Flowing Locally

I'm sure that many of us that live here in the Pittsburgh area are proud of the local breweries that offer some outstanding stuff on the market. I'm certainly not the most accomplished in terms of trying as many beers as I can, but there are a few beers that are brewed locally that I always find myself coming back to. It's kind of like that first love of your life. Alright, maybe I'm exaggerating. We still have some great stuff to drink around here. Here are the two I enjoy the most.

East End Monkey Boy

Whenever I get to a Pittsburgh bar, this is one of the first beer's I look for on a tap list. If I see it, I almost always grab a pint of it. Recently, I've started frequenting the new East End Brewing Company digs in Larimer to grab a growler or two of it. Unfortunately, you won't find cases or six packs of this beer. So, keep on the lookout in bars. You can also get the aforementioned growlers at the brewery location and at its growler shop in the Strip.

This is an awesome hefeweizen that's a hazy gold with a  foamy white head. It's nice and spicy and tastes like banana. It also has a very sessionable ABV at 4.8 percent. According to its brewer, this beer doesn't actually have banana in it. That just adds to the luster of this beer. Not only is this my favorite beer brewed in Pittsburgh, it's one of my all-time favorites.

Rivertowne Hala Kahiki Pineapple 

I keep telling you that I really enjoy fruit beers. Pineapple is an unlikely fruit that's used in beer. At least I haven't come across many that use pineapple. This beer also has an ABV of 4.8 percent and goes down nice and smooth.

This beer is somewhat spicy, but it its own unique way. There's a decent hop presence too. Oh and the fruitiness of the pineapple is fantastic. Rivertowne recently just started canning this beer. So, it's very accessible. I'm glad I got myself a case.

There are many more where these came from. We can't forget about other beers such as Rumplepilsen and White Lightning (which recently won a GABF award) from Full Pint as well as Pious Monk Dunkel from Church Brew Works.

Beer Review: Full Pint Rumplepilsen

Serving Type: Draft

ABV: 5.2 percent

Appearance: Rumplepilsen doesn't have anything really notable in it's appearance. That doesn't necessarily mean that's a bad thing, but it looks like your typical light beer with the golden straw color and a weak, white head. There wasn't a lot of carbonation in this beer either, but I think a lot of it might have interfered with the taste.

Smell: This beer smells very sweet and a biscuity. Those infamous pilsner malts also dance around in your nose after taking a waft.

Taste: It tasted very crisp and had that widely-known biscuity taste that's we are accustomed to with Czech Pilsners. It's very, very potent on the back of the tongue. The appearance of this beer isn't anything that draws you in, but the taste is what you expect with this style.

Overall Rating:     


Czech Pilsners are quickly making their way to the top of my list of preferred beer styles. That biscuity taste on the back of the tongue has become one of those beer sensations I've started to crave consistently. This beer's appearance isn't the greatest, but the taste blew me away.