Greetings Great Beer Now fans and followers! This is the third entry in a multi- part series of blog posts relating to the Great Beer Now Brew + Brew Tour 2018, which took place in the city of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. The tour featured some of the finest brew the city has to offer, whether it was brewed with hops, grain, and yeast or coffee beans. So pour a cup of java and your favorite roasty stout and follow along as I explore the Steel City and its rebirth as a craft beer and coffeehouse mecca. Cheers!
Many of the breweries I visit have a theme and some of these themes can be quite clever and amusing. Themes help set one brewery apart and help it stand out in your memory- a definite plus when you visit a large number of breweries each year, like I do. Then, there are breweries that forgo any specific theme or gimmick and instead go for being all- around enjoyable and just plain cool. A good example is East End Brewing, a brewery located at 147 Julius Street, Pittsburgh, PA.
On the East Side
East End Brewing is a medium- sized brewing operation with a nice size interior that looks like it could hold about one hundred or so people. The interior has an assortment of bar stools, four- person tables, and long tables with bar stools. The outside has picnic tables, perfect for when the weather is warm.
If you’re looking to have a little fun while you drink, East End Brewing has a pinball machine, perfect for those of us who grew up in the 1970’s and remember dropping quarter after quarter into our favorite machine. Food is served by food trucks and they have a cooler where you can grab a six pack to go.
East End Brewing has a long bar where they serve beer by the pint glass. Thy also fill growlers and crowlers at this location. Those looking for more of a bar experience minus the brewing tanks will enjoy the East End Brewing Taproom in the Strip, located on 19th street in Pittsburgh, closer to downtown.
IPA Heavy
At East End Brewing, the style that dominates is IPA and when I visited, among the 12 beers on tap, I believe 5 of them were IPA variations. Here is a summary of the beers I sampled, listed alphabetically by name, followed by the style and my Untappd rating for each, on a 5- point scale:
- Green Giant, American IPA, 4.5
- Monkey Boy, Hefeweizen, 3
- Pedal Pale Ale with Grapefruit, Pale Ale, 4
- Rescueberry Shake, IPA, 4.25
- Smokestack Heritage Porter, Smoked Porter, 4
Overall average rating: 3.95 out of 5
I liked my beer tasting experience at East End Brewing. If I had to select a favorite, it would be Green Giant, an American IPA. This beer embodied what I look for in the style and was quite enjoyable to drink. I also liked the Rescueberry Shake, a memorable Milkshake IPA.
No Gimmicks Here
East End Brewing is a fun, enjoyable brewing operation located- you guessed it correctly- east of downtown Pittsburgh. The brewery was established in 2004 and has grown considerably since its early days; moving into a new production location and opening a separate taproom over the past several years.
I visited East End Brewing as part of my beer and coffee tour of the area and I took an instant liking to this brewery for several important reasons. I think the main draw of this brewery is that it is extremely non- pretentious. It takes its beer seriously, yes, but it doesn’t take itself that seriously. The staff and brewers are here to have fun and they make sure your visit is enjoyable from start to finish.
Are there other reasons to like East End Brewing? You bet there are, and they continue with the atmosphere, which is comfortable and accommodating. I like the variety of tables and bar seating and the picnic tables on the outside are nice when the weather is warm. The inside isn’t going to win any awards for interior decorating, but due to the laid back nature and other factors, I found I didn’t care in the slightest. I also loved the feeling of nostalgia when I saw that pinball machine and there is plenty of swag for sale so you can take the memories home with you.
Most memorable of all, at East End Brewing, is the beer itself. Now, I know I have often said that I get a little overwhelmed with the popularity of IPA and get a little frustrated when such a large segment of the beer taps in a given brewery are pouring IPA variations. But you have to respect a place that brews a large number of IPA and manages to get everything right, and East End Brewing is one of those places. I could drink Green Giant IPA every day for the rest of my life and die a very happy, contented man. Besides the IPA, they have other, memorable brews on tap and I recommend sampling several before you leave.
Breweries that focus on a theme are often a load of fun and some breweries have come up with some amusing and unusual ways to integrate their theme into the names and styles of beer they serve. These breweries are enjoyable, but there is something to be said for a brewery that shoves aside the idea of a theme or gimmick and goes instead for a simple, easy to remember name and then focuses efforts on beer and customer service. East End Brewing is definitely a place that has honed in on beer quality and customer focus without any fancy or creative name. It’s an all-around cool and comfortable place to grab a beer or two, so be sure to visit East End Brewing the next time you’re in the Pittsburgh area. And tell them Great Beer Now sent you.
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