Not Just Iron City: Pittsburgh’s 3 best Craft Breweries
Historically, Pittsburgh was a “corner bar” type of town.
You’d go out, order a shot and a beer, and not care about the brand or type. You simply drank “beer.” Taps and coolers were dominated by Budweiser, Miller, Coors, and of course Iron City (which I will not sully the great name of).
Pittsburgh’s emphasis on local craft beer is recent. The scene became harder to ignore.
Of course, there were craft breweries before the boom, such as Penn Brewery (1986), East End Brewery (2004), and Full Pint Brewery (2010-2019, resurrected 2020).
But by the mid-2010’s, breweries started to pop up all over the city and in nearby suburbs.
The sheer number begat competition, forcing brewers to put their best foot forward or risk insignificance.
What came of this is an abundant and amazing craft beer scene which is one of the most underrated in the country.
This article highlights Pittsburgh’s three “can’t miss” breweries, as well as a few honorable mentions.
Located 10 minutes northwest of Pittsburgh, in the unassuming location of Sharpsburg, Dancing Gnome quickly gained a cult following for its world class IPAs (or what “DG” lovingly referred to as “American Ales”).
Anchored and founded by its flagship Pale Ale Lustra, “Gnome” offers beer for every palate, from juicy, hazy IPAs to approachable west coast offerings, and even some of the best lagers you’ll find in the state.
Local fans lust for its rare stout releases, including variants of Dead Sleep (Fudge Sundae, Coconut, Peanut Butter) and Black Clouds (Mexican Chocolate, Breakfast, Coffee Cake).
When available, cans sell out within minutes. Don’t fret, tap pours usually last for weeks as Dancing Gnome always rewards its visitors with abundant onsite consumption options.
Dancing Gnome will soon open a new taproom for more production, distribution, and indoor seating. It also plans to keep its present taproom, which includes an outdoor garden introduced during COVID-19.
I’d provide a list of “must try” beers you’d find at Dancing Gnome, but — literally — everything there is essential.
No matter when you visit its taprooms, there will be an outstanding option to drink.
PRO TIP: If Dancing Gnome has a food truck on the day you visit, come hungry. DG attracts the best food trucks in the city like Pittsburgh Tortas, Blue Sparrow, and Alberta’s Pizza. If not, BYOF from nearby options such as Big Shot Bobs House of Wings or Gino Bros Pizza Bar.
Voodoo Brewing began in Meadville, PA, but with the help of employee owners, it quickly expanded to include a Pittsburgh location in the nearby suburb of Homestead.
Voodoo Homestead Pub is housed in an old fire station. It features an outdoor patio and a mural of Josh Gibson, a local Negro League Baseball legend.
Voodoo is best known for its barrel aging program, The Barrel Room Collection. Master brewer Curt Rachocki’s barrel-aged stouts are truly a thing of beauty.
Best known across beer nerd and beer trading groups is Voodoo’s Black Magick.
Black Magick is aged in different barrels, capitalizing on a tremendous base stout, and allowing the barrel to accentuate and complement the beer.
You will need to get lucky, though. Releases associated with The Barrel Room Collection are usually only available during surprise on-premises events or through bi-weekly online raffles.
Although Voodoo’s barrel-aged beers are well known, don’t sleep on the rest of what this company creates.
Voodoo’s year-round beers include one of the best fruited Triples, with its America Voodoo Love Child, an all-around approachable Brown (Wynona’s Big Brown Ale), and Belgian White Ale (White Magick of the Sun).
Its rotating IPA series features the same recipes with different hop profiles in each batch. Voodoo perhaps has the most underrated IPAs in Pittsburgh.
PRO TIP: Save-Mor Beer, arguably the best beer distributor in Pittsburgh is a quick 5-minute drive right across the Homestead Grays bridge. Save-Mor emphasizes local beer, hard to get national whales (think Other Half and Lawson’s) and has one of the best Beer Distributor Instagram feeds constantly updating new arrivals.
Located in the steel-depressed town of Braddock, Brew Gentlemen set out to revitalize the area by attracting visitors to its modest tap room.
Until very recently, the only place to drink and purchase Brew Gentlemen was to do just this. In 2020, though, Brew Gentlemen entered the canning space, and it began to distribute in and around the city of Pittsburgh.
Brew Gentlemen’s flagship IPA, General Braddock’s, is a soft, approachable, low-alcohol IPA that sits on many local craft beer enthusiasts’ “must have” lists in Pittsburgh.
While Brew Gentlemen fans emphasize its IPA offerings (Legendary Weapons, Akami, and Albatross — just to name a few), the company might be one of the most well-rounded breweries in Pittsburgh.
Other offerings, such as Garden Party (cucumber ale), Mexican Coffee (spiced oatmeal stout), and various traditional Kolsch and Dunkel styles, welcome any palate.
Brew Gentlemen held a summer 2021 residence at Allegheny Overlook in downtown Pittsburgh, which featured daily live music and food trucks. It was an opportunity for the company to deservedly prove itself in the big city.
PRO TIP: Before you go, check the brewery website for hours and current operation procedures. As of the time of publication, the Braddock location is only offering curbside pickup with an anticipated reopening date of Fall 2021. However, it’s worth the trip just for cans to go.
Honorable Mentions:
One of the newest Pittsburgh craft breweries is also one of the city’s best. The well-established team of Josh, Rob, and Zach from Brew Gentlemen up and launched Old Thunder in the old Blawnox Post Office, just 15 minutes outside of the city. Think approachable delicious beer in any style served in an awesome indoor space.
Grist House’s outdoor patio makes it the place to see and be seen in Pittsburgh’s craft beer scene. It is perhaps best known for its sinful, fruited sours and juicy IPAs. Everything it brews is also packaged as four packs, allowing you to take anything home.
The Lawrenceville neighborhood in Pittsburgh is itself a tourist destination with its hipster culture, oddity shops, and unique restaurants. Eleventh Hour represents a husband-and-wife homebrewers passion project. Look for their Dream Cannon sour series and high gravity IPAs.
