City Brew Tours

Pittsburgh is the newest city to join the City Brew Tours family.  Their other cities include Philadelphia, DC, Baltimore, Boston and Burlington. Apparently the owner, Chad Brodsky, got his start in Burlington running around town in lederhosen telling people to get into his suspicious van.

The current City Brew Tours van is much less suspicious and seats about 16 people. For $99 they will pick you up and drive you around to tour some of the following breweries: Spoonwood, Penn, Draai Laag, Cobblehaus, Couch, Allegheny City, Grist House, Aurochs and Hop Farm. They generally select which breweries your tour will visit, but can customize your tour upon request.

You can expect plenty to drink, some fun banter about the history of beer, an inclusive lunch paired with some local brews and a lot of information about the brewing process from the brewers themselves.





Auroch's was my second favorite stop of the day. It is located on Rt. 65, aka the Ohio River Boulevard in the last place you would look for a brewery. (Right next some establishment where you can wash your dog. How anyone would go somewhere other than their home to wash a dog makes no sense to me. Throw the beast in the tub or hose it off in the yard.)

An auroch is a type of extinct cow whose demise was thought to be brought on due to the expansion of agricultural development. The name is quite cute as Auroch's is a gluten free brewery. Their beer is made from quinoa and millet and uses a process that includes no gluten whatsoever. (Many other gluten free beers are made by stripping the gluten from the brew after the fact.) Their faux wheat beer and their session IPA were some of the best beers I tried on our tour. I could not even tell they were gluten free which was quite uprising.

I asked the brewers if they'd be interested in taking on a purine free beer. They didn't seem super interested. (The gout is brought on by the over consumption of purines which are extremely prevalent in beer.) The gout affects more people than gluten intolerance, and as such, I certainly hope to see some purine free beers in the US market soon. Several purine free beers exist in Japan, apparently they are not very good. For more information, check out this great reddit post.

We had a wonderful lunch at Hop Farm. As I said above, your lunch is included in your ticket price. We were treated to a buffalo chicken ceaser, soft pretzels, a beef slider and some gouda beer mac.  Each course was paired with a different beer, you can check out the pairings on the menu above. If you've been following my musings closely you are already aware that I simply love the food at Hop Farm and I have many nice things to say about them.

Carl hated all the beers. (I'm just kidding, he seemed to really enjoy them.) My favorite beers of the day were served by Draai Laag. I've always though of Draai Laag as a small time operation that played second fiddle to Millvalle's  Grist House. Boy was I wrong. Draai Laag is actually distributed in some 39 states throughout the country. Their beers are uniquely sour and yeasty in a way that makes me tingle. I've started drinking their products basically anywhere I can find them, and I can't wait to go back.

Overall, I have to say the beer tour was excellent! A ton of great information and a wonderful excuse to get out and enjoy the city. If you are considering booking a tour, just do it. You'll absolutely enjoy yourself.

Farm to Table 2017

Logan Family Farm

Every year the Farm to Table tasting is one of my favorite events in Pittsburgh. Some of the best farms and restaurants from around the city come to showcase the creme de la creme of local ingredients. This year there were noticeably fewer restaurants but a great deal more liquor vendors.  I certainly can' t complain though as we were able to sample everything from mead to spiced rum in addition to a wonderful assortment of food. In terms of the drink samplings, Pennsylvania Libations made an outstanding showing. They must have been sampling at least 30 different products.

Pictured above are the great people from Logan Family Farms. They are the only vendor to make our list two years in a row. No matter the preparation, their beef is spectacular. This year they served a pulled beef sandwich that topped the charts. (I'm ashamed to admit that I went back to their booth at least five times, but on each visit I was welcomed with open arms.)

Carbonara's

Carbonara's from Mt. Lebanon served an incredible spread including their homemade meatballs and hot sausage. Their products really showcased their sauces, which were worth taking home. I also have to mention that I loved their pizza. (I'm partial to any pizza where provolone is featured over mozzarella.) Their website offers a buy one get one half off coupon for entrees. 

Frankferd Farms

I never knew that I liked buckwheat pancakes until I met these colorful characters from Frankferd Farms! I have to mention that their flour mill is solar powered, which allows you to carelessly indulge in pancake binging without fear of hurting the environment. (You still have to worry about being fat though, that's totally on you.) Their farm has a showroom where you can come purchase their products during business hours.

Cherish Creamery

Cherish Creamery was my top pick of the 2017 Farm to Table Conference. Their products are made of goats milk and were simply irresistible. In particular their feta cheese was some of the best I've ever had. I'll be looking for their products at local markets in the future and I really hope to see their cheese offered at some of my favorite restaurants. 

Ernie's World Famous Gourmet Sauces

Ernie may have had the largest personality of anyone in the room at the Farm to Table Conference. When asked what his favorite BBQ in town was, he stated, "BBQ is nothing special without my sauce" and refused to name a restaurant! His sauce and his pulled pork were quite good though, so I appreciated his hubris.