PITTSBURGH, PENNSYLVANIA

After visiting Andy Warhol Museum on a seasonably warm Friday at noon, October ’25, headed to Pittsburgh’s Bloomfield section to toss back a few at TRACE BREWING (with a satellite taproom uptown). Opened springtime 2021, Trace occupies an old warehouse next door to fabulous Liberty Beer shop.

Serving home brewed coffee as well as beer, cider, cocktails and wine, the casual neighborhood pub features a ten-seat wood top brick-fronted bar (with twenty taps), strewn metal-wood tables, fluorescent flytrap lights and exposed pipes. A rustic right side room with seating leads to an alleyway beergarden. Rear brew tanks store the stylishly amiable suds.

Founder Dave Kushner, whose experience includes stints at Harpoon Brewery, John Harvard’s – Cambridge, Lord Hobo and Remnant Brewing, also organizes events for Trace. Special thanks to Phat Bagels for the bagels and candied jalapeno dip.

Peaty barley-roasted graining and dry Noble hop musk centered autumnal Festbier, picking up lemondrop tartness, mild Scotch licks and leafy dew.

Chameleonic NEIPA, Bricks & Bridges, let cologne perfumed citrus zesting reach lacquered pine stead as lemon balm, candied pineapple, honeydew and ‘Juicy fruit gum’ illusions sidled minty eucalyptus swipes.