Hazel Grove Brewing coming to Hazelwood
When he was in seventh grade, Steve Hartman used his uncle’s homebrewing kit to make an English porter for a science fair project about fermentation.
He got an A.
The central Pennsylvania native continued experimenting with beer styles, racking up homebrewing awards for his efforts. Now, with his wife, Barb Hartman, and friend Larry Adams, he’s turning his longtime hobby into a career.
Next spring, Hazel Grove Brewing will open at 4605 Irvine St. in Hazelwood.
The 6,400-square-foot building, which was most recently a construction company office and warehouse space, will be renovated into a taproom with a bar and a lounge area, a courtyard with fire pits and a 15-barrel brewing system.
“We’re going to have a vibrant space that’s creative and inspiring,” Steve Hartman says. “There’ll be a beer for everyone who comes in, whether you’re a craft beer aficionado or not.”
Hartman, who left a job in marketing and e-commerce, brews a variety of styles, from low-ABV blonde ales and Saisons to boozy imperial stouts and Belgians.
He just kegged a batch of cold IPA to pour at the Community Kitchen Pittsburgh Fish Fry on April 15 from 4 to 7 p.m. To shorten wait times, you can preorder a to-go meal online the day before the event or walk up and dine in from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Hazelwood’s nonprofit culinary training center at 107 Flowers Ave. is partnering with Hazel Grove on a food truck concept.
The Hartmans and Adams are eager to become part of the Hazelwood neighborhood, which is seeing tremendous development. The booze scene is also booming in the community. Next fall, a four-story, 20,000-square-foot building housing three breweries, a rooftop deck, a beer garden and a distillery will open on Lytle Avenue. The complex, known as Hazelwood Brewery, is slated to open in November 2022. You can follow the progress on Facebook.
If you can’t make it to the fish fry, Hazel Grove suds will be on tap at the Beers of the Burgh Festival on June 11 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Carrie Blast Furnaces. The brewery owners are also working with the nearby Woods House Historic Pub to offer their beers at the local landmark that’s now a restaurant.
“One of the reasons we wanted to open a brewery is that it brings people together,” Hartman says. “That connection to the community is important to us.”
Full Pint Beer opens Warrendale taproom
After rescuing Full Pint Beer from bankruptcy last year, new owners Dan and Carrie Franklin debuted a taproom on March 30.
Full Pint’s Outpost is located at 16087 Perry Highway in Warrendale. The storefront, which has been open for can sales since May 2021, now has seating for about 70 patrons, a food menu featuring a variety of “fancy toasts,” wild game sausages with gourmet toppings, and traditional hot dogs and sides.
To start, 11 beers will be on tap, including three new flavors of White Lightning and an original Full Pint favorite, All in Amber.
All brewing is done at Full Pint’s production facility in North Versailles. The Franklins dismantled the brewery to give it an update, complete with a new floor, automation system, canning line and filter press (the only machine of its kind in Pennsylvania), which allows them to make unique styles, such as rice and corn beer and malt liquor.
Support a Rwandan brewery at Two Frays
In a collaboration with First Sip Brew Box, Two Frays Brewery in Garfield just released Burning Lips, a lager made with locally sourced malted sorghum, pilsner malts, sweet potatoes, Crystal hops and dried hibiscus leaves — ingredients typically used in African brewing. A portion of the proceeds benefit Kweza Craft Brewery, a women-owned business in Rwanda.
The beer, which clocks in at 5.7 percent ABV, is available on draft and in cans at the brewery at 5113 Penn Ave.
First Sip, a Pittsburgh-based, Black-, veteran- and woman-owned monthly subscription service, sends brewery swag to craft beer fans worldwide. Its latest mailing included Kweza branded shirts, coasters and stickers.
East End Brewing introduces year-round beer
Tired of beverages that push the boundaries of beer? If you want a simple “beer-flavored beer,” East End’s got your back.
Everyday Pilsner is the new year-round offering, the company’s first flagship release in more than a decade. The bright, crisp beverage is available on tap and in 12-ounce cans at the Larimer brewery and at stores and watering holes throughout the area.
The beer’s been in development for a few years as owner Scott Smith and his team worked on other pilsners for their YOU ARE HERE Neighborhood Beer Project.
“Brewing all of these pilsners or pilsner-adjacent beer styles has allowed us to further hone our ingredient selection, our recipe and our process for this, our Everyday Pilsner,” Smith says. “We’re really excited about what we’ve got here.”
Get Back Alley Brewing Company beer
The much-anticipated opening of Dormont’s Back Alley Brewing Company is getting closer.
While you can’t belly up to the bar for a pint just yet, you can pre-order four-packs online and pick them up April 2 at 2975 W. Liberty Ave. Available cans include Back Alley IPA and Brewed Awakening Blonde Coffee Stout. You can also order branded merchandise such as shirts, hoodies, stickers and glassware.