While the day has officially passed, one day of quarantine deserves attention. Important to modern drinking standards, April 7th is a day of celebration for the United States of America. Why you ask? It is the end of Prohibition!!! For a terrible stretch of time, teetotalers ruled the lands and tried to make sure nobody enjoyed themselves with libations, including beers. Did you know it wasn’t illegal to drink alcohol during Prohibition? Rather, it was just illegal to manufacture, sell, or transport “intoxicating liquors.” Lucky for us, our grandparent’s grandparents pushed the government to repeal one of the worst amendments of all time. Above all, us Pittsburghers are able to enjoy these 9 Pittsburgh breweries, sacrificing their time and health to bring us great beers during the COVID-19 pandemic.
**Disclaimer: we are by no means encouraging you to spend your time interacting with others. If you need beer, order by phone/online, choose pickup or delivery, and STAY THE F*CK INSIDE!**
The Pittsburgh Breweries
Now to the goods. First and foremost, I would like to call out that there are plenty of breweries serving up some great nectar of the Gods. These just happen to be Burgh BnB favorites, as well as offering up great ordering options or variety. After you read through these suggestions, please checkout what all the breweries have to offer at this link. If you have the means, order a gift card or some merchandise. When this craziness all ends, we can all come together at these places that offered us their brews when we needed them most!
abjuration Brewing Company
Ah, Abjuration. They frequently get it right with their unique combinations, just like their wonderful space in McKees Rocks. Recently, they released a wonderful nectar sent straight from the heavens: The White Chocolate Raspberry Milkshake Ale. Straight from the brewers, this one needs to be decanted because they used so many raspberries and so much chocolate that some sediment settles in every can! Cheers to that, we are 100% in for good, fresh ingredients. If that isn’t enough, all of their recipes are open source, meaning they post them on their website for everyone to use. To clarify, once you try one of their fantastic brews, YOU can make one in your own home during the quarantine. That is damn efficient.
ALSO!!!! After grabbing a few four packs from ABC, you can drive the three minutes to Doughboy’s Pizza and support another small business on your outing.
Order Abjuration Brewing Company Beers Here
Brew Gentlemen
BG is ALWAYS a destination on lists across Pittsburgh and the United States. They make the list for consistently exceeding expectations with all of their lovely IPAs and other styles. Equally important, they are doing a wonderful little curbside drop off and online ordering program. I do not think that I go out on a limb saying this, but these new ordering programs might be a millennials dream: touch-less ordering, no talking to humans on the phone… this might stick!
After you get your curbside crowlers, inevitably drive past the US STEEL Edgar Thomson Works on your way home, which sits just outside of Braddock. It’s a true throwback to see how the COVID-19-less Pittsburghers lived, and it is still in operation today!
Order Brew Gentlemen Beer Here
Cinderlands Warehouse
Starting in a humble hole in the wall in lower Lawrenceville, Cinderlands burst onto the Pittsburgh brewery scene and changed the landscape forever. After converting the old Spaghetti Warehouse in the Strip District, Cinderlands boosted operations to bless us yinzers with more of their tasty beers. Offering great “dad beers” perfect for sipping on your patio, to flavor bombed tartshake IPAs, Cinderlands has something for everybody over 21 in your family. Uniquely to this list, Cinderlands also offers the ability to drive down Penn Avenue and checkout the eerily empty Strip District.
Order Cinderlands Beer Co Here
Dented Keg Brewing CompanY
Whenever thinking of places to grab some brews to hunker down and pass the stay at home order, driving to the otherworldly Mars (shout out Elon Musk) might not be first on your list. Even though the drive might deter you, Dented Keg is well worth the trip. They have plenty of variety (over 10 beers available right now!) and they have some slick merchandise to pick up. In addition to the great beers and merch, we love DK because they have a charity of the month, where they donate some of their profits to charity. Pretty damn cool if you ask us!
Order Dented Keg Brewing Company Here
Eleventh Hour Brewing
They just canned Burning Phoenix. We should not have to say more; however, there are a few more reasons to support the dogs, I mean humans, at 11th Hour. Firstly, have you seen how damn cute Archer and Madox are!?
Love those dogs.
Secondly, 11th Hour is cranking out some insanely great beers that pair well with damn near anything that you could cook in your house. Speaking of beers, our favorites include the Robo Jack and Archer Heavy. Furthermore, we delight in creating our own mix of a tasty Burning Phoenix and any of the Deep Field Stout series. Once again, you cannot go wrong with a great brew from 11th Hour.
Finally, some food trucks are parking their operations at this brewery, which makes for a GREAT one two punch. Beer and great food. It cannot be beat!
Order Eleventh Hour Brewing Here
Four Points Brewing
To stick with the name of this place, tops on the list of Pittsburgh breweries, we are going to make 4 Points on why you should visit. Firstly, they ensure that quality is at the absolute top of the list. Their beers are technically sound and so damn tasty! Secondly, not only do you get some tasty brews, BUT they have a BBQ restaurant attached too. You can satisfy not only your needs for beer but also for food. Third, Charleroi is a DRIVE from the Pittsburgh area. If you are looking to waste a few minutes of your day as we are at this point, then this is a huge win! Fourth and finally, the cans will look absolutely beautiful in your fridge and probably will make you want to clean up your fridge. Have you done that yet, you monster?
Order Four Points Brewing Here
Insurrection AleWorks
Not ONE thing about Insurrection deters us from visiting. Not only do the staff have a friendly and helpful vibe, but also they offer up IPAs to warm the cockles of your cold, quarantined heart. For instance, Insurrection dropped the bad ass Super Galaxy Sasquatch last year that knocked our socks off. Surely, all of their wonderful concoctions available now are just as great! Get on down to Heidelberg to try them out.
Order Insurrection AleWorks Here
**Note that Insurrection does not have an online store yet. However, they are offering “To Go” sales from the tap room, and delivery.
Mindful Brewing Company
I think this is the place I miss the most. On warm days, the long windows open up the bar to the elements, where patrons and myself sip a myriad of beers. What beer could be better for such a situation? Their flagship Kölsch, a crisp and light beer that goes down maybe a bit too easy. Currently, they are offering $10 growlers and $5 crowlers, which is a great deal for the fantastic beers offered here.
Order Mindful Brewing Company Here
**Note that Mindful does not have an online store yet. However, they are offering “To Go” sales. Their online store is nearly completed and will be live soon!
Roundabout Brewery
Damn these beers are tasty! Roundabout is well known to keep a steady rotation of beers on tap, and this COVID business has not changed a thing! With no true flag ship beer and a frequent rotation, Roundabout is sure to have something different for everyone in your family. Like some other Pittsburgh breweries, Roundabout has some food trucks rolling in for food service. In these times, you’ll only need to stop once for your evening plans which is very advantageous!
Order Roundabout Brewery Beer Here
The WRAP
There you have it! Even though these are the Burgh BnB favorites, there are plenty more Pittsburgh Breweries to visit! Even though we are going through somewhat uncertain times, it does not mean you shouldn’t enjoy some tasty brews. See what other Pittsburgh Breweries are serving up their creations here! If you have no idea where there is a brewery near you, or if you find yourself wanting to try new craft beer, checkout our handy dandy map!
Stay safe out there and we will see yinz on the other side of this for some happy hours!
-G