Tag Archives: PITTSBURGH PA

DANCING GNOME

United States Brewpubs,

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

Consuming a large metal-furnished aluminum warehouse in the Pittsburgh borough of Sharpsburg, DANCING GNOME opened its original taproom one block down in 2016. An early focus on ‘hop forward’ brews eventually led to a more varied traditional menu crowded with appreciable Euro-styled fodder upon my October ’25 perusal.

A polished copper top bar faces the gray subway-tiled draught board, liquor-stacked wood shelving and large on tap menu. The epoxy-floored, gray-walled, high ceilinged taproom features skinny community tables, stooled wood tables, several orange crossbeams and windowed brew tanks. A wood benched patio section adds outside seating.

Dancing Gnome’s large screen TV showed the Penguins home opener against the Islanders while I snagged four easygoing yellow suds and two dark ales on a crisp autumn night.

Dry grained mustiness and musky hop bittering united for German-styled Pilsner, a fluffy-headed gold body with oated spelt barnyard acridity and light lemon licks meeting at saltine cracker stead.

Specialty-grained German moderation, Spelt Lager, retained earthen spelt, alfalfa and millet dryness for its frisky citrus hops.

Peacherine and Citra hops reinforced Cubism India Pale Ale’s brisk tropical zesting as lemony yellow grapefruit bittering, waxy gooseberry-guava tartness, candied pineapple tanginess and white peach sweetness gathered above creamy oats.

Even creamier oats regaled Art Deco India Pale Ale, underlining lemony grapefruit, pineapple and orange rind bittering.

On the dark side, cask conditioned English porter, Guard The Tower, welcomed coffee-burnt dark chocolate nuttiness.

A less mocha-insistent milk stout, Dead Sleep, encored with dark chocolate syrup draping nutty coffee, mossy soy and charred wood.

CHIMERA BREWING COMPANY

United States Brewpubs,

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

Just south of Pittsburgh in the suburban borough of Castle Shannon, CHIMERA BREWING COMPANY opened in the summer of 2024 at the former spot housing Mindful Brewing. Renovated and rechristened as Chimera, their ‘craft, cuisine and community’ logo and modern Greek mythology twist prove worthy.

Inside an Industrialized, cement-slabbed cabin, its elegant aluminum atrium and angled roof mesh with the cabin’s brown wood base. A picnic-tabled turf patio welcomes patrons to the cozy neighborhood pub. A prominent Chimera insignia centering two winged lions takes up a side wall. The twelve plastic-seated bar features a silestone top and twenty-plus tap handles line the white tiled draught board.

Nifty ancient Greek characters brighten the back walls and a right side dining area services brews alongside pizza, burgers, wings and sandwiches. Three pinball machines counter the bar and TV’s pack the place.

Never afraid to experiment beyond stylistic boundaries, Chimera is one of Pittsburgh’s best breweries.

On my late afternoon October ’25 jaunt, I ate Italian Rhapsody pizza (sweet sausage, roasted red peppers, mozzarella, ricotta and spinach) while polishing off eleven of the fourteen choice homemade four-ounce draughts.

Rustic barnyard mustiness saddled raw-honeyed lemon musk, letting its overall dryness envelop moderate-bodied Persephone’s Light Lager, a subtler kolsch variant.

A ‘historical’ German kottbusser, nebulous oats flaked pilsner malting, raw molasses acridity and mild lemon oiling made Oat So Sweet the only mediocrity in the bunch.

Lacquering candied peach Schnapps syruping atop honeyed wheat, Fields Of Elysium Peach gained sharp perfumed hop musk.

Flagship New England IPA, Perpetual Flux, splashed spritzy Citra/ Nelson Sauvin hop sunshine thru mild pine lacquer as bittersweet lemony orange-peeled grapefruit tanginess mingled the dainty guava-gooseberry tartness moderating its sugary pale malting.

Authentic Belgian yeast serenaded Bacchus Trappist Tripel, a spunky alcohol-fueled delight with orange-bruised lemon meringue tartness, honeyed banana sweetness and mild herbal spicing.

Doughy peanut buttered Vienna lager, Mc Nutter’s Afternoon Delight, picked up drifting red grape and dark cherry snips over floury cocoa buttering.

Confectionery dark lager, S’more-Gasm left marshmallow fluff upon dark chocolate and vanilla-creamed Graham Cracker base, segueing to phenol hop astringency.

Another dark lager, German-styled dunkelweizen Dumb Dumb & Dunkel, stayed creamily smooth as chocolate-breaded fig and date reached molasses toast bottom.

Powder-sugared pumpkin pie spicing and mild citric perfuming embodied Pie Oh My!, an autumnal charmer sprinkling ginger, nutmeg and cinnamon on pastry-floured pie crusting.

Dryer-than-usual Baltic Porter, Daddy Fabric, placed caramelized dark chocolatey black coffee alongside plummy black cherry tartness.

Loud chili peppering perked up Mole-inspired stout, Mexican Emperor, leaving slight Band-aid astringency on the backend.

THE CHURCH BREW WORKS

United States Brewpubs,

PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

Industrial ‘Steel City’ is largest inland port, connecting Allegheny and Monongahela waterways with the Ohio River. Initially visited red brick macrobrew mainstay Pittsburgh Brewing Company (Iron City Beer/ I.C. Light) and vital microbrewery Pennsylvania Brewery, December ’03.

Adjacent to Pittsburgh Brewing in the Lawrenceville section was most intriguing THE CHURCH BREW WORKS. Converted from St. John’s Church to a detailed brewpub, The Church had unique altar vats, stain glass windows, Douglas fir floors, an outdoor rectory patio, and exemplary food.

Brews consumed on afternoon sojourn with family included maize-dried pumpernickel-spiced citric-soured barnyard-wafted Celestial Gold; perfumed hop-spiced caramel-malted citric-quince-embittered Pipe Organ Pale Ale; sedate pecan-buttered vanilla-chocolate-y chicory-dabbed Pious Monk Dunkel; bittersweet chocolate-almond-tinged dry body Bell Tower Brown Ale; and delicately lingering mocha-cocoa embittered Lawrenceville Pride.

During August ’06 revisit, ate onion soup and cod sandwich while quaffing off-dry sourdough-buttered banana-clove-tingled Heavenly Hefeweizen, lemony tart grassy-bottomed lightweight Belgian Half Wit, soft whiskey-fronted apple-fig acerbity English Old Ale and dusky milk chocolate-y walnut-chestnut-centered oat-toasted malt-smoked Blast Furnace Stout.

Best bet: seasonal cask-conditioned Burly Friar Barleywine, with its solemn bruised cherry, overripe banana, pureed raisin, and pecan-butterscotch illusions gliding to surefire brandy-sherry finish.

www.churchbrew.com

At Thornburg Bridge, fine restaurant-brewery Sharp Edge had great Belgian draft selection, classy microbrews, and lavish imports. Got to try several Belgian Wits during December ’03 jaunt, but dinner was out of the question because it was so packed there was a two-hour wait. So I took family to nearby burger joint.

www.sharpedgebeer.com