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I had seen some news that indicated the Hofbrau had opened on Monday, but didn’t believe it until the Post Gazette ran not one, but two articles today with actual photo evidence. The first article is more general, while the second is written by beer lover, Bob Batz Jr.
Some interesting highlights from the articles:
Can I request the Hofbrau to fly these ladies in for the Grand Opening? I mean, they spent $8M so far, what's a few plane tickets?
Flying isn’t what it used to be. I don’t even bother with the airport if the drive is under 6 hours. Between the security lines, ticketing lines, baggage fees, crappy food, and uncomfortable seats, it usually isn’t worth the effort.
Cheapflights has just made flying a little more enjoyable with their Beer Lover’s Airport Guide. This PDF has good beer info for anyone stuck in a layover at any of the major hubs. I know my trip to Oakland via Chicago this summer just got a little more enjoyable.
One question though, how does Salt Lake City make the list with a craft beer pub (Squatters), and Pittsburgh has jack? Oh well, at least there are no direct flights out of the burgh anymore, so you’re sure to connect at one of the listed cities.
We could all use a good beer before meeting our new seat mates on a 6 hour flight.
Sadly, the Little Brown Jug in the North Hills was lost to fire last night. There aren’t any real details yet, other than the building looks to be totally gutted.
From the Tribune-Review
This is a real loss for the North Hills, which has very few good beer bars. The LBJ had good food and a great beer selection. I hope the owners are able to rebuild. It makes you wonder how safe your house is in the event of a fire. The LBJ was across the street from a fire station.
Upcoming events for this week…
Craft Beer School - Tues - 6pm Brews & Stew - St. Patty’s Day salute to stout
Founders Tasting - Wed - 6 to 8 pm New to the Pittsburgh market. Get your first taste of this award-winning brewery. I got to sample their Red’s Rye last week at Fatheads. It was a very nice beer, and I recommend trying some.
Flying Dog Tasting - Thur - 6 to 8pm Sample Flying Dog’s Canis Major series at Brews Brothers. Includes discounts on mixed 8 packs.
Irish Stouts - Thur - 6 to 8pm Get a taste of the usual suspects at 3 Sons. We had the Beamish at the last TRBC tasting, and most seemed to like it very much.
Paws n’ Pours - Fri - 6 to 8pm Fundraiser for Animal Friends at their headquarters on Camp Horne Rd. Tickets are $20 and include beer and snacks. Call 412-847-7055 to RSVP.
Yep. Another Pitt basketball post. You beer lovers are going to have to suffer through this for a few more weeks. The game last Sat against Uconn was awesome. I’ve been a season ticket holder since the Pete opened, and that was definitely one of the top 2 or 3 loudest games I’ve attended.
Seth Davis of ESPN just picked Pitt to win it all. His quote:
While I always reserve the right to wait until the last possible moment to make up my mind, let’s just say it’s pretty unusual for a city to celebrate both a Super Bowl championship and an NCAA championship in the same year. This is feeling like one of those years.
Even better, here is quote from Blair, Co Big East Player of the Year.
Blair’s takedown of Thabeet set the tone for the growing disdain between the two. Blair approached Thabeet after he lay on the floor for a few minutes and asked if he was OK, but Blair did not receive a response from the 7-foot-3 giant. Get off me! “I went over to check on him, to say are you all right? Are we cool?” Blair said. “And he just walked past me. If that’s the way you want to be, then that’s fine. I’d do it again. Don’t stick your arm in there.”
Blair’s takedown of Thabeet set the tone for the growing disdain between the two. Blair approached Thabeet after he lay on the floor for a few minutes and asked if he was OK, but Blair did not receive a response from the 7-foot-3 giant.
Get off me!
“I went over to check on him, to say are you all right? Are we cool?” Blair said. “And he just walked past me. If that’s the way you want to be, then that’s fine. I’d do it again. Don’t stick your arm in there.”
I love it, bring on the Big East Tourney.
The man is keeping me down at work, so I have to keep my posts short and sweet. Here are the beer events for this week:
Luck of the Irish - AHYP - Thur 6 pm Menu is now available. Sausage Quesadillas, Beef Stew, and Chocolate Torte. Paired with Harpoon and Great Lakes Irish Reds, Belhaven Wee Heavy, and Beamish Irish Stout, respectively.
Beer Tasting @ The Warhol - Fri 5:30 pm Socialize while sampling art, appetizers, and craft brew. Sales reps on hand to discuss the beers.
Bell’s Hopslam Firkin - Fatheads - Fri 5pm The only firkin of Hopslam in western PA. It will go fast.
Southside Craft Beer Tour - 1311 - Sat 1 pm Tour over 150 craft and import beers.
Mr. Batz’s weekly (well sometimes bi-weekly) column in the Post Gazette on beer in Pittsburgh was full of some interesting news. Here are some highlights:
Penn Brewery is staying put on the North Side, at least for the next 5 years. No surprise here. The two parties didn’t even start talking about a new deal until 10 days before the lease was up. My hope is that with the flagship beers brewed under contract, the owners will focus on brewing seasonals and specialty beers at the brewpub.
The Hofbrauhaus said they hope to start brewing next week, again. They have been saying this for how long?
Steve Sloan, formerly of John Harvard’s, is doing some brewing at Church Brew Works. They are going to tap his Belgian Golden Strong (love that style) next Wed. I’ve had the pleasure of talking with Steve on a few occasions. Very nice guy and very good brewer. Make sure to check out his beer and support your local brewery.
A whole bunch of new beers and tasting news, including St. Patty’s Day plans for Barely’s and Hop’s and Fatheads.
Pitt is one step closer to a number 1 seed in the Tourny. This was such an exciting game. Shame on you if you haven’t been watching this team. Check out around 45 seconds in on this clip for one of the sweetest plays of the night.
There isn’t much to envy about the City of Brotherly Love, but Philly has us beat hands down this week. While I post a measly few beer tastings, Philly Beer Week is in full swing. With almost 700 events in 10 days, it is a beer lover’s nirvana. Of course, we will have Philly beat when UPMC sponsors Liver Transplant Week for all PBW attendees.
Bocktown Pyramid Brewing Tasting - 3/4 - 6pm
3 Sons Dogs and Suds Belgian Tasting - 3/5 - 6pm Augustijn, Bruegel, Bornem Dubbel, Bornem Tripel, Gulden Draak, Piraat
Leprechaun Lap Bar Tour - 3/7 - 2pm Kick off the St. Patrick’s Day season with hundreds of other Irish-loving beer-drinkers as they paint East Carson Street green at more than a dozen bars. Produced by Lindy Promotons, proceeds benefit the Greater Pittsburgh Community Food Bank. For more information, call (800) 422-7295.
The American Homebrewers Association has its annual Top 20 Commercial Beer survey out. Basically, the ask members to list their top 20 beers and compile a list. I decided to take a stab at it today from the top of my head, and the list surprised me a little.
A creamy Boddington's
There are definitely some questionable calls here due mostly to nostalgia. For example, Boddington’s was the first beer I ever had not from the big 3. My mentor at Lucent Technologies in NJ was a Brit, and told me I had to try it. The top 5 on my list could all be #1, and there is a big jump from 1-10 to 11-20. What do you guys think? Am I crazy?
1. St. Bernardus Abbot 12 2. Bell’s 2 Hearted 3. Dogfish Aprihop 4. Piraat Triple IPA 5. Stone IPA 6. Russian River Damnation 7. Unibroue La Fin Du Monde 8. Duchesse De Bourgogne 9. Franziskaner Weiss 10. Weyerbacher Old Heathen 11. Corsendonk Christmas 12. Jolly Pumpkin La Roja 13. Firestone Walker Double Barrel Ale 14. Troeg’s Nugget Nectar 15. Great Lakes Edmund Fitzgerald Porter 16. Southern Tier Harvest 17. Duvel 18. Penn Brewing St. Nick Bock 19. Boddington’s Bitter 20. Hacker-Pschorr Hefe
