BREWS WITH VIEWS
Downtown living tour pairs beer tastings with guided tours of homes
People considering, or just plain curious about, living in Pittsburgh’s Golden Triangle can check out some Downtown residential properties — and maybe take a little edge off the stress of house hunting — during the upcoming Views & Brews: Downtown Living Tour.
Representatives from four city breweries — Aslin Beer Co., Brew Gentlemen, Cinderlands and Sly Fox — will offer samples to those checking out the options and amenities at some of the 10 apartments and lofts.
Sponsored by the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, the Views & Brews Tour takes place from 4-8 p.m. Oct. 12, and tickets are $15 at www.eventbrite.com. Included is exclusive guided access to the homes with craft beer tastings at select locations.
Beginning at the U.S. Steel Tower beer garden, 600 Grant St., ticket holders can explore the following properties: Century Building, Encore Apartments, Eighth & Penn, Kaufmann’s Grand on Fifth, Lumiere, MaGinn Lofts, Market Square Place, Piatt Place Downtown, The Carlyle and The Residences at the Historic Alcoa Building.
Visitors can get their nebby on while wandering through common spaces, learning about amenities the perks of urban living, including easy access to many of the city’s cultural and culinary destinations.
City beer drinkers
Marcus Marcincavage, Aslin Beer Co. general manager, said ticket holders can enjoy the brewery’s Super Volcano Sauce beer, which has notes of blackberry, blueberry and vanilla and is mixed with milk sugar.
“It’s very aromatic and sour. It’s one of our core beers we opened our company with, and it’s always been a crowd pleaser because of its fruit essence,” he said. “We want to introduce it to maybe some people who are not experienced or familiar with sour beer. It’s different.”
Having just opened in the Strip District in 2022, Aslin wanted to participate in the Views & Brews Tour to further introduce the brewery to the city.
“We are going to be doing a lot of cool things here,” Marcincavage said.
Cinderlands Beer Co. will offer visitors Danville Train Festbier, a golden lager brewed with its “most beloved German pilsner malt;” Squish, its house pale ale brewed with Citra, Simcoe, Amarillo and Crysta hops; and Cindi’s Hard Mountain Tea, with a hint of citrus, according to its marketing team, Joanna Warden and Stephanie Murray.
“Danville Train is our seasonal beer and one of our most popular ones this time (of) year,” Warden said. “And Squish is our house pale ale that is very well-known around the city and a good introduction to our brand.”
Cindi’s is a new brand the brewery brought to the market in April and is very excited about. “It hits the note for someone who might not reach for a beer and (is) looking for something refreshing on a hot day.”
Warden said Cinderlands is looking forward to sharing its beer with people looking to make their home Downtown, right around the corner from its Strip District location.
“We have so many options at this location — brunch, lunch, dinner, happy hour, games and live music. It really is a great community, and we are excited to welcome more brew and food lovers to the area,” she said.
Brew Gentlemen will be pouring at its Downtown Beer Garden in the courtyard of the U.S. Steel Tower.
“All summer long we have been serving General Braddock’s, our flagship IPA, as well as other seasonal options,” said retail manager Cory Jones.
“We opened our brewery in Braddock in 2014, and a big part of our mission is to be a part of the revitalization of our community. It’s in our DNA,” Jones said.
“We believe that Downtown is the heartbeat of of Pittsburgh and have been committed since the summer of 2021 — when we first partnered with the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership — to be a part of building Downtown back up.”
Adam Lewin, Sly Fox Brewing Co. events coordinator, noted the company has a Downtown presence with its Taphouse at the Point.
“We’re actually the only brewery Downtown. We have our brewery just over the Smithfield Bridge in the South Side and a taphouse Downtown at the Point. We are excited to be there and wanted to participate to let everyone know we are there,” he said.
Sly Fox plans to offer two of its flagship (year-round) beers: Helles, a golden lager, described on the website as “light-bodied” with a “gentle, dry finish,” and Haze Fix, a hazy IPA described as “soft, pillowy wheat and oats swirl while lush, fruity hops twirl.”
Lewin also expects to offer a few of the brewery’s seasonal beers.
Meanwhile, the Views and Brews Party, free to the public, will be held from 4-9 p.m. that day at U.S. Steel Plaza. Byron Nash will provide live music, where the participating breweries also will offer beverages. Parking will be available at the U.S. Steel Tower parking garage.