It's That Time Again - Oktoberfest!

Keep an eye out at our locals - time again for the Oktoberfest beers to start showing up. Those wonderful malty, subtle lagers that can showcase the talents of the brewer.

In our own backyard, I know that the Coney has just tapped Penn Oktoberfest ('cause I had the first pint of it!). They'll not be running Sam Adams' version this year, in favor of the Boston Lager. You'll find Victory's Festbier in bottles at Sudsy's, too, and many others should start popping up.

Prost!

That Voodoo That You Do

A decent little article about Voodoo Brewery from the Post-Gazette.
http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/07256/816952-34.stm

Dead Reckoning Coming to Town

Tröegs Dead Reckoning Porter will be arriving at the Coney on Saturday, Sept. 1. It'll be nice to have a porter on tap! Oops, my mistake! It's coming, but it's in bottles.

Goodbye Mr. Jackson

As reported in tons of other beer-related places, beer guru Michael Jackson, author of the first beer book I ever owned, passed away this morning. If ever there was someone for whom to raise a glass, it'd be Mr. Jackson.

The Move Toward A Homebrewing Club

The summer has been difficult in terms of all getting together for an organized tasting, and as many may have noticed - we really haven't been sticking to the first Tuesday of each month.

The focus for the past several months has been on homebrewing, and we've brought a few more people into the fold. Jason & crew brewed their first batch (with supervision from Nate) of beer, a Franziskaner clone. Eli brewed his first batch in early Spring and is getting ready for another one. Jon finally did a batch last month (looking forward to tasting!). Nate is on his 5th of the year. And the latest member, Dave, is going hog wild with extract brewing. Since April, he has brewed at least 6 or 7 batches, and has gotten a couple more people interested.

That said, it may be time to think about organizing an actual homebrew club, one that is officially recognized. Of course, the rub is that I don't think any of us has actually been in an official homebrew club. We're putting some feelers out to see what's involved, pros and cons, etc. As we grow, we'll most likely need to get a lot more organized than we have been, but I know a certain local publican that would probably enjoy having us meet at his establishment :)

That said, keep in touch. We'll most likely keep the blog site running, even if we change the name of the 'club'.

July tidbits

The Coney still has a couple of Troegs offerings .. get that Sunshine Pils while it lasts, since it will soon be replaced by Newcastle Brown Ale. The Penn Weizen has been pouring for a few weeks, and it's an extremely good batch this year for those of you who enjoy German Hefeweizen. Nice and yeasty!

Have you been to Rivertowne yet? If not, why???

Also, Scott's been keeping the taps open at East End, and a few weeks ago brought out the Smokestack Porter. Get a bottle while they last!

A few more people are interested in homebrewing! If this keeps up, we might have to start a real club!

Keep in touch.

Rivertowne Pour House

For those who get to Monroeville or want an excuse to get to Monroeville, the Rivertowne Pour House is now open. With two great brewers (formerly of John Harvard's and Johnstown Brewery) working together to keep 14-18 taps flowing, there's good news pouring just an hour from Indiana.

Nice menu, great service. Check it out!