Brew Masters and Friendly Spirits
Continually ranked as a best city for beer drinkers by SmartAsset, Pittsburgh’s craft beer scene is booming. In fact, American Craft Beer referred to Pittsburgh as a “craft beer destination” in 2021, and Fodor’s Travel included the region in its 2021 Best Craft Beer Cities list. Pittsburgh’s position as a must-see city for craft beer enthusiasts is solidified.
Continually ranked as a best city for beer drinkers by SmartAsset, Pittsburgh’s craft beer scene is booming. In fact, American Craft Beer referred to Pittsburgh as a “craft beer destination” in 2021, and Fodor’s Travel included the region in its 2021 Best Craft Beer Cities list. Pittsburgh’s position as a must-see city for craft beer enthusiasts is solidified.
Thanks to the nearly 50 craft breweries and award-winning distilleries throughout the Pittsburgh region, visitors can easily find high quality, thirst-quenching beverages.
The most recent honors went to Aurochs Brewing Co.’s Hazy IPA and Amber Ale, judged as gold and silver medalists in the 2021 U.S. Open Beer Championship, and Cinderlands’ Gregg, a gold-winner at the 2021 Great American Beer Festival. Other award-winning brews, including Church Brew Works’ Pious Monk Dunkel, Helltown Brewing’s Mischievous Brown and Brew Gentlemen’s General Braddock’s, named one of the 25-best beers of the decade, are among the many quality beers visitors will find in the city.
Visitors will find no shortage of unique brewery options in Pittsburgh. Penn Brewery, the oldest and largest craft brewery in Pittsburgh, specializes in German-style beers brewed in the tradition of German immigrants, while Strange Roots Experimental Ales Brewery is a unique style brewery that specializes in foraged ingredients, spontaneous fermentation and experimentation.
Multiple new breweries opened in Pittsburgh in 2021, ensuring there’s always somewhere fresh to pour and explore. Just opened Nercromancer Brewing Co. in Ross Township and Trace Brewing in Bloomfield made an immediate impact, as both were named to Hop Culture’s nationwide Best New Breweries list.
The Pittsburgh Brewers Guild makes it easy for visitors to explore the many area breweries with the Pittsburgh Brewery Guide. The guide includes details like outdoor seating, pet-friendly, and menu offerings along with a brief background on each brewery. Seven suggested trails are geared to help visitors plan excursions to various areas of the city. Of course, visitors also can create their own trails for a truly unique Pittsburgh experience.
Craft beer culture is celebrated in Pittsburgh, and the city’s craft beer community is garnering national attention for promoting inclusivity. A 2021 article in Forbes said Pittsburgh is “leading the world in brewery diversity and inclusion.” From Barrel & Flow Fest, the nation’s first Black brew festival, to the Pittsburgh Brewery Diversity Council, which organized an ongoing project - She Knows Beer - that supports women’s causes and much more, Pittsburgh’s craft breweries are a welcoming, diverse community.
Pittsburgh also boasts several local distilleries that have perfected the art of a friendly drink.
Learn about Pittsburgh’s unique spirits history at Wigle Whiskey, the first distillery in the City of Pittsburgh since Prohibition. Visitors to the Wigle Distillery Bottle Shop + Kitchen in the Strip District can enjoy dine-in food, cocktails, whiskey flights and tours before purchasing one of the Wigle’s many award-winning bottles to take home.
Also located in the Strip District is Kingfly Spirits, as well as Allegheny Distilling, creators of Maggie’s Farm Rum, the first commercially available, Pennsylvania-made craft rum since Prohibition.