PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA
Along Pittsburgh’s hilly Allentown neighborhood south of Monongahela River, INNER GROOVE BREWING opened this second location in May ’22. A “spacious modern taproom” fifteen miles from the original vinyl record-inspired Verona brewhouse (birthed 2019), Inner Groove’s glass-fronted pub delivers homemade draughts emulating from its primary location.
A white-walled art deco-styled depot tucked into Allentown’s bustling downtown, Inner Groove slings varied suds from a black brick-walled draught board at its epoxy plywood-topped, U-shaped bar. Pristine wood decor dots the spare barroom and a nifty beergarden adds further seating.
My wife and I step up to the bar to try all twelve available brews this Saturday afternoon, October ’25.
First up, dry Mexican lager, Rocket 88, brought compost-wafted lemon rot to the fore as mild green peppered herbage and phenol hop bittering reach its maize-flaked base.
Next, leafy-hopped marzen, Conan The Bavarian Oktoberfest, picked up mild orange oiling and earthen residue atop sweet bready pilsner malting.
Powder sugared candied Pez tartness and marshmallow-creamed strawberry merged for limey kettle-soured Margarita spinoff, Straw Hat, picking up waxy lemon licks.
Rye-spiced Taloo Rye, a toasty Bavarian roggenbier, topped its pumpernickel base with sour prune and dried fig snips.
A West Coast IPA with a dry English malt backdrop, Fall Back Crutch sidled sharp piney fruiting next to pale malt spicing.
Pina Colada fruited sour, Nobody’s Poet, boasted salty pineapple tanginess, coconut creme richness and light rum sugaring.
An oatmeal raisin cookie knockoff, Tuff Cookie Brown Ale, stuffed ripe raisin (as well as red grape tannins) inside confectionery brown chocolate sweetness.
Then came two contrasting pumpkin ales. Soft-toned pumpkin pie spicing tingled Hallowed Ground Pumpkin Ale, leaving sweet yam, perfumed ginger and cinnamon toast subtleties.
On the dark side, lovely Pumpkin-Cino Coffee Ale let cappuccino coffee sink into its cinnamon-nutmeg-spiced pumpkin pie sweetness, gaining dark chocolate, espresso and cocoa powder remnants.
Before heading out, dry coffee-stained Darkside Light Stout retained a mild mocha profile perfect for lighter thirsts.