The Beer Snob Visits Piper's Pub

Since I turned 21-years-old two years ago I don't think I've ever heard of a single watering hole that held as much prestige, at least according to fellow beer snobs, as much as Piper's Pub in Pittsburgh's South Side. From all of the speculation that I've heard, the thought of Piper's seemed to help it stick out in my mind from all of the other bars along Carson Street. I can finally say that I have been to and had a few great beers from this fabulous place.

The infamous Sausage Rolls.

I can't even begin to tell you how many times I sat at home and drooled at what I saw on Piper's online menu. In the appetizer section I think everyone eyes up both the Scotch Eggs and the Ploughman's Platter. If you don't know what Scotch Eggs are, they're hard-boiled eggs that are wrapped in sausage and deep-fried. I'm sure most of you have heard of some form of a Ploughman, which includes meats, cheeses and breads on a platter. A friend of mine who refers to himself as Beer Snob Sr. joined me on this adventure and decided that we should have the sausage rolls, which were excellent with a nice tad of mustard.

Beer Snob Sr. enjoys his Guinness and Sausage Rolls.

The rest of the menu features many meals straight from England. Some items that stuck out to me were Bangers and Mash (sausage and potatoes), assorted Shepherd's Pies (lamb, beef and chicken) and corned beef and cabbage.

On Saturday and Sunday mornings Piper's has one of the most interesting breakfast/brunch specials I've ever come across. There are many types boxties to choose from (large potato pancakes), your traditional Irish and English breakfasts and Belgian French toast with batter made from Lindeman's famous Framboise. Unfortunately breakfast at this place is going to require another trip and another post.

There are also many brews from across the pond as well that include Guinness Draught, Murphy's Irish Stout and Bellhaven Scottish Ale. Piper's also features an extensive list of Pennsylvania breweries such as Weyerbacher and Troegs.

I ended up having a Black Chocolate Stout by Brooklyn Brewery, a Black Velvet (half Guinness and half Strongbow Cider) and a full Guinness. You'll have to wait until later in the week to read my thoughts on the chocolate stout, but I'll certainly let you in on my thoughts for the other two right now.

The lovely-looking Black Velvet.

The Black Velvet was sweet and heavenly. Surprisingly the cider overwhelmed the taste of the Guinness. As for the straight glass of Guinness, I was shocked that I enjoyed it. The only time I've ever had a Guinness before was out of a bottle. It tasted like burnt coffee and thus I didn't enjoy it, but I've always been able to enjoy gravies and stews made with the beer. Off of draft it tasted so much smoother and creamier. Yet another beer applies to my Yuengling bottle/draft theory (the same beer tastes different depending on the serving type).

Overall, Piper's Pub might be the best place I've checked out since I've started sharing my beer and food adventures on this blog. I was very impressed. The bar is a tidy and quaint place. It has a wide selection of local foods and both English and Irish foods. The same goes for the beer selection. It's the perfect place if you're willing to be adventurous when it comes to putting exotic beer on your taste buds. Oh, and since the place is so upscale the typical South Side douche bag  looking for chicks won't stumble in. Piper's is too upper echelon. It's a great place to relax and try some good beer.