German and Belgian beers in Pittsburgh area?

[Dunedain]

I was wondering if anyone here knows of any places in and around Pittsburgh PA that keep in stock a variety of high quality German and Belgian beers and store them under proper conditions? That last part is important, because finding German or Belgian beers is one thing; finding a place that keeps only freshly made cases of the more expensive imported beers in stock, or for beers that age well, keeps them stored under dark and cool conditions at all times, is another matter entirely. In other words, some big warehouse where it's 80 degrees inside in the summer and the expensive beer cases have been sitting there for months is not a very good place to buy such beer.

I was thinking of perhaps some sort of specialty beer shop, that deals mainly in the better German and Belgian beers and focuses on keeping fresh supplies in stock and always keeping all the beers stored properly in a dark and cool place. A place where you can buy cases of these kinds of beers at reasonable prices.

It doesn't have to be in Pittsburgh itself, areas a bit to the south of Pittsburgh would be good, too. Does anyone by chance know of any such places?

Thanks very much for any help! :)

[HogieWan]

Check out BeerAdvocate.com's BeerFly page for Pitt. (http://beeradvocate.com/beerfly/city/14) Check the reviews to find the place you're looking for.

[chazwicke]

I had heard Pittsburgh was getting a Hofbrau Haus. Has that opened yet? German beer at it's freshest next to drinking it in Germany.

[The Alchemist]

The Hofbrau Haus is still supposed to become a reality. An article in the Post-Gazette this summer confirmed that. To my knowledge I know of no construction that has taken place as of yet. It is to be built on the Southside in the Southside Works project, not far from some very good beer bars on Carson Street. Pittsburgh is home to a very good Belgium beer bar called the Sharp Edge. There are two locations on Rt. 60 near I-79 and downtown in Shadyside. I am partial to Penn Brewery on Troy Hill Rd on the Northside near the old Heinz Plant. They make excellent interpretations of many German styles. For authentic German imports there are several large distributers. I don't know if they would meet your criteria or not.