Who else is counting down until FreshFest on August 8? *raises hand* If you don’t know what we’re talking about, we’ll wait while you go read everything you need to know right here. Caught up? Awesome.
Not only are we counting down until all of the entertainment, we’re also counting down until we can sample some beers crafted in collaboration between local Pittsburgh breweries and Black-owned breweries. FreshFest is offering two different four-packs, which each contain a variety of beers: hoppy, dark, sour, and lager. Excited to learn more?
Hoppy: Dancing Gnome x Warcloud
If you’ve had a Dancing Gnome beer, then you had to guess they’d be involved in the hoppy one. They’re all about hop pronounced styles and work hard on the process of designing, refining, and perfecting their beer. You can find the brewery in Sharpsburg.
Warcloud Brewing Company is based out of Southern California, and they’re brewing up light hopped ales, fieldcrafted ales, tart and funky saisons, specialty IPAs, and barrel aged stouts. They’re all about promoting skill sets and diversity in the craft beer realm, designing unconventional craft beer recipes, creative artwork, and campaigning with guerrilla marketing tactics.
We got the inside scoop that this hoppy beer will be a hazy Double IPA, appropriately named “Wise Words”. It’s around 8.5%, hopped with Nelson, Enigma, and Citra for big aroma and flavors of juicy white grape, peach, grapefruit, and lychee. They have some cool artwork to go along with it, which we can’t wait to see!
Regarding the collaboration, both breweries have said that it’s strange working together when it’s all done remotely, but they’ve worked hard on the process and ingredients to create something they’re both proud of. They’re both there in spirit and hands-on with the process. Sounds like a recipe for an awesome beer if you ask us!
Dark: ShuBrew x Four City
ShuBrew is located north of Pittsburgh, and they believe there’s a beer out there for everyone…you just need to find yours. If the shu fits, drink it! They feature a seasonal menu using local products, and they recently became the first Butler county restaurant to earn a platinum designation from Sustainable Pittsburgh.
You can find Four City Brewing Company in Orange, New Jersey if you’re looking for a weekend getaway. They perfected their beer recipes for ten years before finally opening their brewery, so we can’t wait to sample what they have to offer. Their beer names, plus the music and art in their taproom are a reflection of the vibrant local art and music communities.
We also got the scoop on the dark beer in this four-pack. “Brewers Gonna Work It Out” is a black wheat beer with coffee, Oreos, vanilla, cacao nibs, and lactose. It sounds like everything we love all together in one beer, and we can’t wait to take a sip.
Sour: Eleventh Hour x Alematic
We are super excited to sample the sour from Eleventh Hour and Alematic, although we don’t have any secret info to share with you!
Eleventh Hour is on Charlotte Street in Lawrenceville. We love that they host a rotating selection of food trucks to match their variety of beers. And, really, one of the main reasons we go is to tell Archy what a good boy he is 😉
Alematic Artisan Ales is in Huber Heights, Ohio, which is a few hours away from Pittsburgh (also added to our road trip list!). They’re a neighborhood brewery brewing up handcrafted small batches of various styles of ales. They’re family-friendly, and they also feature local food trucks.
Lager: Cinderlands x Rhythm
Last but not least is the lager from Cinderlands and Rhythm. We also don’t have any insider info for you, but we’re sure it’s going to be uh-mazing.
Cinderlands has two locations: Butler Street (currently closed) and Smallman Street. We can’t decide which we like more – their menu (hello, daily specials!) or their variety of beers. Also, we appreciate that they offer taster pours so we can enjoy even more of their beer!
Rhythm is a Black-woman-owned brewery that was born after owner Alisa realized that there was a lack of craft lagers on the market. Which has us even more excited to try this collab! We love the story behind their flagship beer – head to the website to read it.
If you’re ready to start sipping, keep an eye on FreshFest’s website – they’re posting the link to order a four-pack soon. And, click here for the scoop on the second four-pack!
This content was provided by a local, independent contributor to Made in PGH, a lifestyle blog.