4. The Church Brew Works

Before The Church Brew Works opened it's doors on the 1st of Aug 1996, the building was actually a real church. On June 1st 1902, the cornerstone of St John the Baptist Church was laid. At that time, a copper time capsule was laid with the stone. The time capsule is still there today. The building survived a big fire in 1915 and the Diocese underwent a major reorganization in 1993. On the 6th of August 1993, the church was put under an act of suppression by the Bishop of Pittsburgh. The building laid dormant until early 1996 when constructions for the brewery begin.

The Church Brew Works restored most of the original construction of the building. All the stain glasses in the building are originals and the floors are the original Douglas fir flooring. The pews were salvaged to make the sitting area of the brewery and the leftover wood was used to make the bar. The eight original lanterns were also refurbished and now it's hanging in their main area of the brewery. Bricks from the former confession stalls were used to make the pillars for the outdoor sign.

The altar area is where the steel and copper tanks of the brewery is placed. Diners can see the tanks as well as how the workers brew the different types of beer.

One of the most popular item on the menu is the beer sampler. There are six different kinds of beer in the sampler. It features four of their regular beers, ranging from light beer, dark lagers to the very dark shouts. The other two samples are their speciality beers. That changes from month to month, depending on the season. My personal favorite is the Celestial Gold. It's a golden colored light beer, very mild with a tinge of pleasant hop bitterness. I am not really a beer person but I can say that I truly enjoyed that particular beer. Kevin prefers the Blast Furnace Stout.

They have two different kinds of food menu. You can order from the pub menu or the dinner menu. The wings from the pub menu is pretty good. Another item you should try is the Pierogies. You are in Pittsburgh, you have to try the Piegories. Don't get carried away and order too much. No matter what you order, you must leave room for dessert. My all time favorite dessert is the 'Brewmisu'! It's Tiramisu with a twist. Instead of using the usual liquor, they make it with beer! It's really really good, trust me.

The Church Brew Works is a place you can go to when you are tired of the usual restaurant and pub scene. If you have never drank beer in a church before, head down to The Church Brew Works and order yourself a beer sampler!

The Church Brew Works
3525 Liberty Avenue,
Pittsburgh, PA 15201
Tel: (412) 688-8200
Web: http://www.churchbrew.com/