Great Lakes Brewing News Archive

Pennsylvania Beer News

Originally Published: 12/97

By: Ralph Coalaizzi

by Ralph Colaizzi

It had to happen eventually, I suppose; I made a mistake in the last issue. Just when I thought I was really clairvoyant and decided to make a prediction, reality's heavy hand smacked me back to earth. If you read this column last issue, savoring every word I'm sure, you should recall my prediction for the opening of the Foundry Ale Works. At the time, it seemed like a good prediction. The building looked finished and ready to open the doors to a mass of patiently waiting beer fans. But fate had other plans. Another bump in the already rugged road this brewpub has had to travel appeared, when the chef had to leave town due to a family emergency. A new chef has been hired and all that is left is a few more legal hoops to jump through before the long awaited opening will occur.

Although the Foundry is not quite ready to open, the beers are ready, waiting, and very good. I bumped into Jonathan Zangwill, the Foundry's brewer, while I was sampling at the Strip Brewing Company. He invited me to taste the beers he has ready to serve as soon as the opening happens. It was a very impressive tasting! All of these brews were very clean and well brewed. My first sample was the light lager that Jon aptly described as a "lawnmower beer". It tasted extremely clean and refreshing with only a barely perceptible hop flavor and bitterness. This brew seemed like an exact ringer for Genesee Cream Ale in my opinion. The next brew in line was an American Pale Ale that had all the right stuff. This beer is full of the Cascade hop flavor and aroma expected for the style. The malt balances this hop character perfectly, producing a well-rounded flavor very much like other well-known APA's. The smoked Porter is a wonderful, chocolatey, full-bodied brew with a very slight hint of smoke. This is a fine porter and the smoke is hiding in the background, producing just a bit more complexity rather than a smoky taste. Zangwill admitted that the smoked malt was intentionally kept low because he smoked the grain himself and wasn't sure of the effect. For those who might prefer a pink beer, there will be a Raspberry beer, very light in body with a nice fruit flavor backed up with a delicate lactic character coming from the Belgian Witbier yeast strain to balance the sweetness. Altogether, there are thirteen different beers that have been brewed, conditioned and properly aged and are waiting to be tasted. The Foundry can only serve ten different brews at a time so some decisions will ensue and a few of the better aging beers will have to wait. I look at this as a line up of thorough-bred's stomping their hooves at the gate just waiting to make a run. Next issue I will report on the grand opening, I promise, again.

If you are looking for a truly knockout beer, head to the Strip Brewing Company and order a pint of "Love Stout No. 9". Bill Ehrlert, the head brewer, has pulled out the stops for this one. It's a rich, creamy, mouthful of chocolate and roast malt delights! The brew started at 15.5º Plato and finished with an alcohol content of 5.8% ABV. The hops are Northern Brewer and EKG, but they fall into the background here. This is a very malty brew and the bitterness to balance that sweet malt seems to come mostly from the roasted malt. No matter how Bill did it, it's a winner.

Another new and very enjoyable addition is a Pils. This is a classic German style Pilsner with a very pronounced hop bouquet and a well-balanced flavor. Future plans include a brown ale and, around Christmas, a Scotch ale. The very popular Two Penny Ale will be returning to the lineup near spring. One thing I really need to mention about this place is the staff. Every time I have visited here, I've been welcomed and served by an extremely knowledgeable server. I could conduct my entire interview just by talking with the bar staff. This indicates a true desire to better serve the customer.

I'm sad to report that the fine Oktoberfest being served at the Church Brew Works will be gone by the time this is published. If you didn't get a chance to taste it, you missed a real treat. There is, of course, another great beer in the wings to be tapped as soon as this one runs out. The new specialty beer will be a Scotch Ale. This beer is a 90 shilling style Scottish ale with a complex malt character. The brew began as a 16ºP wort that was fermented very cool and slow. The malt character is derived from, as head brewer Bryan Pearson described, a "special Pale malt" not normally used at the Church. This malt combined with a small amount of light caramel malt and a slow, cool fermentation by Scottish ale yeast has produced an extremely drinkable beer. The sample I tried was straight from the tank and was, naturally, a bit yeasty but I'm sure the final product will be memorable. The Church will be the first local brewery to have this pleasing style on tap. Another specialty beer that Bryan plans to brew soon is an American style Stout. It looks like the beers are following the season with these classic winter styles.

Another unusual style for this area is being poured at Valhalla and has even lead to a new holiday of sorts. The beer is a Berliner style Weissbier with an acidic flavor that may be enjoyed as is or balanced by an optional addition of raspberry syrup. The best day to sample this beer would be on "Thirsty Thorsdays" when it is featured for $1.50 per pint. A new Maerzen has just been tapped and plans are for a "celebration winter style lager" to follow soon. Valhalla has a daily happy hour from 5pm to 7 PM, which would be a good time to try their selection of lagers.

The new guys in town at the John Harvard's Brewhouse have been brewing up a storm with several new beers pouring now and award winners coming soon. They have yet another rare style on tap now, a Schwartzbier. This is a black, slightly roasty lager that is the first of this style to appear in the area. An export style Stout and the "Harvest spice Ale" back up the house beers currently on tap. Coming soon will be their gold medal winning Altbier and the silver medal Scottish Ale. A holiday ale that head brewer, Peter Seaman promises will be "dark, strong and hoppy" is in the future plans as well as "Boston Common", a California common style lager.

A greatly anticipated annual event will occur on December 5 when the Penn Brewery celebrates St. Nikolaus day by tapping the first keg of this year's vintage of St. Nikolaus Bockbier. I'll be one of many fans present on that night to taste a glass of this wonderful Bock as it's poured from the traditional wooden cask. The St Nikolaus celebration will be kicking off the holiday season for two days, December 5-6. Good news for folks who can't get enough of Penn's Oktoberfest is that it will continue to be available on tap and in bottles through the end of the year. Their silver medal winning HefeWeizen will now be available in bottles throughout the year. The Penn Brewery continues to be the steady, consistent source of fine local beers.

Some changes have taken place north of Pittsburgh at Hoppers Brewpub in Erie. A new brewer, Robert Schaffer, has replaced Brian Hollinger. Hoppers has an oatmeal Stout on tap as their seasonal brew now with plans for a holiday ale in the near future. Fans of their "Railbender" Scotch ale will be able to enjoy it at home soon. The beer will be bottled and distributed in Erie in time for the holidays and will appear in

Pittsburgh soon after. Hoppers is still looking for a location for a new brewery.

At the southern end of the region, West Virginia Brewing Company has just tapped a British mild. They are planning to brew a spiced ale to be their Christmas beer. The college football season has kept business booming here and a large crowd is expected on game days.

The hopping beer scene in Pittsburgh is continuing in the local beer bars also . The Sharp Edge Beer Emporium won the triple crown in local media awards recently from the "In Pittsburgh" newspaper, the "City Paper" and "Pittsburgh Magazine". All of these publications have selected the "Sharp Edge" for having the best beer list in the region. To keep that distinction several new and unique beers have joined the already extensive selection. A newcomer to Pittsburgh, Cantillon's "Rose de Gambrinus" is now available in 25 oz bottles. Another rare beer, Scaldis Noel will soon be available on tap, joining the twenty Belgian drafts that make up the largest selection of Belgian drafts for miles around. The beer engine will be pumping the renowned "Immort Ale" from Dogfish Head Brewery sometime soon. Jeff Walewski, the owner, snatched up what is reported to be the only firkin to come into the state. This beer is a 12.5% abv barley wine that promises to be a great treat to enjoy from the cask. There will be another "Meet the Brewer" night featuring Lift Bridge Brewing Company sometime soon.

With all these good beers around, Western Pennsylvania area brew fans are sure to have happy holidays and a warm winter.