Pittsburgh homebrewers featured on national TV
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The spotlight shines on Pittsburgh homebrewers and the area’s craft beer scene in the next episode of “Beerland,” a show on Viceland.
In its third season, the series features Golden Road Brewery founder and president Meg Gill as she visits various beer scenes, tries beers and picks a winner to battle in a final taste-off to win a national distribution deal from her Los Angeles brewery, which was purchased by Anheuser-Busch InBev.
Episode No. 4, which airs at 10 p.m. Tuesday, has the relatively
deep theme of diversity. Featured brewers include Swissvale’s Kevin Stewart, an African-American craft brewer, and Greenfield’s Lauren Hughes, now an assistant brewer at Rock Bottom Restaurant & Brewery in Homestead. She is depicted there during a local Pink Boots Society brew on International Women’s Day.
Also on the show are Oakmont’s Brandon Allison, Springdale’s Paul Rocchini and O’Hara’s John Buechli, three buds who brew on a computerized, automated system they built themselves, and who have poured at events as Allegheny River Brewery.
As Mr. Stewart notes in the trailer, diversity is coming to craft beer. “It’s just going to take a little more outreach and awareness.”
The episode opens with Ms. Gill attending a comedy performance by Day Bracey and Ed Bailey of the Drinking Partners podcast, which is co-sponsoring the Fresh Fest Beer Festival on Aug. 11 with the forthcoming online magazine Black Brew Culture. Set at Threadbare Cider in Spring Garden, the event will feature beers by black brewers, including several collaborations with commercial Pittsburgh brewers and breweries, plus music, art, mobile food, even a live podcast. (Mr. Stewart says he’s excited to be doing, with Fury Brewing Co. in North Huntingdon, a take on a New England IPA mashed up with his Dreamsicle orange cream ale.) Tickets, $45-$90, already are on sale at freshfestbeerfest.com.
Related events include a beer pairing dinner with chef Shaun Forsett, who wants to open Purple Plate, at Spoonwood Brewing on June 25.
Mike Potter, founder of Black Brew Culture, makes a cameo in this “Beerland” episode at the Triangle Bar & Grill, as do other wellknown beer people including Dyana Sloan, Keana McMahon and Meg Evans.
You can watch the Pittsburgh episode at 7 p.m. Tuesday during a free event from 6 to 10 p.m. at Siena Mercato, Downtown. There’ll be Golden Road swag and beer specials, with some proceeds benefiting the Pink Boots Society. Mr. Stewart plans to be there, perhaps along with some of his Kriek Water sour cherry beer, as do the Allegheny River Brewing guys.