Some spirited events for rum and beer lovers
Allegheny Distilling in the Strip District, maker of Maggie’s Farm Rums, is releasing a new aged single-barrel rum starting at 4 p.m. Friday. The 90-proof gold, distilled on-site from turbinado sugar like its white and spiced rums, is aged in 10-gallon rum casks from a distillery in Brooklyn. The distillery’s Tim Russell says the result is a less oaky, “more traditional rum flavor with notes of caramel and vanilla.”
The theme of the party is “Office Space,” the 1999 comedy about working at a software company starring Ron Livingston and Jennifer Aniston. Themed cocktails will include the Paper Jam. The single-barrel rum will be available for sampling and for sale by the bottle ($33.50).
Maggie’s Farm Rum recently nearly tripled its production capacity with the acquisition, earlier this month, of a second still from Spain’s Hoga Co.
• Friday and Saturday nights, the North Side’s Stage AE is taken over by the third-annual Pittsburgh Summer Beerfest and some 8,000 craft beer fans. They’ll get to sample more than 300 brews and ciders for $40 in advance, $50 day of (7:30 p.m. entry) or $50 in advance, $60 day of (6:30 p.m. entry; the event runs until 11 p.m.). PittsburghBeerfest.com.
• Craft beer meets craft spirits in the first release of Wigle Whiskey’s Brewers Series of collaborations with local brewers. For this one, Wigle rested some of its Ginever in barrels that once held East End Brewing Co. Gratitude barleywine.
People can sample it at two events — one on July 24, at Wigle’s North Side Barrelhouse, and one the following Friday, July 31, at East End in Larimer.
At Wigle, from 6 to 9 p.m., you’ll get Barleywine Barrel-Rested Gin samples, 2014 Gratitude Barleywine and a Wigle Ginever cocktail, and you can buy food from the Burgh Bites truck while listening to live music by AE Honick & Jordan McLaughlin.
At East End, also from 6 to 9 p.m., you’ll also get Barleywine Barrel-Rested Gin samples, 2014 Gratitude as well as other beer samples and a Wigle Ginever cocktail, and you can buy food from Brassero Grill mobile food.
Go to both events for $30, or pick just one for $17 (tickets via wiglewhiskey.com).
The “neat part,” says East End’s Scott Smith, is that Wigle gave the barrels back to the brewery, which has filled them with more beer to be released next year.
• New craft distilleries continue to open in the region. The latest, which opened earlier this month, is Ridge Runner Distillery in Chalk Hill, Fayette County. The distillery was a natural extension of Christian W. Klay’s winery across the road. Mr. Klay says the place is open Wednesday through Sunday.
Ridge Runner is starting with two products — a 100-proof unaged corn whiskey (moonshine) made from corn grown locally at Weatherbury Farms, and a vodka blended with water from the Fayette Springs. Learn more at ridgerunnerdistillery.com.
Last month, DR Distillery opened near Slippery Rock, Butler County. It also makes moonshine for now but is adding other spirits. Next up, within a month or so, says distiller and co-owner Mark Alexander, is a rum, and a rye should be ready next summer. You can tour when the place is open Tuesday through Saturday (drdistillery.com).