Alcohol

City Brew Tours Review – An Introduction to Pittsburgh’s Beer Scene

Pittsburgh's brewery scene is pretty astounding. In the past ten years we've gone from having just a handful of breweries to having well over four dozen in an hour radius with another couple dozen set to open in the next few years.

As such, tackling them all can be quite tricky unless you're able to go out for a beer every single weekend.

To help get you out to more breweries in one go, City Brew Tours launched a Pittsburgh beer tour to help introduce beer fans into Pittsburgh's growing and thriving craft beer scene.

We were invited out by City Brew Tours to check out their After Hours Brew Tour which was just the evening out we were looking for.

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Brillobox Review – A Perfect All Around Bar in Bloomfield

Normally when we visit a new bar around the city, we often categorize it based on what they're good at. Allegheny Wine Mixer is great for wine. Independent Brewing Company has a killer draft list if you like Pittsburgh beer. We could go on.

While you can go to all of these spots for other reasons, odds are good you're going to gravitate to their specialties because, well, that is what they're known for.

Brillobox in Pittsburgh's Bloomfield neighborhood does not have one of these primary focuses. Instead, they shine on all three. Throw in a unique and welcoming ambiance and you have a bar that that comes together for the coveted goal of being good at many things- a rare treat in the city.

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Club Cafe Review – A South Side Bar for Amazing Live Music

Club Cafe in Pittsburgh's South Side is a unique performing arts venue in that it is incredibly small, yet attracts some of the best up-and-coming musicians there are.

So when the guitarist of one of our favorite bands (Chris Eldridge from the two-time Grammy nominated Punch Brothers) came into town to perform with one of his closest friends (guitarist Julian Lage- Grammy nominated for the Best Contemporary Jazz album), we bought tickets in a heart-beat.

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Acacia Review – A Fabulous Speakeasy in South Side

In a neighborhood where it would seem almost impossible for a business to be hidden away, especially one that serves alcohol, the South Side cocktail bar known as Acacia is just that.

Ringing true to their speakeasy theme, this spot should be on your list of places to seek out in the city if you are in the mood for a superb drink.

If you can find it, that is.

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Row House Cinema Review – Beer and a Movie in Lawrenceville

Row House Cinema is a unique neighborhood movie theater located on Butler Street in Lawrenceville.

The theater shows a wide range of films with themes that change every week, and its connection with next door Bierport makes it convenient for bringing craft beer with you into the movies.

We recently made a trip to see Fences and really enjoyed our afternoon as this intimate theater.

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Pittsburgh Beerfest Winter Edition Review – Beer Heaven

As a beer lover, my idea of heaven is being surrounded by free flowing and delicious creations from some of the world's best breweries. While I may not be in this particular heaven just yet, Pittsburgh does have an annual event that is about as close as you can get to my ideal scenario- the Pittsburgh Beerfest which during the winter edition featured here is at the convention center downtown.

Although this event is relatively young, the hundreds of samples available from local, national, and even a few international breweries makes this one as close to my picture of heaven as I can get.

Armed with an eight-ounce glass, an early admission ticket with all-you-can-drink access, and the Uber app on my phone ready to go for the end of the night, I was prepared to hit this one as hard as possible to try and find some new favorites.

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The Best Happy Hours in Pittsburgh for Local Beer

When it comes to happy hour specials in Pittsburgh, just about every restaurant and bar has them. Restaurants just love offering discounts during everyone's favorite time of day, and we're not going to complain about that in the slightest.

Although we could highlight every single happy hour special the city has to offer, we only want to look for the best. In our Pittsburgh cocktail happy hour post, we focused purely on the restaurants and bars that offer craft cocktails at significantly reduced prices (upwards of 50%).  In this beer happy hour guide, we wanted to take a similar approach and only share the locations that have a good selection of Pittsburgh breweries with discounts to match.

So while we may not share everywhere you can go to find a $2 Yuengling or Bud Light, we do want to give you the best places to check out when you want some of the local brewers' finest creations!

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Hidden Harbor Review – A Tropical Paradise in Squirrel Hill

When it comes to neighborhoods to drink at in Pittsburgh, odds are good your first thought is not Squirrel Hill. This popular neighborhood for college students, Jewish delis, and Asian restaurants has a few bars, but is not as bustling in nightlife as other neighborhoods nearby.

This is now changing, and the tiki lounge Hidden Harbor is one of several new additions to the neighborhood worth checking out when you are in the mood for a drink!

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Allegheny Wine Mixer Review – Wine and Conversation

Sometimes when you go out to drink you really just want to have a nice glass of wine. Short of visiting a nice restaurant, bars with extensive wine menus in Pittsburgh are few and far between, meaning you often have to settle with limited menus and a glass of wine that is less than stellar.

Luckily, many new wine bars are opening in the city to help solve this problem, and if good wine is what you are craving, at Allegheny Wine Mixer in Lawrenceville you can get just that.

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3 Ways to Exploit Pennsylvania’s Archaic Alcohol Laws in Pittsburgh

Beer Distributors in Pittsburgh

Let's be honest, Pennsylvania is home to some of the most backwards liquor laws in the country.

Want to go buy a bottle of wine?  Good luck finding it in a grocery store.  Yay, this law is finally going away!
Want a six pack of beer?  No corner store will stock it. (But literally just a few gas stations in the state might)
Want to pick up hard liquor?  The state runs a monopoly on the stuff unless you are a local distiller.

I could spend quite a bit of time ranting about how crazy these laws are, but instead I want to help you out with three ways we've come to exploit the system for the best.

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