most craft beer enthusiasts are pretty cool people. So we thought why not get to know a few locals that have a good story or you wouldn’t expect to enjoy a good beer.

Do you or someone you know fit the bill? Let us know!

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arret Lewis is the head of RX Kettlebells at Stout Training Pittsburgh, located in the heart of the Strip District. Lewis spent several years in the Army as a sergeant with the 1st Stryker Brigade where he trained men for combat. He is also one of the few instructors in the Pittsburgh area with a coveted RKC certification for kettlebell fitness. Originally from Southern California, Lewis moved to the Pittsburgh area in 2010 where he works as an RN while attending anesthesiology school. A huge fan of craft beer for nearly 15 years, he likes to enjoy a tasty brew after a hard workout or in between study sessions.

Who are some of your favorite breweries in Pittsburgh?

Right now, I’d have to say my favorite brewery in Pittsburgh would be East End. They consistently put out some pretty good stuff.

Their Big Hop is great. It’s in a lot of local bars.

I’ve been to Grist House. The one brewery I haven’t been to, that I really want to check out, is Gentlemen in Braddock.There’s a lot of good stuff popping up. I’ve been to Hop Farm in Lawrenceville by the old gym. I’d have to say Roundabout is up there, too. They do some pretty unique stuff once in a while.

made with more care and attention. I think the other big thing is that they’re made with better ingredients. We get enough crap in our diets from other stuff, and a lot of the commercially-made beers are so processed and made with syrups. I think the other cool part is you’re supporting local businesses, which I think is awesome. You’re not buying into a chain.

What beers are you looking forward to?

I enjoy a lot of the Christmas stuff and the darker, heavier winter beers. There’s no real specific time of the year I like. I’m originally

from Southern California so there are some beers that I really love from there, that I don’t often find around here. Some of the Stone stuff comes to mind, and Russian River.

If you were a beer style, which one would you be?

I think I’d definitely be an IPA…strong and a little bitter.

Who are some people you admire in the Pittsburgh beer community?

Rob for sure. I definitely see him going to a lot of events, talking to people and getting the magazine out there. Steve down at the Public Market East End is really cool, too.

What do you like most about craft beer?

I’d have to say the variety of taste. Even with the same style, you can have a big variety from brewery to brewery. Even the same brewery can have three pale ales from the same place and have a lot of difference. I think the other thing, too, that I really enjoy is that a lot of these breweries are smaller so the beer is

CraftPittsburgh.com

When did you first get into craft beer?

I got into craft beer back around 2000. In 2001, I got stationed when I was in the Army up near Fort Lewis which is by Seattle and Tacoma. At the time, that was one of the proving grounds for craft beer and there were a couple specific places that brewed their own beer. Those were usually our Friday hangout spots. I started, like a lot of people do, with basic witbiers, then got into some bocks, some porters, then eventually found pale ales and went from there.

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upcoming events For a full list of upcoming events visit CraftPittsburgh.com

January • 5 Craft Beer Industry Night @ Caliente • 10 Brew ‘N Chew @ Monroeville Convention Center • 19 Colors & Bottles Paint Session @ Hough’s • 22 Meeting of the Malts @ The Priory Hotel Grand Hall • 23 Pour for a Cure @ US Steel Tower • 31 Winter Warmer 4 Seasons Brew Tour @ PA Brew Tours

February • 2 Craft Beer Industry Night @ Caliente • 7 The Brews & The Bees Tour @ PA Brew Tours • 20/21 Beerfest @ David L. Lawrence Convention Center

March • 2 Craft Beer Industry Night @ Caliente • 8 H ell with the Lid Off Barleywine Festival @ Kelly’s Bar & Lounge

beer geer

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They contain no gunpowder or propellant, so the openers are completely inert and safe. Bullets2Bandages also donates at least 15% of our profits to veteran charities on an annual basis and this year is on track to do closer to 30%!

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These unique openers make great gifts for holidays, promotions, retirements, graduations, or groomsmen sets.They also have trademark licensing approval from the Army, Navy,Air Force, and Marine Corps, which makes their openers very popular with active duty military and veterans.

Check them out at bullets2bandages.org

One-of-a kind bourbon barrel aged stout, black IPA, java porter, banana bread ale, chai pumpkin spiced beer who doesn’t want to drink great homebrew?

And if it is for a good cause, even better.

The 8th Annual Brewing Up A Cure was held by Three Rivers Underground Brewers (TRUB) on October 11th at the PPG Wintergarden. The event, held each year to raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, has a personal connection to one of the TRUB members, Shane Terrick.

Terrick’s 10-year-old daughter, Sadie, was born with the disease.

“We were looking for a cause because we wanted to host an event to help a charity and one of the guys who knew about Sadie said,

‘Why not cystic fibrosis?’” Terrick said.

That “guy” was Justin Graham, one of the co-founders of TRUB. The charity event was organized to also help off-set the stereotype that many people had about home brewers nearly a decade ago when the club started, Terrick said.

“There was that stigma home brewers were just a bunch of drunks sitting around a keg in the basement and drinking beer,” he joked.

TRUB decided that hosting a brew fest would serve two purposes – letting others in the greater Pittsburgh area know and learn more about them and home brewers, and raise money for a great cause. A highlight of the event is obviously the large variety of great tasting, local beers that can’t be found anywhere else.

“Brew fests weren’t all that common back then and we really wanted people to come and taste some of the great beer we were making. And we wanted them to see we knew that we were doing, that they weren’t going to go blind like they were drinking bad moonshine,” Terrick laughed.

After Graham suggested the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, the rest of the club agreed and the first event was kicked off in October of 2007.TRUB quickly sold-out with 150 tickets and over $10,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation was raised at the event’s very first year. That first event was held at the Union Project in East Liberty, but quickly outgrew that venue.

From its beginnings the event has grown to include over 25 home brewers, five commercial breweries and a smattering of others including a rum distillery and a meadery. Food, live music and an auction are also highlights of the night.

The TRUB members donate all of their time and beer for the event.

“This is the opportunity to sort of show off your own beer and see what others think.

For the beer drinkers, they can get unique beers that are only available at Brewing Up A Cure,” Gregor Bender, one of the home brewers and TRUB member, said.

Bender, who calls his home brewery Soul Bender, also serves as a tour guide for PA Brew Tours. The tours recently adopted

CraftPittsburgh.com

THE 8TH ANNUAL

Written by Kathleen Ganster, photos by Rob Soltis & Gregor Bender

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BEFORE YOU TOAST...

TAKE A TOUR!

Brewing Up A Cure as their non-profit partner with part of the proceeds of every tour going towards their cause.

At the Cure, Bender showcased his various brews named after the popular TV show, Breaking Bad. Guests lined up for a glass of Walter Wit, or a non-beer, the “blue stuff.”

“It is great fun and a great way to promote home brews and craft beer. And we get exposure to attract more members,” Bender said.

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

A few of the home brews available for guests at the Cure included: Bender’s chai pumpkin spice, India pale ale, oatmeal stout, ginger beer, coffee brown ale, and banana bread beer. There were also a few select beers available only to those with VIP tickets.

Brewing Up A Cure attracts beer lovers of course, but also folks interested in helping the Terricks and others who are raising awareness about cystic fibrosis and helping to find a cure for this genetic disease.

Cystic fibrosis is a life-threatening disease that affects the lungs and digestive system, according to the Cystic fibrosis website.

The money raised at Brewing Up A Cure goes towards research to find a cure, Terrick said.

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“Brewing Up A Cure is so important for us. This money means everything – money that is used for research to find a cure and

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for the care of our patients,” Sara Kaczynski, Director of Development, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation – Western Pa Chapter, said.

Kaczynski enjoyed attending the event several times herself and loves the idea that it is a group of people who get together not only to showcase their beer, but to help CF. “It is great, casual fun. Anyone can attend and have a good time. This is a great bunch of people,” she said.

At this point, there is no cure for CF, but there is a new drug, Kalydeco, that has been proven to help 4% of those with the disease and is giving hope as well as a foundation for other research and drugs to help everyone.

Brewing Up A Cure also allows for one of the home brewers to get bragging rights – one of the beers is voted the best beer of the show. This year, Terrick can boast of that honor for his bourbon barrel aged stout.

“I don’t want to brag, but I’m pretty proud of it,” he said. Terrick calls his home brewery Office Brewing Company, named after the home office that also served as his brewery when he first started brewing about 10 years ago.

Over $27,000 was raised at the Cure this year, bringing the grand donation total from Brewing Up A Cure to $193,000. Terrick hopes that they reach the $30,000 mark next year. The next event is tentatively slated for October 10, 2015.

CraftPittsburgh.com

For more information about Brewing Up A Cure, visit brewingupacure.org or like them on Facebook.

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road trip Story and photos by Melanie Huber

Otter Creek Brewing

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ack in September we spent a week camping in the expansive Green Mountains of Vermont. As stoked as we were to take in the crimson maples, hippies, and chilly mountain air, we spent as much time visiting breweries and pubs as we did hiking the Long Trail. The highlight of our Vermont Beer Experience, by a VT country mile, was Otter Creek Brewing Co. We arrived at OCB cranky and with blood sugar in the red from a long morning of sightseeing.

Upon turning the corner into the parking lot, the wall of colossal stainless vats hit us in the face and smacked the hangry out of us. We were impressed and ready to imbibe.

We grabbed a table in the pub and immediately identified the unmistakable mastermind behind the triumvirate of Shed, Wolaver’s and OCB. With his lithe frame, abundant beard and trademark bandana, OCB’s head brewmaster, Mike Gerhart, could easily double for Forrest Gump in his “I just felt like running” phase. Gerhart appears as a sort of caricature (and fittingly, can be seen in cartoon form on many of OCB’s labels with his VW bus, “Clementine”, and his Bernese Mountain Dog, Oslo). But Gerhart has serious street cred, having cut his teeth at Magic Hat, Coors, and Dogfish Head before joining OCB in 2009. Oh, and there’s that Brewmaster’s Degree from Germany…..

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We were greeted by a smiling bartender named Sam. We introduced ourselves and Sam kindly dictated an abbreviated history of Otter Creek and its sister brands, The Shed (whose Mountain Ale was the top-selling six-pack in VT at the time of our visit) and Wolaver’s, the nation’s first certified organic label. 2014 was a banner year for Wolaver’s, earning both NonGMO Project Verification and the gold medal for pumpkin beers at the Great American Beer Festival. Wolaver’s pumpkins are harvested at a local farm just a few miles from the brewery.

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OCB itself opened its doors in 1991, with Copper Ale as its maiden voyage brew. Four years later, the brewery expanded and moved nearby to Middlebury where it remains today. Acquired

by Long Trail Brewing in 2010, the buyout afforded OCB expansions to reach 70,000-barrel capacity and filling technology that yields 190 bottles per minute. Production now runs 24/7 and OCB’s distribution spans to 15 states in the East Coast, south to North Carolina and west to Ohio.

OCB has emerged as a destination and this was evident. The pub had a definite buzz about it and the locals, as well as transplants, seemed happy to share their love of OCB and VT with

Middlebury, Vermont

us. One of OCB’s cooler attractions: the freshly unveiled Pilot Beer Series in which brewery employees at every level of the company have a shot at creating, brewing, and naming a 10-gallon batch of beer to be tapped for public consumption and potential future fame. The Pilot departs each Tuesday at 11 am and flows until it goes. During our Wednesday visit, we enjoyed - and kicked - a double IPA Pilot which two of our table mates tagged as one of the better ones they’ve tasted.

We also enjoyed the Overgrown APA: citrusy, hoppy, and easy, followed by the Shed Mountain Ale, Hop Session Ale, and Copper Ale. In total, OCB offered 11 draughts. They also craft a nice selection of “Tasty Treats” including small plates, salads, sandwiches and soups. We sampled a variety of fare, our favorites being the Brussels sprouts sautéed with bacon and The Local, a turkey panini topped with bacon, Brie, and strawberry habanero jam.

Before departing we exchanged contacts with a recent transplant from PA, grabbed some sweet merch, and filled a growler of Hop Session to enjoy by the campfire. We plan on returning next October and will be sure to hit OCB again.

If you’re ever in the area (chances are, if you’re in VT, you are, as it seems to take), hop on the bus, enjoy the scenery, and enjoy a beer when you arrive. It’s worth it, we promise.

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CraftPittsburgh.com

The Great American Beer Festival PITTSBURGH STYLE Story and photos by Rebecca Johnson

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ach year when planning their vacations, craft beer lovers all around Pittsburgh struggle with the same question: “Is this the year I finally go to GABF?”

Reasons to attend the Great American Beer Festival, or GABF, are easy to find. The size of the event is simply vast. This year, 710 breweries from all over the nation served over 3500 different beers to GABF goers.

Regardless of the 49,000 attendees that poured into the Colorado Convention Center in Downtown Denver, the event’s 290,000 square feet felt remarkably spacious. Erika Shumaker, who owns ShuBrew in Zelienople with her brewer husband, Zach Shumaker, made the trip to Denver this year. Shumaker noted that the event “never felt overcrowded.

We never waited too long for a beer.”

The Shumakers also took advantage of the many classes offered at GABF, which are open to brewers and patrons alike. Classes on brewing to current beer trends (such as sours and barrel-aging) and beer judging (where

GABF judges described their desired beer qualities) all drew large crowds. Shumaker particularly liked classes on food and beer pairings, where she “got a lot of great ideas for our brewpub. Getting tips and advice from brewers that teach these classes is invaluable.”

She enjoyed how openly the brewers were sharing their information and feels that it was just one example of the spirit of giving that exists between craft brewers. “Everyone is just trying to work together and not against each other,” she smiled.

A rarely-considered benefit to attending GABF is learning of up-and-coming breweries that show strong potential. Stumbling upon a booth with a long line of patrons waiting for a pour usually means a big-name brewery like Russian River or Goose Island is at the helm. But when the name on the booth is one you’ve never heard, the people in that line may know something you don’t.

A local example of an up-and-coming brewery that was shot into fame by GABF this year is

Four Seasons Brewing Co. in Latrobe. Having just opened in September 2013 and never even distributing outside of Southwestern Pennsylvania, Four Seasons was relatively unknown on the national scene. That is, until they stunned everyone by pulling in a silver medal for Darkside of the Pint, their Oatmeal Stout (breweries can submit beers for judging and win gold, silver, or bronze medals in over 90 categories of beer styles). “GABF is the biggest craft beer conference in the nation,” said Mark Pavlik, brewer and owner of Four Seasons. “We wanted to see how our beers compared. We had no idea what the outcome would be. We were very shocked that we won!” Pavlik said happily.

Another excellent point of consideration for GABF is the rare opportunity to talk to the brewers themselves about the beers on the table. Ever want to have a beer served to you by beerlebrity Sam Calagione of Dogfish Head? Here’s your chance. North Country Brewing Co. of Slippery Rock realized that this

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CraftPittsburgh.com

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 17

could be a major draw for beer nerds. They had the head brewer from their brewpub, Aaron Fries, and their sales manager, Donnie Knight, behind their booth pouring beers and answering questions from patrons during all four GABF sessions.

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This level of access to a collection of rare, extremely hard-to-find beers under one roof may only be otherwise achieved through extreme privilege and a private jet. It sets GABF apart from other beer festivals. Most breweries who put forth the effort to get to Denver and pour their beers don’t bring only the brews you’ll find at your local bar.

When else will beer lovers have a chance to sample barrel-aged Rumpkin from Avery Brewing Co., tapped directly from the barrel?

How about sipping pours of Reserve Society beers from The Bruery, which usually can’t be shipped outside of California (and even then only to hefty-membership-fee-paying Society members), such as Black Tuesday or Tart of Darkness Aged on Cherries and Vanilla?

Breweries intentionally hold back kegs and cases of their amazing rare beers, label them “Hold for GABF” and set them into the cellar.

For rare beer hounds, there is no comparison to a session at this event.

In fact, one of the main attractions to GABF attendance is the ridiculous overabundance of world-class beers.This bacchanalian decadence forces patrons to pour out remainders of one-ounce samples of beer that is downright delicious after taking only a small sip, limited by their own livers. It has small, wanting-tobe-known, amazing brewers standing in the aisles, personally inviting festival-goers to try their alcoholic works of art – and some revelers having to decline, saving their sobriety for their own sought-after list. It is perhaps the only time craft beer drinkers are forced to walk past hard-to-find pours and luxurious new experimental brews because a plethora of brews that are even more unthinkably extravagant is around the next corner.

The ultimate compliment occurs when a patron gets back in line for another pour of the same beer.

This tight competition for beer drinkers’ attention is what draws midsized local brewers, such as Erie Brewing Co. (of Erie) and North Country Brewing Co., to GABF. North Country recently started canning their beers, which positions them to expand their market to any part of the nation. Attendance at GABF not only exposes them to craft beer drinkers,

but also to bottle shop and bar owners from all 50 states. Knight says that for them GABF was “all about small brewers growing.”

As further proof of GABF causing growth for small brewers, Pavlik proudly watches as folks come into his Four Seasons brewpub specifically to try a pour of his award-winning beer.

2015 may be as good a year as any to make the trek to Denver. GABF will be adding another 90,000 square feet to its event space next year. Sure, it’s a tough ticket to get, considering they sold out in 32 minutes this year. But as a Pittsburgher, you wouldn’t be alone. Knight was surprised at how many folks had been to their North Country brewpub in Slippery Rock, mentioning the ornate woodwork to him. A few folks at GABF were even members of their mug club. Let the vacation planning begin.

Rebecca Johnson is a Pittsburgh-based craft beer journalist. She founded and writes for BeerPittsburgh.com.

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CraftPittsburgh.com

have you tried?

Written by Hart Johnson, photo by Tim Burns

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1. Ithaca | Dark Vine

2. Shawnee Craft | Kriek Biere

One of my only true hopes and dreams is that Bill Cowher becomes a minority stakeholder in Ithaca Beer and this prompts a special release of the their delicious flagship IPA just for the Pittsburgh market. You and everyone you know would be all over Bill Cowher’s Flahr Pahr and yinz know it. Instead, let’s talk about this monster of an Imperial Black IPA they put out. You put IPA on a label, I expect hops to sing the lead vocals, just as if you put Double Bock on the label I want the hops to be Jason Newsted on every Metallica album - there but just barely serving a purpose. This Dark Vine pleases my expectations. On the nose oily tangerine peel and spring spruce tips tangle with malted milk chocolate.

Surprisingly light on the palate for 9.5%ABV, the hops take the forefront with loads more of the green spruce bitterness and some sweetened pineapple juice. Finishes light on the palate, refreshing with a hint of cocoa and orange. Juicy tropical fruit lingers on the palate. Just outstanding stuff.

In any industry, it’s all about finding your market and dominating it.

Shawnee have undoubtedly cornered the market in the “Brewery in a former ice rink on the grounds of a country club. In the Poconos”. They were previously in Pittsburgh a year or so ago with a few random kegs here and there and look to be coming back with renewed fervor in the next few months. What I have here has been aging for two years in red wine barrels with sour cherries and an undisclosed “ecosystem of wild yeasts”. Hazy pinkish orange pour with that soda pop head that fades right quick. Has some beautiful sour cherry aromas wrapped around subtle vanilla and sugar crusted grapefruit. Soft bodied, makes me think this is based on their witbier. Which isn’t a knock - the semi sweet base rounds out the tart fruit, yeast and barrel notes. Cherry stone and a touch of vanilla linger on the finish. If this is where hockey rink based breweries are headed, I’m into it.

Recommended if you you like: Clown Shoes Hoppy Feet, Lagunitas Nighttime IPA, Hoppin’ Frog Hop Heathen Imperial Black IPA, East End Black Hop, He’Brew Death of a Contract Brewer

Recommended if you like: Timmerman’s Kriek, Free Will Kriek,Verhaeghe Duchesse De Bourgogne, Monk’s Cafe Flemish Sour Ale,Weyerbacher Riserva

9.5% - Black IPA - ithacabeer.com

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6.7% - Sour Ale - shawneecraftbrewingcompany.com

3. Lost Abbey | Lost & Found

Recommended if you like: Lost Abbey Angel’s Share,Troegs Flying Mouflan, Thirsty Dog Bernese Barleywine, Boulder Killer Penguin

I have a hard time talking about Belgian Doubles. Chimay Premiere, Bornem Double and Westemalle Double were my good beer first loves.

But, so many super sweet, overly spiced and chocolate covered banana sugar bombs later.... you just fade away from the things you thought you used to love. Then… from the dark land of.. San Diego, CA comes a contender! A rich and flavorful, yet dry Belgian Brown Ale that keeps the spices in the cupboard and lets their proprietary yeast provide all the needed complexity. Deep amber brown in the glass with aromas of caramel apple and fresh pitted cherries. Slightly sweet red apple flavor up front fades into fresh figs, roasted chestnuts and dry toasted oak.

Full juicy aftertaste of ripe fruit, shortbread cookies and hints of cocoa powder and dried tobacco. Simple, yet elegant.

6. Sly Fox | 360 IPA

8% - Belgian Style Double Abbey - lostabbey.com

Recommended if you like: Bornem Double, Ommegang Abbey, Affligem Double, East End Illustration Ale, Sly Fox Ichor

4. Weyerbacher | Tiny

11.8% - Belgian Style Imperial Stout - weyerbacher.com Belgian Imperial Stouts are like 19th Century Man’s attempt at flight. Most of them look promising on paper, but end up in charred disappointment. Something about heavily roasted malt and rich estery Belgian yeast just doesn’t mix right. Weyerbacher knows what’s up, and they even acknowledge it on their website:“This beer is very smooth and lacks the astringency you sometimes find in these Imperial Stouts”. I just snapped my fingers and pointed seductively at Easton, PA. Anyway, this stuff is dark. Darker than Glenn Danzig in a Danzig shirt buying cat litter dark. Big whiff of booze (what did you expect at nearly 12%abv?), dark chocolate covered cherries and caramelized plantains. Hoooooooboy is this rich. Scrooge McDuck swimming in a pool of gold rich. Big fudgey and chocolatey, some little hints of fresh brewed espresso, cherry liqueur, hazelnuts, then holy crap more rich chocolate. There’s a slight port wine quality attempting to tidy things up at the end, but this is still decadent flourless chocolate cake in a glass.

6.2% - IPA - slyfoxbeer.com

Let’s talk about this can first. 16oz. can with a fully removable top. Ask your Aunt Sally about pulltab cans and she’ll show you the scar on her heel she got on the Jersey shore back in 1975 when some Jag threw their Budweiser pulltab on the boardwalk and little Sally cut her heel open. So, long story short, NY and NJ HATE pulltabs and that means 360 is only available in the great state of Pennsylvania. Your loss you hosers! Now, the beer. Well, I poured it into a glass because I really don’t care what the brewery says, I pour canned beer into a glass. Deep golden orange in color, bright hop aromas of cantaloupe and candied lemon peel jump out with a little bit of underlying caramelized sugar. Slightly grassy up front that gives way to heaps of muskmelon wrapped around a lemon sugar cookie. While the slightly sweet malt profile keeps things from going off the rails on the bitter train, there’s a long lasting citrus pith finish.

Recommended if you like: Fat Heads Head Hunter, Great Lakes Commodore Perry, O’Fallon 5 Day IPA, Hop Farm IPA,Troegs Perpetual IPA

If you don’t already follow Hart on Twiiter, you probably should. @MoarHops

Recommended if you like: Buffalo Stout,Troubadour Obscura, Great Divide Belgian Yeti, Dupont Monk’s Stout, Ommegang Game of Thrones #2 Take the Black

5. He’Brew | Jewbelation 18

Lest you think Pennsylvania is the only state with silly alcohol laws, allow me to introduce Exhibit A: this beer. Previous incarnations of Jewbelation, He’Brew’s Anniversary beer, have matched the alcohol to the year. 12th was 12%, 14 was 14%, etc, etc.The hangup is there are some states where beer stronger than 12.5% ABV is VERY, VERY NAUGHTY. Granted, you probably don’t have to buy yer booze from unionized state employees in those states, but I digress. I applaud the lowering of the alcohol anyway, an 18% beer means I’m “Arthur 2: On The Rocks” drunk halfway through the first sip anyway.And hey, since they reduced the ABV by over 22% (math!) since last year they can call a 12.4% Barleywine a Session Barleywine now! Pours pitch black with some mocha foam. Aroma is about as all over the place as a beer made with 18 malts and 18 hops should be. The hop character is subdued, this is all about the malt. Sweet with black cherry, caramelized sugar, toffee and black treacle. Fresh and malty on the finish, little hint of hop bitterness and chocolate covered coffee bean to round things out. Their website hints at a barrel aged version and that would be a glorious idea.

CraftPittsburgh.com

12.4% - Black Barleywine - shmaltzbrewing.com

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home brewing Written by Jack Smith, photos by Malcolm Frazer

Hey, you got peanut butter in my Hefeweizen!

S

o there I was, loafing on the couch watching re-runs of CHiPs, when an ad for a set of Elvis Presley commemorative porcelain plates came on.

After committing to make four easy installments, I realized I really had a hankerin’ for The King’s namesake sandwich – The Elvis: peanut butter, banana, and honey on white bread. Alas, I was fresh out of bread. So I did what any of you would have done: I brewed a hefeweizen with peanut butter in it.

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 17

Think about it: what flavors make up German Hefewiezen? Primarily yeast-derived banana esters and clove phenols layered atop a Wonder Bread-like wheat malt backbone. Take away the clove and you’re left with a couple of the key components of the man in white’s favorite sandwich. All we need is peanut butter & honey. Enter: PB2 powdered peanut butter and Gambrinus Honey Malt. Done. Now how do we put it all together?

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This unique, oddly drinkable beer is - like most well-designed beers - pretty simple. It starts as a straightforward German Weissbier recipe and has just a few tweaks: (1) Add some honey malt to the otherwise simple grist bill, (2) Choose a mash schedule that reduces clove phenols, (3) add PB2 to the fermentor, and (4) choose a fermentation regiment that produces more banana ester.

The best Weissbiers are ones with a delicate balance of banana and clove, neither trait overpowering the other. Elvis, on the other hand, is neither delicate nor balanced. We want to silence clove and crank the banana up to 11. Clove and banana are produced

by German wheat beer yeast strains under specific conditions. To boost clove, one needs to perform a complex step mash. Which means to eliminate it, we just need to simplify: a simple single-infusion mash (or extract brew) works great. Boosting banana, meanwhile, is achieved through manipulating the fermentation – allowing for more cell growth than desired in “clean” beer such as lager or American pale ale. (Esters are formed in abundance during the growth phase of fermentation.) Pay close attention to yeast pitching rate, oxygenation levels, and fermentation temperature and your results will be rewarding. As for the peanut butter, one pound of PB2 for a five gallon batch is perfect. See the recipe below for details of when and how to add it.

I dreamed this beer up as a goof, but it turned out to be surprisingly good. It is now a medal winner, and, more importantly, was a huge hit with the crowd at Brewing Up a Cure. Most tried it out of curiosity. Many came back for seconds. Or thirds. So go ahead, brew this.

You’ll be rewarded. A little less conversation, a little more fermentation, please.

Elvis Has Just Left the Building: Peanut Butter Hefeweizen Batch Size: 5.25 gal.

Boil Time: 75 min.

OG: 1.048

FG: 1.012

ABV: 4.8 %

IBU: 10

Difficulty: Moderately Easy *Assuming 70% brew house efficiency

Grainbill 6 lbs. German Wheat Malt 2 lbs. German Pilsner Malt

bottle conditioning, prime with 6.5 ounces of table sugar. Drink fresh; age is not this beer’s friend.

Suggested Pairings This beer works great as a standalone half-liter, maybe a bag of hard pretzels by your side on the Barcalounger. That’s how I imagine Elvis would drink it. Or maybe he’d pour it over a couple scoops of vanilla bean ice cream. The best pairing I found for it, though, is with the spicy, sweet, peanut-laden world of Thai food.

Pad Thai and massaman curry are perfect partners for this unique beer.

1 lb. Gambrinus Honey Malt 1 lb. Munich Malt *Extract Brewers: Replace the Wheat Malt with 3.5 lbs wheat DME. Replace the Pilsner Malt with 18 ounces of Pilsner DME. Replace the Munich Malt with 9 ounces of Munich DME. Crush and steep the honey malt at roughly 150F for 30 minutes.

Remove steeping grains, and add DME while heating to a boil. Boil for 75 minutes.

Hops 20 grams Hallertauer (4.1% AA) @ 75 minutes

Mash Single Infusion @ 154 degrees for 60 min.

Extra Ingredients 1 lb. PB2 powdered peanut butter – Add it to your fermenter just as the boil is finishing up.

When there’s 5 minutes left in the boil, put the PB2 in a large stainless or Pyrex mixing bowl and ladle 2-3 quarts of the boiling wort into the bowl. Whisk until smooth and pour into a sanitized fermentor. Cap the fermentor with a sanitized cap and set aside. After the boil finishes, chill the wort to 64F and rack into the fermentor with the PB2 mixture. Stir or swirl to mix the PB into the wort.

Yeast/Fermentation Wyeast 3068 Weihenstephan Weizen or White Labs WLP300 Hefeweizen Ale Yeast. The key is in the pitching rate. A 5.25 gallon batch of cleanly fermented 1.048 ale needs about 175 billion cells. For hefeweizen, aim to pitch 20% less – about 140 billion cells – to boost banana production.

Primary Fermentation: 10-14 days; pitch at 6264 degrees F and hold there until fermentation is complete.

Conditioning: This style requires high carbonation as it should be effervescent and spritzy. If kegging, carbonate to 3.5 volumes. If

CraftPittsburgh.com

Aeration/Oxygenation: Aerate or oxygenate well using your favorite method – plenty of oxygen helps promote yeast growth.

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cooking with beer Written by Mindy Heisler-Johnson

Black Magick Brownies 12oz butter 12oz bittersweet or semisweet chocolate chips 6 eggs 1 cup sugar 8oz Voodoo Black Magick Stout (or similar stout) 1 Tbsp vanilla ½ tsp salt 1 Tbsp instant coffee (optional) 1 cup self-rising flour 3 Tbsp cocoa powder 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

black magick brownies & barley wine butterscotch sauce

W CraftPittsburgh | Issue 17

hat is more decadent that a dark, rich, chocolatey brownie? One spiked with a stout! Brownies, when done well, are one of life’s little pleasures - a dense, dark, rich bite of heaven. I am generally a purist; don’t you even think about touching my brownie with more than some nuts or maybe some chocolate chips, and if you are going to insist on icing it, fine, but it better be with a thin layer of a rich ganache-style icing, or I’m out. Ok...maybe I’m picky. BUT I bake for myself so I think that means I’m allowed to be. And I do make exceptions when the inspiration strikes.

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Combining beer and baked goods is an art. Not even kidding, it is wicked hard to make a delicious bakery-style dessert combined with beer - there is the science of it, getting ratios right for the liquids and whatnot, and the flavor, getting the beer ‘there’ without the bitterness and balancing the sweet. Chocolate is a great medium for combining sweet, dark beers with baking. And I wanted some brownies. And The Husband was willing to share a bottle of Voodoo Black Magick with me. I hurried to the kitchen before he changed his mind.

These are...well, wow. They are thick, rich and decadent. More on the cakey side, you can taste the boozy bourbon of the Black Magick through the chocolate. These are more about over-the-top chocolate than sweet, but topped with a scoop of ice cream and the Barleywine Butterscotch Sauce...perfect. I didn’t add nuts to the brownies. I debated on salted cashews. In the end, glad I didn’t, but crushed up on top was pretty amazing. If you’re into amazing, anyway.

Maybe the BEST part about these? Took my oven longer to heat up than it did to get these ready to go into it. And? Made all in one bowl.

Heat the oven to 350, grease a 9x13 pan or line with parchment sprayed with non-stick spray. Melt the butter and place the chocolate chips in a mixing bowl.

When the butter is hot and melted, pour over the chips and stir with a whisk to melt the chocolate. Stir until smooth. Add the sugar and mix until combined.

Whisk in the eggs, one at a time, mixing in completely between each. Add the beer, vanilla, salt and coffee (if you’re using). Mix with a whisk until everything is completely combined and the mixture is smooth.

Sift the flour and cocoa powder into the chocolate mix and fold in with a spatula until it is all evenly mixed together - be gentle, you don’t need to mix it to death, just until it is mixed together. Pour into the pan, smooth the top, bake for 35-40 minutes, until the center is set. Remove from the oven and cool.

Then eat.

The Butterscotch Sauce is not only good on the brownies, because yeah it totally is, but I also dig it on ice cream and in coffee. It has a little bit of bitter on the back end that I kind of love with the butterscotch.

WARNING:You’re about to boil sugar. Sugar gets hot.

REAL HOT. Hot things burn. Burns are bad. Be careful.

Barleywine Butterscotch Sauce 12oz HeBrew Jewbilation 18 Black Barley Wine (or any delicious, sweet one, really) 1½ cups light brown sugar 1 cup heavy cream 4oz salted butter Heat the beer and sugar in a sauce pot until it boils.

Let it boil hard, at a thick bubble (you’ll know what I mean when you see it, it’s kind of mesmerizing to watch) and let it go for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.You will see it start to get amber and smell like caramel and the bubbles will thicken when you are ready for the next step. With the heat on and while whisking, slowly add the cream. It is going to bubble up, it’s supposed to, but be careful and just keep whisking, whisking, whisking, what do we do, we whisk. When the cream is in, let it come back up to a boil and let it thicken up some more. Cut the butter into 8 cubes and while it boils, whisk them in, letting each one melt before adding the next. When all the butter is added, turn off the heat and transfer to a container to cool. It’s best at room temperature for use, but store it in the fridge.