The Strip District has gone to Helltown.
The Mt. Pleasant-based brewery’s newest taproom is now open at 1700 Penn Ave., a 6,000-square-foot building it shares with the Pennsylvania Libations Wine Shop and a full-service bar.
Hours of operation are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 10 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Sunday.
At 1700 Penn — the umbrella name for the two businesses — you can choose from 24 taps pouring Helltown and Rivertowne beers and a few other local offerings, 140 Pennsylvania-made spirits (available by the bottle at the Pennsylvania Libations store at 2103 Penn Ave.) and more than 200 wines from across the state.
One reveler referred to the site as “the Taj Mahal of alcohol.”
You can enjoy your pint (or a flight) inside the spacious taproom, which boasts six large televisions or, weather permitting, head outside to the 7,500-square-foot patio and listen to live music.
Taproom manager Adam Santichen and his team of mixologists, bourbon stewards, cicerones and sommeliers curated a cocktail menu with classics ranging from the Old Fashioned to The Carpathian, a signature concoction made with MLH Monongahela Rye, Vigo Amaro, absinthe and mole bitters.
Santichen also created an extensive, rotating barrel-aged cocktail selection with more than 30 active barrels. Current drinks include the Manhattan, Revolver, Buckwheat Old Fashioned and Sweet Rust Coconut Rum.
On the food front, Warrendale-based restaurant Aviva Brick Oven is providing wood-fired pizzas, smoked wings, soups and more. A brunch menu is offered on the weekends. Within the next few months, 1700 Penn also will provide its own brand of eats.
Can’t stay for a bite and a brew? Get food and growlers, six-packs, mixed IPA 12-packs and full cases of Helltown beer to go.
The wine shop offers tastings and grape-to-glass education on all of its state-made wines and ciders. Customers can sign up for a wine subscription membership, giving them access to curated selections, discounts, members-only events, nationwide shipping and other perks.
The partnership with Helltown formed when Christian Simmons, president and owner of Pennsylvania Libations, decided to expand his business. Since 2017, he’s run the nearby retail store, selling spirits from local distilleries and assisting them with marketing and distribution.
The Penn Avenue building is owned by the Sunseri family, longtime Strip District business owners. A former produce market, the property was a perfect fit for Simmons’ vision — he just needed a brewery on board that made a lot of beer.
In 2018, Helltown Brewing acquired Rivertowne — boosting its barrel capacity and making it the largest craft brewery in Western Pennsylvania. It now operates the former Rivertowne brewery and production facility in Export, PA and another taproom in Houston, PA.
Simmons, who until recently was part owner of Four Seasons Brewery Co. in Latrobe, will soon open Bonafide Beer Co. in the Strip.
Bonafide also is vying for one of three brewery spots inside a four-story, 20,000-square-foot building in Hazelwood. It’s scheduled to open next fall.