Our Weekend in Pittsburgh

At the beginning of every year, I make a list of things I want to accomplish. I scribbled, "attend a Broncos game in Denver" under items like "see more van Gogh paintings" and "be better about money." I gasped when the NFL schedule came out and I saw Broncos versus Steelers in Pittsburgh. I yelled to Austin, "WE HAVE TO GO!!" Shortly after, we bought tickets and started planning our trip to the Steel City.

Friday:

We grabbed energy drinks and loaded my car (named Tom) with our packed bags. A couple hours into our road trip, our stomachs began to grumble. We stopped at Frontier Tavern inside Omni Bedford Springs Resort. Our small table was covered with Thai chili wings, grilled chicken alfredo, and an artisan flatbread topped with duck confit, goat cheese, onions, and balsamic glaze. After we devour our delicious dinner, we continued our trek west. We arrived at our Airbnb in Wilkinsburg just moments before the dark night sky rumbled, and heavy raindrops started to cover the streets.

Saturday:

Every morning should start with a glass of water accompanied by coffee. It's fun to explore local coffee shops instead of running to the nearest Starbucks. While navigating the neighborhood the night before, we noticed our Airbnb was down the street from Biddle's Escape, a unique corner coffee shop decorated with things like driftwood with faces and a "Vote Love" sign. We sipped our beverages and walked down the street with the intent to buy pastries from Madeleine Bakery and Bistro, but I got distracted by the colorful, plant-filled shop, Workshop PGH Home. We wandered around the store and I made a purchase of earrings, a painting, a pin, and a sticker before we made our way back to the Airbnb.

Our first stop on our brewery filled day was Southern Tier Brewery Co. Pittsburgh. It's located near Heinz Field and is the first satellite brewpub from Southern Tier Brewing Co. The taproom was spacious and from the entrance, we saw a "German-designed Krones Micro Cube capable of cranking out about 8.5bbls per turn" next to "either 25hL fermenters" ("Pittsburgh Taproom," 2020). We sat at the bar and I ordered a flight of all the local-only beers: Doobs Pink Ribbon IPA, PGH Brew'd: Berliner Weisse, PGH Brew'd: StrawBarb Jam, PGH Brew'd: Oktoberfest, and PGH Brew'd: No Frills Pils. Austin ordered a pint of Doobs Pink Ribbon IPA. We really liked this beer but it smelled like a Saison more than an IPA. Of my flight, Austin enjoyed the Berliner Weisse the most. He said, "This may be the best sour I've ever had." It had a strong malty taste like you get a strong sense of the sour then you're hit with the taste of bread. None of the flavors in the remainder of my flight really stood out to us. We finish our beers and closed the conversations with a couple we met, and made way to the next brewery.

On our way to our seats on the second floor of Cinderlands Beer Co. Warehouse, overlooking the street and a doggy daycare, we could see the 15bbl production brewery. The menu looked so appetizing so we quickly order food and beers. We chowed down on the duck poutine, which we HIGHLY recommend. We also recommend Pancake Galaxy: Blueberry, a "tartshake fruited sour with blueberry puree, maple syrup, ceylon cinnamon, milk sugar, and Madagascar vanilla bean" ("Cinderlands Warehouse," 2021). Austin took a sip and immediately said, "Mmmm. Me likey." All of the beers here have funky names. Along with Pancake Galaxy, we ordered Known/Unknown 008 and Bougie Pancakes. Known/Unknown 008, a hazy IPA, had a fruity aroma with a dank aftertaste. Bougie Pancakes, an American brown ale, had the "perfect amount of bougie." I assume I was referring to the wildflower honey notes. Our next stop was the Carnegie Museum of Art. I was eager to see paintings by Vincent van Gogh.

We happened to be in Pittsburgh during Three Rivers Beer Week— what a perfect coincidence. Two Frays Brewery had a glass blowing demonstration that we are so glad we didn't miss. We stood outside the brewery with VEX, a Hefeweizen (my favorite style of beer), and hmmm... I can't remember what beer Austin got. But we watched two men blow glass into intricate vases, which was really fascinating. We talked to some locals about other breweries we must go to. A woman recommended Trace Brewing and Grist House Craft Brewery because they were so close. We walked down a narrow street and made our way into Trace Brewing. We sat inside surrounded by other beer drinkers, the bar, the brewing equipment, and large decorative barrels. The brewery was offering discounts to medical professionals so Austin got his Science Rules!, a Double IPA at a lower price than my They're Coming to Get You, Rhubarabara, a Fruited Gose. By this point in the evening, I was feeling all the beers I had consumed and wanted to stop at Grist House Craft Brewery before our return to the Airbnb. We immediately noticed that this brewery was not what we were expecting— everything was outside. It was hard to get a good gauge of the scenery because it was lit with a few string lights and not much more. Before we entered the gated area, we grabbed some grub from a food truck. It was apparent they were about to close because the food wasn't that warm. We got in line again, this time for beer. We ordered a Fruited Sour called, "Dream Queen" and a Dessert Sour called, "Appalachian Sugar." The Dream Queen had an overpowering vanilla flavor that masked the apricot and mango flavors listed in the description. Now, the Appalachian Sugar... oh boy... I will be going back to Grist House for this beer. It was brewed in collaboration with Ashville's Archetype Brewing, bringing together cranberries, oranges, apricot, cinnamon, vanilla, and milk sugar. I am obsessed with cinnamon and this beer had so much spice. Austin said, "That's fire," after his first sip. Not too long after, we made our way back to the Airbnb.

Sunday:

Today was the big day! Denver Broncos kicking off against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Shrieking with excitement, I put on my orange Broncos t-shirt and saw Austin in his Big Ben jersey. Before we head to Heinz Field, we stopped at Caffé Mona for crepes. We couldn't stop looking at the walls decorated from top to bottom with colorful paintings and trinkets. Eager to get to the game, we scarf down our meals. Excitement filled the air as we move like a giant blob of Steelers' fans speckled with orange-wearing Broncos' fans. A fellow Steelers fan offered Austin an IC Light (Iron City Light), and I think the single sip I took was the reason the Broncos lost. Drinking an IC Light is apparently a Heinz Field tradition. I left the game upset over the loss and sad that our weekend had come to an end.

We will be back, Pittsburgh!

Edited by: Kenneth Ciccoli Jr.