Published by Jeremy. Last Updated on August 3, 2022.
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Southern Tier Pittsburgh is one of a handful of breweries that did not originate in the city but expanded here due to the producer's popularity in the region.
Originally from New York, this brewery expanded into Pittsburgh in early 2017 and has been a popular spot in the North Side ever since. While we are often frequent visitors to this brewery for the beer, we were recently invited out as guests of the brewery to try more and to sample a bit of the food menu as well.
As a result, this guide to the brewery was born!
Beer Styles at Southern Tier Pittsburgh
It would be next to impossible to categorize the beer styles at Southern Tier as their portfolio is immense and frequently changing. Many staples include an array of pale ales, seasonal releases like Pumking (and off-shoots known as Pumking's Court), and even local creations brewed especially for Pittsburgh's taproom.
In recent years Southern Tier has been expanding into high ABV dessert style beers as well, with options like Creme Brulee, Cherry Cordial, and Nitro S'mores (our favorite) gracing the menu from time to time. The brewery has also expanded this series to feature brews that mimic famous cookies with flavors like Samoa This and Thick Mint as well.
Take whatever you think about the idea of a dessert beer and throw it out the window, as these brews are something special worth trying at the end of your visit. Just be sure to let some of the darker ones warm up a bit to allow the flavors to truly come out!
Going beyond Southern Tier beer, the brewery also features drafts from Victory and Sixpoint (two separate breweries that joined as part of the ABV family, Southern Tier's parent company, in recent years) as well as spirits made from Southern Tier's distillery. Suffice it to say, there are so many options that a single visit won't do this one justice.
Be on the lookout for the following brews we love: Nu Juice, 3x IPA, the IPAs from Sixpoint, Pumking, Chai Pumking, and any of the dessert beers (Samoa This and Nitro S'mores especially). Be sure to try a Pittsburgh brew'd special as well!
The Beer Garden is a Great Pre-Game Spot
As far as brewery spaces are concerned, Southern Tier offers a pretty exceptional one in the North Shore. Not only does the brewery have a pretty huge indoor space for meals or simply drinking at the bar, but the outdoor beer garden is also a wonderful spot to sit out and enjoy a sunny day in the city. (The outdoor area is also pet-friendly!)
We'll take every chance we can get to sit out on the patio, and especially love combining it with a pre-game drink before heading to PNC Park or Acrisure Stadium (formerly Heinz Field). Better beer, cheaper prices, and a great ambiance? It is hard to ever want to drink inside the stadiums again when Southern Tier is an option.
But if I am to be quite honest, you don't have to be going to a game to enjoy Southern Tier's beer garden. When the sun is shining and the temperatures are warm, we're always up for a trip to the beer garden.
Food Options at Southern Tier
If you're sensing a trend of Southern Tier offering copious options in all respect of the business, it should be no surprise when we say that the food menu at this spot is also quite large.
The menu itself reads like a modern gastropub with staples ranging from wings to sandwiches and full entrees including steak and salmon. Normally we visit this one for beer alone, but we were pleasantly surprised with the food menu when visiting.
We started with a sampler of the Beer Braised Wings with sides of various dipping sauces that had a minimally crunchy skin that counterpoints traditionally fried offerings we are used to (and having all the sauces on the side allowed for DIY flavor combinations). Likewise, the Parmesan Cauliflower was recommended by our server and also offered a rather light fry which allowed the flavor of the vegetable and the lemon garlic sauce to shine through.
Both are great for sharing in a small group, but we would definitely recommend erring on the side of more appetizers over fewer as these were on the smaller end (although this could vary for other appetizers, so asking your server here may go a long way).
For entrees, we opted to stick with the sandwiches over the large plates and went for the NU Burger, a loaded burger topped with NU Juice IPA mayonnaise, and the crab cake sandwich which was a rather garlicky creation and the winner of the night. While the burgers here are definitely more conventional gastropub food, we appreciated the pairings with our beer all the same.
Overall, Southern Tier is a great spot in the North Side that we frequent often. Their beer menu changes often, new releases are fairly common, and the food menu is even a good option for those wanting a gastropub-style meal to go along with the beer.
When it comes to breweries in Pittsburgh, that is really all we need to keep returning time and time again.
Southern Tier Pittsburgh is located at 316 N Shore Drive in the North Side. We were guests of Southern Tier for this review. As always, all opinions are our own.
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