CraftPittsbur Issue #28 by CraftPittsburgh

cooking with beer • home brewing • upcoming beer events • COCKTAILS • have you tried...

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

table of contents upcoming events editorâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s notes style profile - russian imperial stout donuts & beer art & beer for once-a-year my walk for veterans the hoppy couple - brewing up a cure under construction - eleventh hour road trip - italy brew - the museum of beer craft cocktails - something without pumpkin ale in the family CAPtivating puppet master pgh pizza - spak brothers have you tried... brewer sit-down - willy tarango cooking with beer - apple pecan bread pudding home brewing - scottish wee heavy

page

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6. 7. 8. 10. 12. 14. 16. 18. 20. 22. 24. 26. 28. 32. 34. 36. 40. 42. 44.

staff INSURRECTION ALEWORKS

HAN D -CR A FT E D ART IS A N A L ES N OW O P E N W IT H A FUL L SC RA T CH MENU

PUBLISHER

P•Scout Media, LLC

EXECUTIVE EDITOR

Rob Soltis rob@craftpittsburgh.com

MANAGING EDITOR

Mike Weiss mike@craftpittsburgh.com INSURRECTION ALEWORKS

@WORKSALE

INSURRECTION ALEWORKS

WWW.INSURRECTIONALEWORKS.COM HEIDELBERG, PA

COPY EDITORS

Kristy Locklin, Frank Cunniff

CONTRIBUTORS

Brian Meyer, Beth Kurtz Taylor, Joe Tammariello, Jason Cercone, Amanda Stein, Mindy Heisler-Johnson, Hart Johnson, Ian Mikrut, Kenny Gould, Nathan Stimmel, Jack Smith, Dan DeLucia, Ben Emminger, Kristy Locklin

PHOTOGRAPHERS

Tim Burns, Mike Weiss, Jeff Zoet, Buzzy Torek

AD SALES

sales@craftpittsburgh.com

CREATIVE

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

Soltis Design soltisdesign.com

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 for readers of legal drinking age. 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. Advertisers assume responsibility and complete liability for all content in their ads.

Tailgating Season is on We brew Tangier as a session IPA with tangerine peels and spicy Azacca hops for an IPA as refreshing as it is exotic. For traditionalists, our standard IPA has been unchanged since our first batch in 2002. Both are available in 12 packs which means theyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re perfect for game day, or really any day.

upcoming events ®

Check out CraftPittsburgh.com for even more events and make sure to follow us on Facebook, Twitter & Instagram. November

• 5 Beers of the Burgh, Winter Warmer @ Carrie Furnace • 6 Brewtal Beer Fest @ Spirit Lounge • 9 Taser - Malt Liquor Release Party @ Rock Bottom • 10 Girl Scout Cookie Flight Night @ Bierport • 12 Drinking Partners’ 100th Episode @ PGH Playwrights Theatre • 12 Breakfast & The British Premier League @ 99 Bottles • 13 3rd Annual Homebrewers Comp. @ Wigle Whiskey • 15 Moos & Brews @ Roundabout Brewery • 16 Brew-Ed: Thanksgiving Pairing @ Rock Bottom • 17 A Night with Spoonwood @ Fire Side Public House • 18 LOAF Release Party @ East End Brewing • 19 Deutschtown Bar Crawl @ Deutschtown • 19 Blade’s Bloody Barleywine @ New Dimension Comics • 25 Kegs ‘n Eggs @ Bocktown • 25 Black Friday Party @ Hough’s & Copper Kettle • 25 Bourbon County Black Friday @ Caliente - All 3 locations

December • 13 Winter Beer Dinner @ ShuBrew • 18 Caroling & Craft Beer @ Hough’s • 20 C raft Beer School: 8th Annual Holiday Brew

& Cheese Pairing @ Cabaret at Theater Square

• 23 D rinking with People You Went to High School with, but

Haven’t Seen Since Last Year @ Sketchy Bar - Your Hometown

January

ONE OF AMERICA’S MOST AWARD-WINNING BREWERIES!

• 20 7th Annual Pour for a Cure @ US Steel Tower

April

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

FATHEADS.COM

21st - 30th

editor’s Notes to theh burg

ALE in the FAMILY • 2016 is almost over. Let that sink in a minute. It’s been a crazy year for the Pittsburgh craft beer scene and it doesn’t seem to be slowing down. At print time, I know of 15 new breweries that hope to be open in the next six months. Beer-centric restaurants like House of 1,000 Beers, Pig Iron, and The Yard are expanding to second, even third locations. And new non-local beers are hitting the market at a rate I’ve never seen before. 2017 is going to be an interesting year and I believe Pittsburgh is well on it’s way to becoming the next beer destination. • Speaking of beer destinations, Brew: The Museum of Beer launched their crowd-funding campaign to bring America’s First beer museum to Pittsburgh. You can read all about their efforts on page 22. • Congratulations to Fat Head’s for killing it at the annual Great American Beer Festival in Denver. They won five medals, Mid-Size Brewing Company Brewer of the Year, and Mid-Size Brewing Company of the Year. The latter of which was quickly rescinded in Steve Harvey like fashion after the discovery of another breweries registration error. • Nathan Stimmel, has a great piece on page 26 about the rise of family friendly beer establishments. Being a father of a threeyear-old that’s on a first name basis with half the city’s brewers, I can appreciate the shift. Like Nate says, “Mutual consideration is key” in making sure everyone has a good time. • In this issue, the fourth installment of Under Construction features Eleventh Hour Brewing. It’s pretty cool to look back and see how far previously featured breweries have come.

PIT TSBURGH SMOK

ED W

INGS

great! menu

award-winning beer 6 &12 Packs • growlers original smoked wings burgers • munchies headwiches salads

• We changed our logo. It’s OK if you didn’t notice. • Make sure you’re following us on social media to keep up-todate on news, last minute events, and giveaways. We have a lot of fun things in the works for 2017. • I hope everyone has a great holiday and happy new year. Have fun, be safe, and drink good beer.

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Cheers,

1805 e. carson st • south side • pgh., pa 15203 CALL FOR TAKE OUT: 412.431.7433 Rob Soltis

FATHEADS.COM

style profile Words Brian Meyer

’ IT S TSAR

MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR M

uch like the coming winter nights when the temperature starts to drop, our tastes in beer tend to get darker and larger. There’s just something about the roasted malt and higher ABV that makes a stout perfect for the cold winter months. Within the stout category are quite a few sub-styles that, while all stouts, each have their own unique qualities. Take for example the Dry Irish Stout, or the Milk Stout. There’s even chocolate stout if you’re looking for something extra in your beer. These different stouts are each great in their own right, but when most people think of a stout, the beer that comes to mind is the Russian Imperial Stout. Russian Imperial Stouts are the big kids on the block when talking about dark beers. While the name might imply that it has its origins in the Tundra, it actually started like many beers we love today, in the breweries of England.

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

The truth however, is most likely much more simple.

Catherine the Great’s Favorite Beer

When it comes to beer history, the truth is often never black and white, but rather it’s mixed in with the fun, yet untrue, stories to make an imbroglio out of both actual and remembered history. The most likely source of the Russian Imperial Stout came from Catherine the Great. While not exactly a Tsar, Catherine the Great (Catherine II) was Empress of Russia as well as the longest ruling female leader of Russia, reigning from 1762 until her death in 1796. While known for a variety of made up and true stories (including phallic furniture in a “sex cabinet”) one thing that is known for sure is her love of dark English beer.

The Tsar Comes to England

Catherine loved this beer so much that she did indeed have it shipped from England to Russia for her and her court to enjoy. It should be no surprise that her absolute favorite of these dark beers was none other than Thale’s strong porter.

The Russian Imperial Stout started life in 18th century England under a very different name. Originally brewed by Henry Thrale at his London Brewery, this beer was first categorized as a strong porter, as the term stout was not yet in use to designate dark beers. Originally dubbed “Thrale’s Intire,” this big beer became widely known not only in England, but as far away as, you guessed it, Russia.

While the credit for this style of beer seems to go to Catherine, it’s most likely thanks to the first Peter the Great that beer was originally brought from England to Russia. It’s generally accepted that after his tour of Europe in 1698 he brought his love of dark beers back to Russia with him, helping this trend to grow and making Catherine’s beer of choice to be an obvious one.

As is the case with most beer styles, there’s quite a bit of invented history surrounding the Russian Imperial Stout, with the truth hiding somewhere in the mix. One story spins the tale with a visit of a Russian Tsar to London, and the need to brew a beer for him that was strong enough for a Russian to enjoy.

Is it possible that this beer had a higher gravity and hop content to survive a long trip? Sure, it’s possible, but, much like many beer origin stories, there’s no reliable corroborating evidence to support the claim. The more likely reason for the beer’s big character is that it’s what people–and the Empress of Russia - wanted to drink!

Beer probably isn’t the first type of alcohol you’d think of when someone mentions Russia, and for good reason. The land of the Tundra and Red Square is most notably linked to vodka, and has been for quite some time.

cause an international crisis, brewed the next batch much stronger with more hops to survive the journey, and the rest is history.

Another tale enjoins the reader to believe that another Tsar loved the dark English beer so much that he had it shipped to Russia, where, upon arrival, it was found to be spoiled from the long trip. The brewer, not wanting to

Thrale’s Strong Porter

Just because higher ABV beers with huge hop additions travel well doesn’t mean they were brewed for that reason. Sure, higher alcohol will lower the freezing point of a beer, but Russia wasn’t the only place outside of

England to crave exported dark beer. Countries throughout Europe and even Africa craved the same beer, many of which were in much hotter climes than Moscow. As is the case with most stories however, the less interesting aspects fall away while the connections to those with a title in front of their name get played up and given much more notoriety than is originally prescribed. Henry Thrale ended up selling his Anchor Brewery to Barclay & Perkins, who continued to brew his beer with some revisions and adaptations to changing tastes and available ingredients. The name of this big beer eventually changed to invoke the name we know these beers by today, as it became known as Barclay’s Russian Imperial Stout. Obviously the name was used to play off of the connection with Catherine the Great, and the term stout was attached to imply the beer was strong. Today, while most stouts are indeed strong, it’s not a requirement of the style. We use the term stout to refer to dark beers with higher hop content and bitterness but in Barclay & Perkin’s time it was still a term used in place of strong. Instead, we use the term imperial today when talking about big beers, and not just those of the dark variety. As you can see, this is the origin of the current use of imperial when talking about higher ABV beers.

Russian Imperial Stout

Today, we consider the Russian Imperial Stout in a class all its own. The Brewer’s Association classifies these beers as British-Style Imperial Stouts, and while some have been given an American kick to add additional hop character in lieu of the maltiness that’s apparent in the British version, the idea is clear that these beers got their start in England. Expect Russian Imperial Stouts to be very dark in color, almost always pitch black. These beers are characterized today as possessing a big, but balanced, hop and malt profile. The bitterness and malt character are backed up by a nice alcoholic presence both in aroma and taste, with roasted malt, chocolate, and even a little bit of coffee in the aroma and taste thanks to complex roasted malt bills used with these beers.

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The hop profile of a RIS is often subdued to give more bitter flavor than hop character, with the focus on the balance between bitterness and toasted maltiness that together play off of the alcohol’s warmness. Carbonation is kept fairly low, helping to give Russian Imperial Stouts a slightly thick mouthfeel that goes along with the visual presentation of the beers, with their ebony color and thick, mocha brown foam head. RIS beers will range in ABV from around 8% to 12% ABV. Due to their complex character and higher alcohol content, these beers are typically excellent candidates for aging.

Commercial Examples

Still a very popular style of beer today, examples of Russian Imperial Stouts can be found both locally and nationally. Some of the best examples include: Grist House Craft Brewery – Black In The USSR, 10% ABV North Coast Brewing Co. – Old Rasputin, 9% ABV

Made fresh everyday, be sure to try the one with peanut butter. Really!

Oskar Blues Brewery – Ten Fidy, 10.5% ABV

a great sele ction of seasonal craf t beer on tap. Espe cially the local br ews.

Stone Brewing – Stone Imperial Russian Stout, (IRS) 10.8% ABV Bell’s Brewery – Expedition Stout, 10.5% ABV

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

north park boathouse • historic southside

otbbicyclecafe.com

CraftPittsburgh.com

Sierra Nevada Brewing Co. – Narwhal Imperial Stout, 10.2% ABV

hand crafted

Donuts &

Beer? Why not! CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

Words Beth Kurtz Taylor Photos Jeff Zoet

indy Heisler-Johnson worked her way through Pittsburgh restaurants from the snack bar at Whitehall Country Club to her current position as manager of the kitchens for Piper’s Pub and Pub Chip Shop on the South Side. This culinary school grad is always true to her family’s ethnic roots. Case in point: she introduced Paczki, the Polish Fat Tuesday treat, to the restaurant’s menu during Lent. Somewhere in the back of her head, she always wanted to open a donut shop. After the success of the Paczki run at Piper’s, she began experimenting with the recipe, adapting it to make cinnamon buns. Mindy came up with some unique flavor combinations for her “fancier” versions. But, one issue remained...where to sell these scrumptious creations? The Pub Chip shop opens at lunch time. Mindy approached owner Drew Topping with the idea of running a shop out of that space in the morning hours and Just Good Donuts was born. Her donut staff - Jim, Bonnie and Pirate - arrive after midnight to begin the morning’s production. These aren’t your chain shop donuts. How about a Strawberry Pretzel Jell-O, Burnt Almond Torte or Yinzer donut? Or Blueberry Fields that Mindy stuffs with the scratch-made jammy filling? She always offers cinnamon buns plus the Maple Vindaloo Bacon and Buckeye donuts. There is tiered pricing, as you’ll find everything from smaller plain cake or frosted (often preferred by the younger customers) to the above fancy options. Every week, new flavors rotate through the menu and if you just follow them on social media, you can plan ahead for your morning treat when a favorite comes up. Since starting in May, their business has tripled. Over the past month, Mindy has done three donut wedding displays, coordinating colors with the event and creating specific flavor requests. Other than the fact that Mindy writes our wonderful cooking column for CraftPittsburgh, how does this relate to beer, you ask? Her husband Hart Johnson does cellar work for Hitchhiker Brewing in Mt. Lebanon. He told owner Gary Olden about the confections. The brewery’s food is, for the most part, prepared off-site by other businesses and assembled in the taproom to order. Gary values “building relationships with people interested in having their wares sold outside of their doors. “ He decided to give “beer and donuts” a try. When they release a new beer, Mindy works to come up with a donut that will complement the brew. Pairing Sundays have been a hit with Hitchhiker’s customers. Jackie McWilliams, who tends bar, reports, “People go nuts for them!” The taproom closes at 6 p.m. on Sundays and customers are still coming in at 5:30 p.m. looking for this delicious breakfast treat. On an October Sunday, they released their Lesser of Two Evils Red IPA, brewed with lactose. I sampled it with the Maple Vindaloo Bacon donut. Mindy knows her flavor profiles, one taste certainly did not detract from the other. The Vindaloo spice complimented the creamy lactose infusion in the beer and the salty bacon just melded everything together. Mindy’s goal has been to make donuts that are good to sell and that “make people’s faces happy.” She is succeeding! Aside from the Pub Chip Shop and new beer release days at Hitchhiker, you can find Just Good Donuts weekends at Delany’s Coffee. Also look for them on the upcoming Piper’s Food Truck. Just one aside, for research I also sampled the Old School. Forget pumpkin spice, this was a bite of autumn: a molasses buttercream filled treat of donut goodness topped with vanilla glaze and crumbled, house-baked gingersnaps. Yum!

art and beer for

ONCE-A-YEAR Local Artist Joe Mruk Chosen to Create Limited Art Print For Tröegs Nugget Nectar First Squeeze Release

Words Ben Emminger

he approaching winter causes many people to conjure images of hot cocoa and tall glasses of eggnog, but for craft beer enthusiasts, another drink is at the forefront of their minds: Nugget Nectar Ale from Tröegs Independent Brewing.

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

This once-a-year release occurs in early to mid-January after the freshest crop of common hops reaches the family-owned brewery in Hershey, Pennsylvania. The premiere unveiling is dubbed “First Squeeze.” At this annual event, fans of Nugget Nectar not only get to taste the ale, but are able to pick up Tröegs pint glasses, bottle openers and a limited art print special to the Nugget Nectar release. Tröegs began distributing these limited masterpieces in 2016, and for the 2017 design, the independent brewers selected Pittsburgh artist Joe Mruk to create the brew-inspired print.

A 2010 graduate of California University of Pennsylvania, Mruk’s work mostly involves creating art for event posters and albums, but he states that he is very excited to have been chosen for this year’s Nugget Nectar release. “Especially working with an independent company like Tröegs; that is just the icing on the cake,” Mruk says of his involvement with the 2017 First Squeeze. “You know, craft beers sort of lend themselves to that sort of illustration, so it makes sense as a direction for them to be using an illustrator in this sort of way.”Mruk says. Mike Watters, Tröegs’ a veteran Tröegs representative, believes that the brewery’s decision to go with a Pittsburgh-based artist is simply awesome.

“It shows the direction that we are kind of going toward,” he says. “We are choosing local, independent artists and really using them to help focus our independent image.” After Tröegs Marketing Director Jen Adams contacted him, Mruk says he looked at last year’s art print for inspiration. The 2016 print, showcasing a hand crushing a hop, was the sort of imagery that Tröegs wanted to keep, according to the artist. “I definitely wanted the hop being squeezed, but I had to change it up,” Mruk says of adding his personal touch to the design. “I thought about the Zodiac and how the Capricorn starts in January. I said to myself, ‘Cool, I could have two Capricorns crushing the hops between their horns.’ Then I developed this sort of look.” Enhancing the symmetry and detail with bold coloring and line work, Mruk wanted the print to resemble a medieval tapestry with a modern twist. In regards to the Zodiac imagery, the cosmos are a frequent point in Mruk’s art. “That kind of context can bring some interesting things to the table when it triggers imagery like that,” he says. “You can kind of play with styles, switch them out and contemporize older things at times.” Although this art print will be Mruk’s first project directly associated with a brewery, he is no stranger to craft beer-inspired imagery, he states. “Some of the first posters that I did were for a festival in Connellsville called the Tangled Up In Brew Festival,” he explains. “They had a lot of craft breweries sponsoring that event, so the poster I created had a lot of hops imagery, beer and stuff like that. Coming back to something such as this with hops and everything was sort of natural.” While Mruk’s art print will be a special attachment to this year’s First Squeeze, Watters states that Tröegs has partnered with other artists from different distribution regions to create works for their respective areas; a print series of sorts. According to Watters, artists from Cleveland and Philadelphia will also be creating pieces for this year’s Nugget Nectar. Watters believes that the combination of art and craft beer is symbiotic in nature.

Watters says that a date has not been established for the 2017 Nugget Nectar release, but ballparks the event to occur in mid to late-January for the Pittsburgh region. Visit troegs.com/events for upcoming First Squeeze events in the area. To learn more about Mruk and view his past illustrations as well as this year’s Nugget Nectar limited print, visit redbuffalo.org.

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“I believe that every craft beer is a piece of art in itself,” Watters says. “When you take that and combine it with these people that are using different mediums and having different techniques, it is just a similar experience. The two are just natural bedfellows.”

My Walk for Veterans Stops by Voodoo, Homestead Words & Photos Ian Mikrut

Kevin Kinkead has been walking state to state since August 8. Starting in Ellsworth, Maine, the idea to walk is a simple, symbolic gesture with a powerful outreach: walk the 48 continental states to raise awareness about the problems veterans face in integrating back into society and shine a light on the issues with the current Veterans Affairs system. Kinkead is hoping his walk will garner enough attention, reach the right ears and implement real, tangible change. After serving in the U.S. Army for five years from 2009-2014 and a tour in Afghanistan, Kinkead struggled settling into civilian life. Unable to reenlist back into the military because of a General Discharge Under Honorable Circumstances due to a 2013 DUI, Kinkead found himself wandering aimlessly from job to job with no real goals in mind. He planned to join the French Foreign Legion in 2015, and, while in Paris, spoke with a friend he had deployed with in 2015.

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

“A buddy of mine gave me the idea because it’s something he always wanted to do. But he can’t because he was injured in Afghanistan and ended up losing his leg due to a complication. So he pitched the idea and I rolled with it and started planning in December and stepped out in August,” Kinkead said.

Not long into his journey, Kevin gained a walking partner in Daniel Taylor, who served in the Navy from 2007-2013. After leaving the Navy, Taylor similarly had issues settling into civilian life, returning home to Plant City, FL and what he describes as falling in with old friends and dead-end jobs. Following Gunsmithing School in Colorado and working on farms in the Carolinas, Taylor found himself working his way along the East Coast. After seeing his story on Facebook, Taylor immediately reached out. When Kinkead’s walking path ended up at the same Veteran farm Taylor was working, the pair became fast friends. Three days later they set off together. “I’ve gained a lot of perspective, not only from tons of other vets and what they’re going through and their everyday experiences, but also regular people. Everyday people that hear about what we’re doing, who say ‘I

love vets, but I had no idea that was going on.’ I’ve gotten a much deeper perspective, kind of the big picture of what’s going on between veterans and the lack of communication. How it works together, how it doesn’t work together,” Taylor said. Logistically, the two plan their walks day-to-day. A goal city in each state is selected and towns or camping areas are plotted out along the way for daily travel. The response of people opening their homes, providing meals and support was almost immediate. “I didn’t expect such a good reception so soon. I tried getting support before I started and no one really took it seriously so I figured I’d have to actually get a few states in before I actually started getting more support. But Day 2 I had people following me, helping me out, donating money, everything,” Kinkead said. Kinkead and Taylor mostly use Facebook to post their progress and any news along the journey. Early on, Sharon George, a Mercer resident who began the Shah-nini George Foundation in honor of her Titanic-surviving great-grandmother to celebrate and aid veterans, children and animal rescue efforts, found Kinkead and Taylor’s story on her newsfeed. “It’s my goal to have a huge party for military veterans every year and I plan to have a special guest at that party every year. This was my first one, that took place on October 1, and I found them and thought these were the perfect people to honor and recognize. They’re not celebrities, I actually prefer honoring them,” George said. Before their visit to Pittsburgh, Kinkead and Taylor were 52 days into their walk, in Queens, NY. After connecting with Sharon George, they hoped to be able to align their journey to make it in time for the event. But when it looked like the pair wouldn’t be able to make it, George flew them from New York to Pittsburgh where they could meet with local veterans at Voodoo Homestead the day they landed and spend a few days in the area—meeting with the Veteran’s Breakfast Club in Hermitage and enjoying an evening at George’s home for her foundation’s veteran celebration. For Voodoo, opening their doors for a night of beer and camaraderie was nothing out of the ordinary. “Voodoo does everything it can to support veteran organizations. We do everything to hire vets and have been successful in doing that. Vets and craft beer are synonymous, getting together and having beers with fellow veterans is how we bond, and to have Kevin and Daniel come in is a really

awesome thing that we were proud to be a part of,” Voodoo co-owner Jake Voelker said. As an Iraq and Afghanistan veteran himself, Voelker knows the issues veterans face upon returning home. He also knows the opportunities local breweries and businesses have to make an impact. “Veterans are the hardest working group of people you’ll ever see. We’re all hiring people, it’s a continual process. I really encourage people to spend some extra time to find veterans to work with them. You won’t be disappointed. We bring discipline and passion in everything we do,” Voelker said. Pennsylvania has the fourth highest veteran population behind California, Texas and Florida and there are multiple organizations in Pittsburgh that are dedicated to serving veterans. “Every single brewery donates and does tons of events for charities. I would absolutely encourage them to look at who they’re looking to spend charitable time and money for,” Voelker said. For Kinkead and Taylor, the journey is far from over. While they’ve already made a lot of noise and have connected with a lot of groups willing to spread their story and share in an open dialogue, the problems facing veterans on a daily basis are ever present. The suicide rate for veterans hovers around 20 every single day. Veterans are 50% more likely to become homeless than other Americans. Many are missing the proper mental and physical care they require while also lacking a community that understands their struggles. “I hope that we revamp the care for veterans. But I also hope that we inspire a lot of groups like American Legions, and VFWs that are more associated with older people. If we can do something to get the Iraq and Afghan war vets to hang out because a lot of the problems stem from going from being around all of your buddies every day to go back to your home town and you don’t know any other veterans,” Taylor said. After their stay in Pittsburgh, Kinkead and Taylor were flown back to New York to keep walking as they intended with no real timeline set in the hopes of bringing real change to the current VA structure. At the time of this article they had safely reached Philadelphia.

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“I’m guessing it will be somewhere around two years, maybe a little longer. Depending on how many stops we take, how many people we talk to,” Kinkead said of the estimated length of their walk. “However long it takes, it takes.”

hoppy couple

the 10th annual

BREWING up a cure Joe

Location

Brewing Up A Cure (BUAC) is a great way to try local beers and ciders that you may never get to try again all while supporting the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. In the three years that we have attended BUAC, it has always been located in downtown Pittsburgh at the Wintergarden at PPG Place. The Wintergarden is a fantastic place to hold a beer fest and there is always plenty of room to move around. It has a very classy look and feel which works well considering this is also a charity event. There are parking garages nearby, but it’s probably easier (and safer) to take an Uber.

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

Beer

This fest is special not only because the proceeds go to a great cause, but also because the beer at BUAC primarily consists of homebrewers and local breweries. In fact, I would say 90% of the beer at BUAC is provided by homebrewers in and around the Pittsburgh area. Two local Pittsburgh brewing organizations, TRASH (Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Homebrewers) and TRUB (Three Rivers Underground Brewers), are always there and, of course, offer many unique additions to the fest. In fact, TRUB created and sponsors the entire BUAC event (with the help of many other sponsors). All of the brewers at the event are great, but a couple of other homebrewers that stood out to me were T-Monkey and Down Trunk Brewing as they both had offerings more on the sour side. I always enjoy Soul Bender Brewing, Perfect Pitch Brewing, and Bruxedo Brewing, too, as they push the boundaries of craft beer creation.

Atmosphere

BUAC is fairly laid back and never overly crowded. We tend to opt for the VIP tickets which gets you an extra hour of tasting time along with a free gift! The lines at each station are never too long and we haven’t ever had any problems getting to taste all of the beers that we hoped to. There’s

plenty of room to move around and there are tables and chairs to relax at with your beer and/or food. As well, be sure to check out the numerous raffle options that help give back even more. There are always plenty of great gifts to bid on!

Food

I don’t know about Amanda, but, as a sweets lover, I thoroughly enjoyed the cupcake table this year! In addition to some great confections, BUAC offered a lot of tasty foods including various types of sandwiches, hot sausage, pulled pork, and mac and cheese. The desserts, provided by Fabulous Affairs Catering, included about five different types of cupcakes and a nice assortment of cookies. I especially remember the pumpkin pie cupcake that I had. It was, quite literally, a mini-pumpkin pie in a cupcake wrapper. I should have gone back for a second one (pretty sure I did, ha!).

Amanda Location

Brewing up a Cure has been held at the Wintergarden at PPG Place downtown since 2012. While the Wintergarden is not a place you can often just stop in for a beer, it does have a reputation of being a “hotspot” for downtown holiday outings. Since winter is fast approaching, you can plan your own visit to the Wintergarden to see their annual holiday exhibits including Spirits Of Giving From Around The World, Gingerbread House and Train Display, Light Up Night, and an outdoor ice skating rink. Those events are typically held from mid-November through early January each year. While BUAC is a 21+ event, PPG Place and the Wintergarden are definitely family-friendly during the holidays.

The coolest thing about BUAC is the creative license these brewers take with their beers. No two beers are alike, no one is in competition with one another (even though you do get to vote for your favorite), and you will likely never have these beers again. There are some well-known local breweries like Roundabout Brewery, Hop Farm Brewing, Grist House Craft Brewery, Arsenal Cider House, and Hitchhiker Brewing that all bring unique solo and collaboration brews to the event that you probably won’t find in their tap room (and if you do, it won’t be for long!). However, the homebrewers of the crowd are often the most experimental and exciting. Some of the more eccentric beers were a Thin Mint cookie-inspired amber, a banana hefeweizen, and a pastrami sandwich gose (yes, you read that right!). There were also plenty of insanely fresh and delicious IPAs, stouts, porters, and the affectionately nicknamed “lawnmower beers.” BUAC is truly a beer event you have to try at least once (before you get hooked!).

Atmosphere

BUAC combines my two favorite things: drinking beer and supporting a good cause. Mix those two things together and you’re sure to get a friendly crowd. Everyone is there to support local brewers, big and small, and raise money for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. The event has loads of raffle baskets to generate funds while giving you a chance to win some pretty great prizes. Like Joe said, they don’t oversell tickets to the event, so there’s never a line for beer and you’re not bumping into people every time you turn around. One of my favorite little details is that you have to be keyed into a button-less elevator to the 12th floor to use the restrooms. It feels like a top-secret adventure, but it’s a great way to keep bathrooms clean and lines short.

Food

Joe is definitely the sweets fan in our house and there were plenty of those for him to indulge in at BUAC. However, I enjoyed the more savory goodies like chips and guac from Moe’s Southwest Grill, cheese and meat trays, and not one, but three different kinds of macaroni and cheese. They also have Edible Arrangement displays for the fruit-fans and even some chocolate covered apple slices this year. Food is free with your ticket which is an added bonus.

Summary

This marked the 10th year of Brewing up a Cure and in that time it has raised over $250,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation! It really is an incredible and unique way to raise funds for such a great cause. We absolutely love this event and make sure to get our VIP tickets every year. Get your tickets early next year, tell your friends to do the same, and we’ll see you there! The Hoppy Couple is one part Joe Tammariello and one part Amanda Stein. Amanda is the charitable creative type, while Joe is the nerdy eccentric type. Together we make a perfect brew, har har. We don’t consider ourselves beer experts but we spend a good bit of our free time exploring the city of Pittsburgh and sampling all of the food and drink it has to offer. We also try our hand at brewing beer from time to time at our home in Swissvale. We hope that our points of view will pour a wellrounded pint of our experiences with Pittsburgh’s local craft beer scene. Say “Cheers!” if you see us out!

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Beer

Under construction Photos & Words Kenny Gould

eleventh

HOUR

Four years ago, Matt McMahon came home from work and told his wife, Keana, that he wanted to start a brewery. “When you’re old and retired and the kids are graduated, that’d be nice,” Keana said.

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

But the brewing bug is a notoriously strong ailment, and Matt had it bad. He wrote a business plan, went to brewing conferences, and spent two years trying to secure a loan for equipment and construction. After fourteen rejections, Matt and Keana got in touch with an underwriter at Indiana First Bank. One of the benefits of receiving a loan from a small bank was that the McMahons dealt with a real person, rather than a faceless underwriter. In May of 2015, their underwriter approved them for financing.

The McMahons were ready to rent a building in Wexford, but by the time they’d gotten their financing, the landlord had changed his mind. So they looked for a different location. They found one downtown on 11th and Penn, but with the new location, they needed to resubmit financing forms to the bank. The new approval came back on Thursday; by Monday, the landlord had already sold the building to a real estate conglomerate based in New York City. So the McMahons went back to the drawing board. One day, Matt took off from work and drove around. In lower Lawrenceville, a few blocks off Butler Street and roughly behind Piccolo Forno, he saw a

“For Sale” sign on what looked like an old warehouse. It was actually an old schoolhouse, built in 1872 for German immigrants. Although Matt was more interested in renting than buying, the landlord agreed to let him see the property. “It was a freaky place,” Matt said.

Even now, after a fairly significant amount of work, the building looks a bit like something out of Edgar Allan Poe’s “The Cask of Amontillado”. But that only adds to the brewery’s charm, and the building is no longer dangerous. During one of his first inspections, Matt noticed that there were no supports under the floor above his barrel room, a problem that has since been mediated. The McMahons settled on the name “Eleventh Hour Brewery” after putting out an online survey for friends and family. When it’s completed, the brewery will feature four 20-barrel fermentors, one 20-barrel bright tank, and a 1,000-square-foot basement room to use as barrel storage. Conveniently, the hand-cut stone blocks in the basement keeps the temperature at an ambient 55 degrees. Eleventh Hour needs another month for permits and two months for plumbing, and they plan to have their equipment installed by November, which puts them on track for a January launch, at the earliest. The dream has been a long time coming, but it’s almost here. “You just have to be relentless,” Matt said.

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ITALY

Road Trip

Words & Photos Will Groves

Ah, Italia. The land of tiny little coffees, scooters, wine, and a surprisingly vibrant beer scene, if you know where to look. This past August, I was lucky enough to travel to Rome and the Amalfi Coast to visit my girlfriend Sabrina’s aunt, uncle and cousins. It was my first time to Italy, so, with Sabrina as my interpreter, I talked with her family and got some really interesting insight into the values people have when it comes to food and drinks. When it comes to food, the primary difference between Italy and the U.S. is that people don’t have half a century of crap to rebel against. If you’re reading this fine publication, I’m sure I don’t need to tell you that American food in the latter half of the 20th century left a lot to be desired. Taste was nixed in the battle with convenience. Until when, in the late ‘90s, food took off and people started to care about what they shoved into their mouths. Cue the rise of craft beer in the early 2000s.

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

Meanwhile, in 20th century Italy, food and drinks continued as they always had. Quality foods, produced by centuries-old producers and regulated with responsible laws focused on preserving quality and safety, dominated, and still dominate, the dining landscape of the country.

Meals, in my experience, were very much as they have been for ages. Simple foods that tasted good because they were well-made. Long story short: mozzarella cheese in Italy and mozzarella cheese in the United States have absolutely no relation to each other. You’d think this ethos of quality and craftsmanship would have carried through to Italian brewing, right? Well…it didn’t exactly. Which is a great thing, if you ask me.

Italian beer is the product of many of the same economic factors that bland-ified American beers. Consolidation under multinational beverage giants has affected Italian beer just like in America (Peroni is owned by Asahi, Birra Moretti, Birra Ichnusa and others are owned by Heineken, etc.). Beer’s image in Italy is also very similar to common attitudes toward beer in the U.S. Beer is cheap, easy-going, good for a party or the beach, and so on. Just like in America, though, there has recently been a reaction against this ubiquitous blandness in beer. The burgeoning craft beer scene in Italy seems to be the “American-est” in Europe. Breweries tend to be small, and beers from regional or local producers are a highlight of quality beer bar menus. What’s more is that since Italy doesn’t have “purity laws” like Germany, or a centuries-old brewing tradition like Belgium, they’re shooting from the hip and playing fast and loose with style guidelines and ingredients. Sound like anyone else we know? Vento Forte, a brewery in Lazio (a region that includes Rome), produced beers that were immediately familiar to me. They made a juicy, hazy pale ale that was just like beers from Brew Gentlemen or Dancing Gnome. The only difference is that I was sitting in a small bar in the neighborhood of Trastevere, not Braddock. The nascent beer scene in Rome reminded me of Pittsburgh in so many other ways. One of the biggest had to be that as we were having drinks at Ma Che Siete Venuti a Fa (one of the world’s best beer bars according to whoever determines such things) we were told that the owner and head brewer of Vento Forte went to high school with the bartender at Ma Che. That’s pretty Pittsburgh, right there.

That said, craft beer is a much smaller business in Italy than in America.

Pittsburgh circa 2006 with one pretty astounding difference… So, a fun fact about Italy that you may not have realized is that Italy is in Europe. So are Belgium and Germany. See where I’m heading? One of the biggest things that any beer lover will immediately notice is the presence of amazing Belgian beers like Cantillon, Drei Fonteinen, Oud Beersel. I will say that while I absolutely believe Italy is the future of European craft beer, the past is still pretty incredible. Cantillon on tap, or Oud Beersel on cask for €6 is still the thing that I remember best about beer drinking in Italy. Beer drinking in Italy is a great marriage of two worlds. Classic European breweries dot the beer landscape right alongside small, upstarts making whatever the hell they feel like. Italy’s beer scene is still very much an up-and-comer, but I really do think it’s going to be the future of beer in southern Europe.

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The beer culture in Rome reminds me a lot of Pittsburgh, but it reminds me even more of Pittsburgh ten years ago. I know I’m kind of dating myself here, but going on the hunt for craft beer in Rome is just like searching Pittsburgh for good brews in 2006. There aren’t many places to get quality beer, the idea of visiting a brewery is a little bit weird, and the scene overall seems pretty insular.

BREW the museum of beer Words Jason Cercone

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

Using the Brewers Association’s directory as a guide, I counted over 40 breweries in the Pittsburgh region (extending as far north as Erie and as far southeast-ish as Mount Pleasant) currently operating and producing the liquid we love. In addition, there are over a dozen breweries in planning with a handful set to open up in the next few months. As this feature came together, the Pittsburgh region became home to three new craft breweries in the span of a month.

For a beer enthusiast in Pittsburgh, life is good. Craft beer is everywhere. In a world filled with uncertainties, one constant has been and will continue to be the ability to find a tasty, hoppy, malty beverage at every turn. The local brewing scene is overflowing with talent and, one by one, more citizens of the Steel City are gravitating toward artisanal beers and fortifying this rich and lively landscape one heady pint at a time. The burgeoning progress of the Pittsburgh beer community and the cohesiveness of its constituents provides the perfect backdrop for something the craft beer industry desperately needs: a museum that tells the story of beer. From its rich history to the numerous factors that make beer a living, breathing culture to everyone and everything in between,

the impact beer has had on society throughout history is a captivating chronicle worth exploring. And the crew behind Brew: The Museum of Beer is ready to narrate this chronicle, full pint glasses in hand. “A national museum dedicated to beer is inevitable in America, considering the recent explosion of interest in beer and the rise of specialty museums,” Joe McAllister, principal of Brew, stated. “We see Pittsburgh as an ideal city to bring this vision to life.” Brew: The Museum of Beer will be a destination attraction capable of accommodating 400,000 visitors per year, 80% of those enthusiasts coming from beyond Pittsburgh. Initial plans for the museum layout include a brewery and restaurant, event space, retail facilities, and a Hall of Fame. The Brew complex will be a 50,000 square-foot-space, anchored by 20,000 square feet of exhibits dedicated to bringing the history of beer to life. A museum woven into the fabric of an already-strong craft beer scene will only propel that scene and its city forward. Brew is comparable in scope and demographics to The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland and is expected to generate $100 million per year in new economic impact for Pittsburgh while creating 200 new full-time jobs. “Pittsburgh is a city on the rise, poised to become a major tourist destination,” McAllister said. “Brew will have a transformative impact on tourism with broad, national reach that will play an exciting, catalytic role in growing the City of Pittsburgh’s tourism and cultural prestige.” Overall, Pittsburgh has undergone a storybook transformation over the past couple decades, reinventing itself from its former steel-driven, blue-

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collar roots to one heavily ensconced in technological and medical innovations. This evolution naturally led to a movement that helped blow the doors wide open for advancements in several areas, including art, education, our exceptional culinary scene and, of course, craft beer and spirits. People demanded more and destinations from one end of town to the other delivered.

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The growth of our beer scene is thanks in large part to several long-standing local breweries forging a successful path with beer styles not typically found pouring from taps ten years prior. In addition, local wholesalers and distributors saw the direction beer was headed and started making more artisanal offerings available, both on tap and in bottles for at-home consumption. This elevated beer’s overall profile, making it en vogue to drink IPAs, stouts, hefeweizens, and others not of the domestic, light, adjunct variety. This paved the way for a spike in homebrewing, which saw many talented men and women transform their passionate hobby into a profession, opening breweries in a town thirsty for more quality beers.

To see the founding steps of Brew come to fruition, they are currently running an Indiegogo campaign that allows you to contribute in taking this project from concept to reality. Your generous donation will be crucial in bringing America’s first beer museum to the Pittsburgh community. With craft beer popularity being at an all-time high, a museum illustrating how it got to this point is the perfect addition to our city’s thriving craft beer culture. Discover more about Brew: The Museum of Beer and learn how you can donate to Brew’s Indiegogo campaign by visiting brewmuseum.com.

Jason is the Founder of Breaking Brews and the Pittsburgh Craft Beer Network. Check out his plight at breakingbrews.com

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As craft beer has evolved across the country and the number of operating breweries surpassed the active number pre-Prohibition, the need for education has reached an all-time high. As much as people demand a quality product, they seek product knowledge and reasons why they enjoy certain styles of beer over another. The rise of programs like the Cicerone Certification Program and the desire for knowledgeable bartenders and servers demonstrates people want to know about the ins and outs of the liquid in their glass. With Brew, education will be at the forefront and beer enthusiasts from all walks of life will have the opportunity to enhance their “beer-ducation” on a wide variety of spectrums.

craft cocktails

Words Will Groves

It’s no secret that Pittsburgh’s food-anddrink scene is in the national spotlight, but, lately, that light is starting to shine across all of Western Pennsylvania.

f you’re reading CraftPittsburgh, chances are you know about the breweries in outlying communities such as All Saints in Greensburg, North Country in Slippery Rock, and Levity in Indiana. Just as we’ve established a pretty vibrant distilling scene in Pittsburgh, now the rest of the region is getting theirs, too. Mingo Creek Distilling is operating in Washington County, the distillery at Conneaut Cellars Winery is up and running, and, in Homer City, near Indiana, Disobedient Spirits is conjuring up some tasty beverages. Since December 2014, Disobedient is making a full line of spirits including vodka, gin, fruit brandies and a selection of whiskeys. They’re producing bourbon and rye in a building that used to house a grocery store. That’s a pretty positive change for that address, if you ask me. On the flip side of the Western PA booze community is what can now fairly be called the old guard … businesses that have operated since before, let’s say, 2012. You know the ones: Boyd and Blair Potato Vodka in Glenshaw (since 2007), East End Brewing (opened in 2004 by 50-year-old Scott Smith, who I call “Pittsburgh Craft Beer Grandpa” [Hi Scott!]) and Arsenal Cider, an operation Bill and Michelle Larkin started in 2010 by selling growlers out of their Lawrenceville home. Arsenal Cider opened in Pittsburgh before “the new Pittsburgh” was a term you heard on a regular basis. They were one of the new, cool things in Lawrenceville before Lawrenceville was filled with new, cool things. So when I was thinking about drinks for this issue’s column, it occurred to me that I tend to focus a lot on fledgling businesses. I thought it would be interesting to feature the best of both worlds by combining something new with a Pittsburgh classic. Oh, also, it’s fall. As of this writing it’s Monday, October 24, 2016 (and this article is due on Wednesday, so please excuse any syntax errors or structural incongruities from here on out). So let’s make a fall drink that includes Arsenal Cider, a Western PA standard, and a bourbon from newcomer Disobedient Spirits.

Not Just Another Basic Pumpkin Spice Fall Drink • .75 oz. Disobedient Spirits bourbon • .75 oz. Arsenal Cider syrup (recipe follows) • .75 oz. Amaro Averna • .75 oz. fresh-squeezed lemon juice Add all ingredients to a cocktail shaker. Add ice. Shake like the dickens for 10-15 seconds. Strain into a chilled cocktail glass. Garnish with freshly-grated cinnamon. (You know, cinnamon stick+Microplane)

Arsenal Cider Syrup • 1 cup Arsenal Cider Pickett’s Bone Dry cider • 2 cups white sugar Combine sugar and cider in a non-reactive saucepan over low heat. Heat very slowly, stirring often, until sugar is completely dissolved. DO NOT BOIL. As it’s somewhat indelicate name would imply, this drink suggests fall without bashing you or your friends over the head with some booze-ified form of pumpkin pie. Not that there’s anything wrong with getting drunk on pie, strictly speaking, but in today’s alcoholic beverage marketplace, it’s just really easy to do. Finding things that suggest seasonality subtly and elegantly are a lot rarer. Another thing you may have picked up is that all four ingredients in this drink are in equal parts. .75 oz. each totaling 3 oz. That’s what’s called in bartending jargon an “equal parts drink.” Who would’ve thought? Equal parts drinks are the best! Some well-known equal parts drinks include the Negroni and it’s whiskey-soaked cousin, the Boulevardier; and my favorite two the Corpse Reviver No. 2 and the Last Word. Every equal parts drink is the same basic formula. For a Negroni, which is equal parts gin, sweet vermouth and Campari, the formula can be expressed as “spirit+moderately flavored modifier+assertively flavored modifier.” For citrusy equal parts drinks like the one above, the formula can be expressed as “spirit+moderately flavored modifier+strongly flavored modifier+citrus.” If you use this formula it ensures that your drinks taste balanced. A correctly assembled equal parts drink is neither too aggressive, nor muddy with every flavor running together. Experiment for yourself! Try the drink above, or a classic equal parts drink, then start swapping out ingredients for others. Make it your own. So there you go. You now have the beginning of a toolbox to play with cocktails at home. There’s a reason that equal parts drinks are my favorite things to play with at a bar. They’re 90% as easy to make as the better-known classics like Margaritas or Manhattans, but much more complex with the addition of highly, or unusual, modifier ingredients. Have at it, kids! Make drinks that taste different. Make drinks that taste like seasons. Make drinks that are easy that taste like they weren’t. Play with your drinks. What’s the worst thing that will happen? You make a drink, you drink it, it’s less-than-great, but it’s still a cocktail. And cocktails are like pizza. Even when they’re bad, they’re still pretty good.

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s Photos Buzzy Torek

ALEIN THE FAMILY Craft Beer Venues Welcome Pint-Sized Patrons Words Nathan Stimmel Illustration Mark Brewer

Time to hit the brewery. Growler? Packed. Untappd? Ticking. Diaper bag? Stocked. Okay, everyone in the Sedona. Let’s roll! If you’ve been to a brewery or beer-centric restaurant recently, you might have noticed that crowds are skewing younger. Way younger. In decades past, bringing children to a bar or brewery may have raised some eyebrows. Nowadays, though, it’s a common sight for kids to be eating, playing, and hanging out as their parents sip their way through a flight of beer. As craft beer moves more and more into the mainstream, businesses are recognizing that purveying adult beverages doesn’t mean you can’t still be family-friendly.

Foodier parents may bristle at the idea of a kids’ menu and see it as a dumbing down of young palates. Sure, food for kids doesn’t always have to mean chicken fingers and chocolate milk, but these kinds of amenities –as well as things like high chairs, and crayons.—can at least provide clues as to how ready a place is to accommodate munchkins. Nobody says your toddler can’t have that shrimp curry taco anyway, or that places without these trappings don’t still welcome guests of all ages. Using one’s best judgment and doing some research ahead of time can let you know whether the vibe is PG or R.

Beer Fan on Board

Generation Gap

“The age group that’s at the core of craft beer enthusiasm is now having kids,” says Steve Ilnicki. The brewmaster and partner at Spoonwood Brewing, Steve sees a growing pro-family culture as a natural product of craft culture. While Steve says that Spoonwood wasn’t necessarily designed as a family restaurant, “it was on my mind because I fit into that group.” Steve and his wife have two daughters, who themselves have become beer geeks by proxy. “We take them pretty much anywhere we go. It’s become second nature to them and in my mind there’s never been any stigma attached.” Along with great beer and food, Spoonwood has gained a reputation for being very accommodating to families–visit in warm months and you’ll likely find rugrats burning off steam in the restaurant’s outdoor cornhole court.

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

Pittsburgh’s veteran brewpubs have long catered to thirsty patrons with kiddos in tow. Penn Brewery, Church Brew Works, Rock Bottom, and Rivertowne Pour House all feature kids’ menus and a relaxed, inviting atmosphere. You can find specific events geared toward families, like the weekly magic night at Rivertowne or an afternoon of Halloween costumes at Spoonwood. This inclusiveness echoes British drinking culture, where pubs play the role of community gathering spots (with many even sporting playgrounds in the back) rather than gritty dives.

Bocktown owner Chris Dilla. “Once folks venture in for the first time—[and] they often do come in for a visit without kids–I do believe the tone is set to come again with kids, spouse, coworkers, friends, and parents!”

Some of the area’s best known beer bars have long welcomed kids, as well. D’s Six Pax & Dogz has become a popular spot for families. “Regulars from 17 years ago (when we first opened) are grandparents now. By and large our staff is long-tenured, so we’ve had the pleasure of watching lots of kids grow up,” says manager Adam Annichine, who sees more young faces a result of “organic happenstance.” “If you’re not family friendly in today’s climate, you’re probably not going to be around very long.” Bocktown Beer and Grill’s convenient location and kids’ cuisine make it an ideal spot to settle down for a family meal and a brew, well-crafted and well-earned after a day of shopping. “We were, from day one, a restaurant, not a bar, but a restaurant that happens to have a great dedication to craft beer,” says

This broadening of audience doesn’t come without some friction. Not all imbibing adults warm to the idea of sharing their happy hour with a rambunctious toddler or crying baby. Likewise, parents might take issue with a fellow customer who becomes too loose after a few. Mutual consideration is key. Alcohol often leads to trucker mouth, and while a little is to be expected, many draw a line around young ears. Time of day is a factor: after bedtime usually becomes safe harbor for “mature” shenanigans. And common courtesy always dictates zero tolerance for acting up-part of being a parent is knowing when to split with a tantruming tot. Parents also need to be on their best behavior, and over-indulgence is obviously a huge no-no when beering with the brood. Does the beer menu have some low ABV options? Are short pours available? Maybe split a flight? Safety is paramount for parents—AND the business pouring the booze - and some planning and restraint should be a given where kids are concerned. There are those who think that allowing children around alcohol is irresponsible, and here’s parents’ opportunity to prove them wrong.

The Next Generation?

At their hearts, most small breweries and restaurants are family businesses; being their own bosses means that brewers don’t always have to say “So long” to their loved ones when they leave for work. On any given day, you might stop in for a pint and meet spouses, moms, dads, cousins, and kids have their own special places in these operations. Helicon Brewing’s owner, Chris Brunetti, and head brewer, Andy Weigel, have brought their kids along for the ride throughout of the brewery’s build-out. “It helps to kind of turn the business into more of a family,” says Andy. “The kids get to see what I do.” A trip to Hop Farm Brewing might give you the opportunity to meet any of brewer/co-owner Matt Gouwens’ littles, and Steve Ilnicki’s younger daughter has taken an interest in the scientific side of brewing (word is she’s handy with a hydrometer). “I don’t know if this will happen,” shares Steve, with a tinge of emotion, “but if one of my daughters were to someday become a brewer, that would be a pretty awesome thing.”

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CAPtivating Words Kristy Locklin Photos Buzzy Torek

Since 1974, he’s amassed more than 16,000 different kinds, from beer and soda pop tops to lava lamp oil lids. The collection–which outgrew his apartment years ago–sits in a storage facility. Every unique cap is meticulously cataloged in a digital database and then glued to a thin strip of wood. There are 408 of these laths, each holding 40 caps. There’s no rhyme or reason to the placement; Neal just adds them as he finds them. Some are brand new and in mint condition, others hail from the 1940s and are flattened beyond recognition. “I love the absolute casualness of it,” he says, gazing at the colorful assortment. The retired history professor has traveled the globe, becoming a sort of Indiana Jones of Memorabilia along the way. In addition to bottle caps, he stockpiles model horses, postcards, coins, beer mats, candle snuffers, rocks, necklaces, vinyl records and various other knickknacks. “We are hunter-gatherers,” he says. “It’s in our DNA.”

The bottle cap obsession started during a trip to the Middle East. While exploring the foreign land, Neal stopped to pick up discarded crowns and took them home as souvenirs for his two sons. The kids were initially fascinated by the gifts, but soon lost interest. Neal decided to keep the scavenged treasures for himself. The 76 year-old has scoured busy streets and dark alleyways from China to Haiti looking for new additions. A legion of family, friends and even total strangers keeps his collection growing at a rapid pace. Crown caps were patented in 1892, so there are a lot of them to be found. As a member of Crowncap Collectors Society International, an organization founded in 1986 to connect hobbyists from around the world, he has traded with more than 109 fellow collectors in 30 different countries. Neal has the 11th largest collection in the group, which held its annual convention (a.k.a. CrownVention) last spring in Harrisburg. CCSI’s online database helps collectors identify their latest finds. Whenever Neal is stumped, he simply posts a photo of the mystery cap on a message board and, within a day, somebody provides him with a brand name, date and country of origin. While hes is always on the lookout for a simple, yet rare, white cap from a North Korean beverage, he prefers ones with interesting logos on them. He encourages companies to get creative with their designs and frequently change the artwork to keep collectors busy. Budweiser, for instance, is constantly tinkering with their tops, even if it’s just a slight change in the font. Neal has nearly 100 different Bud caps. “Whatever I don’t have is the next one I want,” he says with a smile. For more information on the Crowncap Collectors Society International, visit bottlecapclub.org.

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Donn Neal often roams Heinz Field parking lot carrying a stick with a magnet attached to the end of it. Armed with the makeshift metal detector, his eyes cast downward, he searches for bottle caps.

We beer drinkers are a festive bunch. Often times when we’re imbibing our favorite beverage it’s to celebrate a birthday, cheer on the home team, ring in a new year or welcome an old friend. If memories of these special occasions seem a bit fuzzy (thanks a lot, alcohol!), it’s nice to have something tangible to commemorate the experience. From dusty beer bottles lining a shelf to metal tacker signs adorning a wall, breweriana is everywhere! There are even national organizations, like the Brewery Collectibles Club of America (BCCA), dedicated to connecting fellow packrats and preserving our country’s beer heritage. So, do you squirrel away bottle caps or save coasters from each one of your bar tours? Is your closet bursting with brewery T-Shirts? Did you inherit your old man’s beloved beer can collection? Whether your treasures are worth big bucks on eBay or if their value is purely sentimental, CraftPittsburgh Magazine would like to hear about them!

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

Send your name, phone number and a brief description of your items to info@craftpittsburgh.com and your boozy museum might end up as the centerfold in a future issue! Now that would be a great excuse to drink a beer!

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Adv. 1359 (10/16)

Puppet Master to Brew Master New Dimension Comics Back Again With Their Second Comic Book-Inspired Collaboration Words Ben Emminger

In collaboration with Full Moon Entertainment and Action Lab Entertainment, New Dimension Comics owner Todd McDevitt has once again created a project that combines his two passions: comic books and craft beer. Blade’s Bloody Barley Wine, produced by ShuBrew Brewing in Zelienople, is McDevitt’s second attempt at a comic-craft crossover. His first project, Darkest Dawn Imperial Stout (Helltown Brewing, Mt. Pleasant), was a byproduct of the 3 Rivers Comicon, another McDevitt production. Ironically, the idea of producing this Puppet Master-inspired beer was first conjured up at McDevitt’s inaugural convention back in May. “The publisher attended the event, and they were pretty impressed with the Darkest Dawn beer and the whole project. It had occurred to them that they had the license to do some things with Puppet Master, so they explored if they would be interested in doing a beer,” McDevitt says on how Action Lab Entertainment came to him with the idea.

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

“When they found out that the answer was yes, they came to me and said, ‘Hey Todd, can you help us coordinate a beer for this thing?’ I said, ‘Heck, yeah!’ to the opportunity.”

McDevitt says that when deciding on whom to task with brewing this limited release beer, the decision came easy. During his commute between his two storefronts in Cranberry Township and Ellwood City, McDevitt often stops in at the ShuBrew brewery to enjoy a pint. Through these frequent stops, he has become friends with ShuBrew head brewer Zach Shumaker, who also shares an appreciation for projects such as this. “He was my first thought to have on with this project and he was excited as well. That’s all it takes is a little enthusiasm, and I’m pretty happy to pair up with someone who wants to do something fun,” McDevitt says. Shumaker and his assistants went above and beyond in connecting the beer and subject matter, producing a barley wine with beet puree and

Red X Malt to give the beverage a viscosity and look similar to blood, keeping with the horror theme. “We didn’t just want to make a beer that we slapped a comic book label on and called it a pairing,” says Shumaker on the dedication and hard work that went into creating a truly unique beer. “We really wanted it to have a stage effect, so to speak…We took a lot of extra steps to actually try to get this to tie together with the comic and movie series, so that has been a huge amount of work.”

In order to give the barley wine that blood-like thickness, Shumaker states that he finished the product earlier than more traditional American-style barley wines, which in turn produced a sweeter result. The red coloring of the brew was enhanced thanks to the beet juice that was essentially used as a substitute to mash water. “We didn’t have a lot of time for experimentation, unfortunately,” says Shumaker on the decisions made to achieve these bloody results. “There are some things that I would do differently, but I’m not sure how much it would change the final results. I think the final product is as close to a blood red color that we can obtain, though.” Local artist Chad Cicconi was tasked with creating the label art for this project. McDevitt says that while the publisher was the main force behind the decision to go with Cicconi, he is happy with their choice. Cicconi’s work will also be featured on the back of a special variant cover comic book written by author Shawn Gabborin in conjunction with the barley wine release. McDevitt believes that having these two releases will allow the two niche audiences to transcend each other, with the beer potentially driving sales of the comic book and vice versa. “That’s why we are doing events at ShuBrew Brewing and at my stores as well, that way we can cover both audiences,” McDevitt says. ShuBrew and McDevitt are splitting the barley wine batch 50/50, with ShuBrew having the first release party on October 25 from 6 p.m. to 11 p.m. Fans will be able to purchase the variant cover comic and Blade’s Bloody Barley Wine at two New Dimension Comics events on November 19 at New Dimensions’ Century III Mall location from noon to 3 p.m. and at the Pittsburgh Mills storefront in Tarentum from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

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STONE

PGH PIZZA

SPAK BROTHERS

Words & Photo Dan DeLucia

5107 Penn Ave., PGH

Pinball machines, loud music, and local artists’ pieces hanging on the wall are the first things you notice when walking into Spak Brothers Pizza. For a kid that grew up listening to punk rock, it felt like home the first time I entered. It’s a legitimate “Rock-N-Roll Pizzeria” (see: Less Than Jake). They are not an outcast amongst the local pizza joints, Ryan Spak & Co. definitely march to their own blistering-fast drumbeat. Did I mention that Ryan is in fact a drummer? The North Hills native opened up shop in August 2008 in a space along Penn Avenue. With art spaces and a couple music venues in close proximity, the Bros had found their niche market. It helped that their shop was already set up to sling pizzas. Having been a self-proclaimed “kitchen critter” for most of his life, and having cut his teeth in numerous local pizzerias, Ryan, along with the his brother (restaurateurs/chefs see: Oakland Supply, Pittsburgh Strip District), hit the ground running with pizza peel in hand and DIY-ethos in mind.

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

Spak Bros. takes great pride in the fact that nearly everything they serve is made in house. In addition to the usual parlor favorites, they offer a great selection of vegan and gluten friendly items, and utilize as much organic and locally sourced goods as humanly possible. (see: Frankferd Farms, Shadyside Nursery). I am by no means a vegetarian, but the seitan melt is amazing. The pizza is delicious. The crisp, yet chewy crust is made from unbleached, unbromated flour. The bright and zesty tomato sauce tastes refreshingly fresh, no refined sugars are added. A layer of fresh mozzarella is then added in–just the right amount. Swap it out for some vegan mozz if you’d like. From there, pile on the vast amount of meat, cheese, and

veggie toppings. I always notice how crisp and clear all the flavors come through on the first bite. It’s the freshest tasting pizza in the city. That’s the big payoff for going above and beyond to use top quality ingredients. Spak reminds us know that pizza can be delicious and healthy at the same time. The menu goes far beyond great pizza. From the aforementioned seitan “steak” hoagies to more traditional subs featuring steak, Italian meats, chicken, meatballs, and more. They have excellent wings with a plethora of coatings and a full list of other appetizers and salads. I get curly fries with cheese sauce on the side every time I order from Spak. Turner’s iced tea, boxed water, and glass bottled pop is available in the cooler. Try your hand at pinball or the flat top Pac-Man machine while you wait for your order. Spak does a lot of good for the community. Ryan believes that it is important to take care of the communities that allow small business to exist. Through food and financial donations, Spak is always finding ways to give back. He also knows that without his employees, the wheels don’t turn. “I try my hardest to treat my wonderful employees with respect and pay them a fair wage for the hours that they put in,” he says. That’s an ideal we can all get behind. As a musician myself, I know how hard it is to juggle playing in bands and work. Most of his staff members are musicians and they seem to do a great job of covering for each other when it’s time to go on tour. Whether it’s the seemingly neverending reconstruction of Penn Avenue or more recently, a downed cooler, a break-in and a stolen cash register, Spak Bros. have endured their fair share of obstacles along the way, and always seem to come out on top. When most businesses would have called it quits, Ryan reached out and the community reached back with an influx of support. With a helping hand from other local businesses like CommonWealth Press, Spak Brothers came through the cloud of dust stronger than ever. The future holds bigger and better things for Ryan and his crew. Plans for a more efficient ordering and checkout system are in the works, and a bold and magnificent keystone inlay was installed in the floor. In my mind, it signifies the strength behind hard work and is a statement of never giving up on the things you believe in. This is Western Pennsylvania. This is punk rock. This is Spak Bros.

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have you tried...

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

1. D ark Horse - Fore Smoked Stout

barbecue season and into fall and dreading winter? Yeah, aren’t we all? Thanks for the reminder, Michigan.

Hundreds of years from now there will be someone studying the history of humanity in the early 21st century. And that person may fall upon the history of Michigan and its love of stouts. I can’t explain it, maybe it’s the water? Maybe it’s the lack of sunlight for 4+ months a year? But name a Michigan brewery that doesn’t make at least one killer stout every year and you probably had to think about that way too long to make that argument worthwhile. These here folks from Marshall, MI start their winter approach with #4 in their series of five. Logical counting be damned, smoke flavors work with fall and you can’t ruin a good pun just because Archimedes never anticipated pumpkin spiced lattes. That reference checks out, Wikipedia it. Now what we have here is a bunch of outlaws and their beer. A deeply smoked beer. A beer that smells of that last summer BBQ on cherry wood with an espresso crust right before you pull it off the smoker and your espresso brown sugar crust has started to caramelize almost to burning. Yes, that smell. In a beer. A sweet, maltforward stout with rich molasses and cherry cola sweetness and dry, woody smokiness. Being dragged kicking and screaming away from

Recommended if you like: East End - Smokestack Heritage Porter, Fat Heads - Up In Smoke Porter, Evil Twin - Ashtray Heart, Dear Jeebus I’d like more smoked beers to put here. SMOKED BEERS RULE.

7% Smoked Stout - darkhorsebrewery.com

2. G rist House - Fire On The Hill 7.5% IPA - gristhouse.com

Someday, when technology catches up to print, or vice versa, I’m going to come back to this beer and review it with emojis and 450 relevant gifs. Until then, we’ll see if my editor/publisher knows how to print emoji and just imagine I said ALERT, THIS BEER IS 100% FIRE. On fire like another level fire. I’ve had Fire On The Hill on tap, many times, whatever they did to these cans was 100% emoji unicorn emoji fart emoji. Listen, if my 60-something mom can text me in full emoji, you can figure this out. First off, 16 oz. cans are all the rage right now, they’re 16 oz. and 25% bigger than 12 oz. and that’s just math. Second off, man the arms race in Pittsburgh to see which brewery is gonna fully light us on

Words Hart Johnson Photo Tim Burns

And by that time, Double Dose will be LOOOOOOOONG gone. Thirtyfive cases magically appeared here this year, and, boy oh boy, did us nerds in the know snatch them up. Why you ask? Lawson’s bro. We can’t buy their stuff here, so anything with their name on it makes it better. Or maybe because it’s just a damn fine beer. A golden orange, hazy IPA from New England you say? Wow, what a shocking thing to see. NEIPA jokes aside, this is light on the haze and more on the bitter side than the trade bait hop pillows of beer nerds wet dreams. This is still an ode to the hop, orange marmalade, candied honeydew and meyer lemon hop aromas all over the place. Flavor is Peter Gabriel singing “Big Time” big. Under-ripe peach, grapefruit juice, bitter oranges and ooooohboy is that a bitter finish. I’m not saying that bitter finish is bad, I appreciate when an IIPA veers into bitter finish as opposed to hop syrup. I feel like I’ve eaten a hop cone, insert that .gif of Jim Carrey from “Me, Myself & Irene”, the dry mouth one. Anyway, put late September/early October on your 2017 calendar to hunt this shelf whale next year and maybe buy a sixer of Otter Creek or three between then and now so we can get a few more cases here? Cool? Cool. Recommended if you like: Voodoo - Big Secret Pizza Party, Fat Head’s - Hop Juju, Alpine - Pure Hoppiness, Helltown Idle Hands, Grist House - Hop Yeti, Knee Deep - Simtra

4. A gainst the Grain Extra American Pale Ale

4.5% American Pale Ale - atgbrewery.com

fire with a can of the best beer we’ve ever had is straight ohnohedidnt.gif. So back to the beer, takes all the great aspects of my easily approachable IPA, your Two Hearted, your Perpetual, and makes them more local. Juicy, white peach, overripe strawberry and tart mango all up in your nose emoji. Mick Jagger’s lips emoji is just covered in juicy mangos, candied apricots and spring pine. For old person emoji many years I’ve clamored for a great everyday IPA brewed in Pittsburgh and holy poop emoji this might be it. Recommended if you like: Bell’s - Two Hearted, Dark Horse - Crooked Tree, Uinta - Hop Nosh, Spoonwood - Killer Diller, Sierra Nevada - Torpedo, Evil Twin - Falco

3. O tter Creek/Lawson’s Finest Liquids Double Dose 8.5% IIPA - ottercreekbrewing.com

Right now, I’m thankful this here column is called Have You Tried and not You Should Go Buy This Right Now. There’s probably a three-week lead time between me pasting these words into something resembling coherency and the actual printed version appearing at your favorite beer establishment.

Recommended if you like: Sierra Nevada - Pale Ale, Hitchhiker - Single Angle, Founders - Mosaic Promise, Dogfish Head - 60 Minute IPA, Alpine - Hoppy Birthday

5. B oulevard - Tank 7

8.5% Saison - boulevard.com

Pittsburgh meet Boulevard Brewing Company. Boulevard Brewing Company is 27 years old, has Belgian parents (the cool Duvel ones) and has a half-sibling called Saison Brett. Long, long ago, Boulevard brewed a damn fine saison then further enhanced that beer and spiked it with a strain of Brettanomyces yeast that added layers of lemon pepper and tanned leather akin to Our Lord And Savior Orval. While this beer was good, unspiked versions would appear at festivals and tasting rooms and the people, the people would wonder, “Why, Boulevard, did you take this beautiful beer and feel it needed more?” Thus Tank 7 was born. A damn beauty of a saison. Highly effervescent right out of the bottle, find a nice bit tulip or teku pour a little bit gently. Wait for that rocky head to calm a bit, add a bit more … good, nice. Now top that glass off and watch that snow-capped Mt. Everest rocky foam rise slightly above the glass. Foam porn while Juicy Fruit gum, white pepper, dried thyme and juicy clementine aromas boop you in the nose. Cracked wheat and toasted malt are the first things on your tongue before earthy and citrusy bitterness

CraftPittsburgh.com

This isn’t the first review of an Against the Grain beer I’ve written, this is just the first that’s fit for print. I may or may have not censored my own review of The Brown Note, because, well, they put a picture of some dude’s dirty underpants on the label and I’m an actual child. So, we’re a few months into their availability in glorious Pittsburgh and yeah, I get it. Lots of jokes with Against the Grain. This beer in particular called me Bro three times. Twice literally and then again with the flat brim bearded bro on the label. Whatever. As with every ATG beer, opened the can with a glass nearby because these Bros love to have their carbonation assert their dominance on you. Bro, this is just a straight up crisp pale ale, bro. Like, little bit of grapefruity hops bro, but not too much. It’s balanced bro. Like, bro, you could drink like, a couple of these bro and still bro out over some sports. Bro jokes, Against the Grain has them.

come scraping along with their slightly phenolic friends. Finishes with a whiff of juicy American hops, hints of grainy sweetness and that wonderful saison yeast twang. Recommended if you like: DuPont/Port Brewing - Deux Amis, Victory - Helios, Stillwater - Stateside Saison, Sly Fox - Saison Vox, Dancing Gnome - Agricolis

6. G olden Road - Wolf Among Weeds 8% IPA - goldenroad.la

Sooooo, we’re just gonna look right on past the fact that Golden Road, owned by the Belgian American InBev Anheuser Busch Goose Island A to the Bizay Im to Bevay or whatever corporate stock trading name they’re known by today, released a wicked dank beer nerdy IPA called Wolf Among Weeds. That joke writes itself. Let’s sit back and think about the good old days when us hop nerds didn’t even know what a dank IPA was, now you can buy a reasonably dank IPA from the most reasonable of grocery stores. Don’t know what dank means? Ask your bartender. So here we have a dank golden rye IPA in a 16 oz. can from the biggest manufacturer of beer in the world. Ever so slightly hazy golden orange in color, there’s a huge juicy pine aroma with candied grapefruit rind just slathered atop the rye and Scottish malt hinted malt bill. Hop bitterness is kept in check, what could be overly sweet maltiness is kept in check, hop flavor and juiciness is let off the chain and tart mango, blood orange and a hint of slightly under-ripe honeydew. For real, this beer just a few years ago would’ve blown people’s minds enough to line up 400deep on the third Tuesday of every month. Now? I bought this can at a gas station. Hashtag Yakov Smirnoff What a country dot gif.

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

Recommended if you like: Alpine - Nelson, Voodoo - Big Secret Pizza Party, Pizza Boy - Rye Beer Sucks!, Fat Head’s - Hop Stalker, Roundabout - Humboldt Range

7. F ull Pint - Gus

8% IPA - fullpintbrewing.com

I know I talk about evolution of breweries a lot in these here words, but I think it’s important. We IPA-drinking customers are a fickle bunch, one year we want a black IPA, then we want an IPA with a can of orange soda dumped into it. Next year we’ll want an IPA that sprouts a little finger and tickles our chins while we drink it. Get on that, breweries! These chins aren’t tickling themselves! Back on point: the IPA recipe that everyone went nuts for five years ago? No one cares about today. How many different IPAs have they released in the past few years? And how many more are on the horizon? Right. Meanwhile, on the other end of the spectrum, instead of sticking to the same recipe for the same brand no matter what, you have breweries constantly improving and modernizing the brand that got them there. I remember my first Gus as being a typical boozy, sweet, yet overly bitter, IIPA typical of 2009. And I swore the beer off for years. Even after a friend who works for Full Pint assured me the beer has gone through big changes. Stubborn is as stubborn does. And finally he brought a few day-old bottles to me and demanded I tried them in his presence. So, yeah. This is a completely different beer than it used to be. Big, huge, stinky hop aroma, candied orange, Otto’s jacket and grapefruit pith. There’s still a fair amount of bitterness, this is a big IPA afterall, but it’s not overwhelming, nor is it competing with way too much malt. There’s enough sweetness to complement the abundant damp pine and papaya hop flavors while staying far from the cloyingly sweet. Recommended if you like: 21st Amendment - Hop Crisis, Bells - Oracle, Mission - Shipwrecked IIPA, Spoonwood - Good Eye Sniper

Follow Hart on Twitter, not Twiiter. @MoarHops

brewer sit-down

WILLY

tarango Words & Photo Kenny Gould

n Thursday, September 1st, the Giant Eagle Market District in Shadyside hosted a free, two-and-a-half hour Sour Beer Seminar, a fancy way of saying a New Belgium tap takeover. On tap were Tart Lychee, a lychee-spiked sour ale; Fruit Fly, a passionfruit citra sour; Peach Wheat Wine, aged in peach flavored whiskey barrels; and the Love Apple Felix, a light sour aged in Apple Whiskey barrels. The event also offered customers the chance to meet Willy Tarango, one of New Belgium’s passionate brewers. We sat down with Willy to talk beer, the Coast Guard, and mako sharks. 29

High Life and most Mexican lagers. Tecate is a huge one because I grew up in San Diego right near the Tecate brewery. I spent a lot of time in Baja. Mexican lagers bring me to a time when I was a kid, maybe sixteen or seventeen, camping in Mexico with friends and family. We snuck beers and drank them by the fire pit or the beach. I still drink Mexican lagers and they bring me to that happy place. But mostly today I drink a lot of High Life. When I go out in town and we’re doing karaoke and throwing back a bunch of beers, it’s High Life. You can put them down and it’s easy to buy rounds for people. It looks good, it tastes good. I grew up with a lot of it around in the house.

Hometown?

Favorite music to brew to?

Age?

I was born in San Diego, but I live in Fort Collins.

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

Brewing Background

Guilty beer pleasure?

I was stationed in Alaska with the United States Coast Guard. The commissary served Alaskan Brewing Company and it was cheaper to buy than the mass produced stuff because it was nearly local. So we started on that. After a while I was like, “I think I can do this shit in my garage.” I did that and then interned at Mission Brewery in San Diego for about four months before they hired me full time. I started in packaging, cleaning kegs, filling bottles and cans, and then went into brewing, which I worked for a solid year. From there I went to school at UC Davis and took a certificate course in brewing science. I think it was 80 hours in two weeks. After that I went to Maui Brewing Company and brewed over there for a year and a half and then I came here to New Belgium in May or June of 2015.

First craft beer you drank?

Maybe it’s not the first one I drank, but the first memorable one I drank was Stone Ruination Double IPA.

Lately the band I’ve been listening to the most is the Cure, to the point where people are making fun of me.

Favorite bar?

I have a soft place in my heart for Blind Lady Ale House in San Francisco. Lee Chase is the owner and he runs a brewpub out of it called Automatic Brewing Company. He was the previous head brewer at Stone.

If you weren’t brewing?

I’d probably still be working on fishing boats.

Who or what is your spirit animal?

Maybe I have two. On the one hand, just being a crazy character, I like the platypus. But if I were to be any animal, I’d be the mako shark.

What do you drive?

It’s pretty weak: a Mazda B2300, 2.3 liter pickup. I bought it in Hawaii and shipped it over. But I threw a camper shell on it and a Yakima car topper that I throw all my camping shit in and I made a custom bed in the back. So I drive up the mountains and sleep in the back of my truck.

CraftPittsburgh.com

cooking with beer

Apple Pecan

Bread Pudding with Dogfish Head, Palo Santo Marron Aww, geez … it’s gettin’ cold aht!

CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

Won’t hear me complaining; it’s the time of year when in lieu of firing up the furnace you’ll find me firing up the oven to warm up the house and fill it will yummy smells and treats. As much as I love pumpkin, and I do, apples are more my jam. With the holidays creeping up I was on a quest to create a dessert that could compete with–nay, outshine! - our traditional pumpkin pie. It was a quick quest.

When one wants to ramp up the awesome one often turns to booze, or in this case beer - Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron. It’s a 12% ABV brown ale aged on palo santo wood. It has some deep vanilla & caramel in a rich brown ale with next to no bitterness that is really very quite perfect for an adventure such as ours. The booziness gets lost in the sweetness of a brown sugar custard and the vanilla and caramel play perfect with the apple and toasted pecans. I don’t think there is a substitute that would be close to equal in this recipe so lucky for us it’s readily available, a Belgian double or sour brown if I absolutely had to, but I really wouldn’t. It is best to use day old bread; I prefer the regular Italian loaves from the grocery store. This recipe makes an 8x8 pan, double it for a 9x13 to feed a larger crowd. This is totally okay to be made in advance and just heated up prior to serving, which is also lovely when entertaining. I served it simple - warm with a scoop of melty vanilla ice cream, but a little caramel sauce would

be delicious drizzled on top or with whipped cream. I also dig it with a handful of dried cherries thrown in, or with peaches and walnuts … but this is the one I’m taking to Thanksgiving at my mom’s. Sorry, Pumpkin Pie. I’m not sorry.

Apple Pecan Bread Pudding with Dogfish Head Palo Santo Marron

• 1 loaf Italian bread, day old, cut into 1” cubes, crust & all • 2 Gala apples, peeled and diced* • 1 heavy cup pecan halves/pieces • 4 eggs • 1 ½ cups heavy cream • 12oz Dogfish Head, Palo Santo Marron • ½ cup brown sugar • 1 tsp vanilla extract • ½ tsp cinnamon • ¼ tsp mace (or nutmeg, but mace is better) • Pinch salt *Pro Tip - use a paring knife to cut the top & bottom off the apple, peel skin. Set on flat bottom and cut off the four sides to the core, leaving the square core. Dice the sides into ¾” cubes by cutting into 2-4 strips then into squares.

PITTSBURGH, PA

Words & Photo Mindy Heisler-Johnson

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Heat the oven to 350°. Cut the bread into cubes and put it in a big bowl. Prep the apples and add with the pecans to the bread. Mix it all together. In a separate bowl whisk together all of the custard ingredients until completely mixed up. Pour the custard over the bread cubes. Mix it all up. Smoke ‘em if you got ‘em (otherwise occupy yourself for 15 minutes or so)!

ptional - if you have Sugar in the Raw sprinkle O a layer over the top before going in the oven, it makes a crunchy crust that is awesome. Bake for 40-50 minutes, until the center springs back when you press it. Remove from the oven and let sit for 10 minutes or so before serving with the topping of your choice. Or cool and reheat at 300° until hot through and THEN top it how you love it.

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When you come back mix and squish it all up again, it will be squishy, but make sure everything is evenly distributed and the bread is good and custard-y. Butter or spray your pan, I prefer glass, and get the bread mix into it and evened out.

home brewing

If It’s Not

Malty, It’s Crap! CraftPittsburgh | Issue 28

Brewing a Scottish Wee Heavy

In the previous edition of this column (Decocting Doppelbock, Issue 27) we discussed how to get that big, melanoidin-rich flavor of a doppelbock through decoction. For those of you that don’t want to do all that work–and maybe don’t even want to brew a lager–there’s hope! There are plenty of malt-heavy beer styles and many ways to boost the richness of a beer’s malt character. Let’s take a look at a long-revered ale style known for its richness: Strong Scotch Ale, aka

Scottish Wee Heavy. It is a malt-dominant high OG ale with incredibly complex flavor including various caramel tones, toast, and even a bit of chocolate. Despite such complexity, one of the best-known truest examples of this beer–Traquair House Ale - has a grist comprised of nothing but base malt and a tiny percentage of roasted barley. It gets its richness from a very prolonged boil - upwards of four or five hours in the kettle! During this long boil the beer gains a lot of what’s referred to as “kettle caramelization” (though no sugar is actually being caramelized at boiling temperature; sugar caramelizes at temperatures over 320F.) Kettle caramelization refers to a large increase in melanoidins through maillard reactions. Melanoidins are brown-colored polymers that are formed when sugars and amino acids combine in the presence of moisture. They taste good. They’re what makes toasted bread taste like toast and pan-seared food so dang delicious. In beer they’re what provides all the caramel, toast, toffee, and so many other flavors. The best flavors. They’re tremendous. Believe me. On the homebrew scale, you can bolster your beer’s maillard-rich melanoidin flavor without resorting to an hours-long boil. One way is to

Words Jack Smith

So try one of these kettle caramelization methods and see if you like it. I’ve found it produces a very rich, malty ale that you can’t mimic with specialty malts alone - much like the results achieved through decoction. Only easier. And more traditional for Scottish ales, which are mostdecidedly not crap.

Color Me Plaidd Strong Scotch Ale

Batch Size: 5.25 gal Boil Time: 90 minutes OG: 1.090 FG: 1.022 ABV: 8.9% IBU: 25 SRM: 16 Difficulty: Advanced (decoction + fermentation temperature control) *Assuming 65% brewhouse efficiency

Grainbill collect the first gallon of sweet wort that runs off during lautering in a small pot and boil the crap out of it until it has reduced down to a quart or even a pint of syrup. Do this while you continue to lauter the rest of the runoff into your main boil kettle and continue to produce the beer as you normally do. Then, when the syrup is fully reduced, add it back to your boil kettle as if you’re adding liquid malt extract. That’s concentrated melanoidin deliciousness you’re adding! That method is pretty popular, but it requires a second pot and you need to do two things at once. I get confused if I have to do more than one thing so it’s not for me. But luckily I’ve found another way. For my method, start heating your boil kettle before you collect any wort at all in it. You want it so hot that water splashed on the bottle of the kettle sizzles and evaporates. Start running your sweet wort into the hot kettle so the very first runnings sizzle and steam as they hit the kettle. Don’t go so hot that it dries up and burns - you want to create melanoidins, not charcoal. Aim to have the wort boil when it hits the kettle and continue boiling during the entire duration of the lauter. For a five gallon batch it should take around 30 minutes to run all the wort from the

16 lbs, 8 oz Golden Promise malt 1 lb Crystal 40L 1 lb Crystal 80L 2 oz Roasted Barley * Replace the Golden Promise malt with XXX lbs of extra light DME. Steep the remaining grains in a muslin sack for 30 minutes at 150F. Remove grain sack from pot, allowing all the good stuff to drain into the pot before discarding. Turn on the heat and add your DME. Move one gallon of the wort to a separate pot and boil it down to a quart or less of syrup then add it back to your main boil. Meanwhile, boil your main brew kettle, chill, top up with water however you normally do, then ferment.

Hops

35 grams E ast Kent Golding (5.7% AA) @ 60 min. 14 grams E ast Kent Golding (5.7% AA) @ 15 min.

Mash & Boil

Use a standard single-infusion mash at 152F for one hour. Whether you batch sparge or fly sparge is up to you, but either way run off slowly

and let the wort sizzle and boil as it hits the kettle as described above. If you’re a batch sparger you need to slow down your lauter to let the wort trickle into the kettle. If you choose to boil the first gallon instead, you can drain your mash tun as fast as you normally do.

Yeast/Fermentation

Any relatively clean ale strain works well here. Because of the high OG there is a chance for the beer to become overly estery or have hot alcohol character. Yeast choice is important, but it’s more important to pitch a big, healthy starter that produced roughly 325 billion cells and oxygenate the wort very well prior to pitching. For a 1.090 ale I blast the wort with two full minutes of pure O2 before pitching. You could use Chico yeast (WLP001, WYeast 1056, Safle US-05) for a very clean profile. Or an English yeast for a bit more ester if you like. I prefer to go in between and use Scottish Ale yeast since this is a Scottish beer, after all: WYeast 1728 / WLP028 Edinburgh or a similar yeast from another vendor. This strain produces more esters than Chico but fewer than the English strains while generating that signature subtle smoky/earthy character Scottish ales are known for. Pitch at 65F and let it ferment to completion, ramping up to 70 or so towards the end to ensure complete fermentation and the cleaning-up of diacetyl. The beer will be ready to drink after a month in the primary fermenter, but if you keg and and store the keg cool for a year your patience will be rewarded.

Suggested Pairings

This is a sipping beer. A dessert beer. It does just fine by itself, Clark. Pour some in a snifter, put on some smooth bagpipe jazz by Rufus Harley, and get lost in it. Then, once you’re tired of that, have a big serving of sticky toffee pudding with your second snifter of Wee Heavy. This beer does very well with hearty, stick-to-your-ribs dishes such as grilled or smoked game or red meat, duck confit, or paired with a cheese plate comprised of nutty, earthy “Swiss” style hard cheeses such as Gruyere and those like it. Smoked cheeses (or smoked anything) goes wonderfully with Strong Scotch Ale. A homebrewer since 2002, Jack Smith is a National BJCP Judge, the president of the Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Homebrewers, and an active member of the Three Rivers Underground Brewers.

CraftPittsburgh.com

mash tun into the kettle, and the kettle should be boiling the whole time. Once you have collected your full pre-boil volume, the wort is already boiling and you can start your 90-minute boil timer. No waiting for it to come to a boil!

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