Get ready to explore Pittsburgh’s rich craft brewery scene with this year’s THREE RIVERS BEER WEEK! Kicking off on April 12th (4/12, appropriately for our city) and running through April 16th, this celebration of local breweries is going to be the best yet. With 20+ unique events packed into the five-day celebration, there is no shortage of beer-related excitement in the Burgh!
Wednesday will kick off the celebration with events at Back Alley Brewing Company, Church Brew Works, Allegheny City Brewing, and Dancing Gnome. As we mentioned, the local breweries are planning to make this the best Three Rivers Beer Week yet. Pittsburgh Brewers Guild, the group of local brewery owners that are making this week possible, have tasked each owner/representative to come up with a unique beer event. Let us be the first to tell you, they are up for the challenge.
Events throughout the week include an ice cream float beer pairing, a keg ride, drag bingo, a disco party, an interactive brewery tour, and MORE! No matter what your activity vibe is, there is sure to be something for you. Plus, breweries all over the city are participating so hopefully you won’t have to travel too far from home to join in on the fun.
Abjuration Brewing’s Ice Cream Mixer
Now jumping into some of the events we mentioned…. One of the tastiest events is going to be Abjuration Brewing’s ice cream mixer on Thursday, April 13th from 5pm – 9pm in collaboration with a local favorite, Millie’s Homemade Ice Cream! Millie’s will have their ice cream truck on site serving up sweet deliciousness and Abjuration will be doing float pairings with their new ice cream sour beer releases. Absolutely catch us there.
East End Brewing’s Annual Pedal Pale Keg Ride
One of the events you may be familiar with, as East End Brewing hosts this each spring, is the annual Keg Ride! This event kicks off the release of the Pedal Pale Ale in celebration of the warm weather and the return of bicycling season. Join East End Brewing on Saturday, April 15th at 9am for sign-in, and bike with them to deliver the kegs to a mystery destination from 11am – 12:30pm. After you complete the ride, your first pint is on East End’s tab! Tickets for this event are $30 and proceeds benefit Steel City Cyclers as this year’s charity.
Necromancer Brewing Company’s Drag Bingo
Speaking of great causes, Necromancer Brewing Company’s Drag Bingo fundraising event will benefit diversity, equity, and inclusion within the Pittsburgh Beer community. By donating proceeds to the Pittsburgh Brewers Guild Code of Conduct training, it will help bring the local beer scene to the next level! Other great causes supported throughout Three Rivers Beer Week include Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR), Humane Animal Rescue Pittsburgh, and Dormont Arts.
Lawrenceville Brewery Crawl
If you’re looking to support several breweries, but are limited on time, head to one of the biggest events of the week on Saturday involving 6 breweries – the first annual Lawrenceville Brewery Crawl!
This crawl is going to take place along Butler Street at the following local breweries: Cinderlands Foederhouse, Burgher’s Brewing, Eleventh Hour Brewing Co., Coven Brewing, Lolev Beer, and Hop Farm Brewing Company. No matter where you start, each brewery will have stamp cards available for purchase to track your progress. Participants are encouraged to visit all 6 breweries to get a stamp (not required to purchase a beverage at each brewery) and then turn in the stamp card for beer prizes after the crawl!
The 6 Lawrenceville breweries will have event specials, food trucks, and new beer releases along the trail. Feel free to crawl at your own pace as the brewery crawl will run during the normal business hours of each participating brewer. Also, as you pass by Eleventh Hour, you’ll get to join in on Archer the pup’s 4th birthday party complete with pop-ups from local dog bakeries and businesses!
Pittsburgh Brewers Guild
Now let’s chat a little more about the folks who make Three Rivers Beer Week possible – the Pittsburgh Brewers Guild. You may have heard of the Pittsburgh Brewers Guild before as they are the group that created the first, second, and now THIRD editions of the Pittsburgh Brewery Guide. This little passport book now lists 40+ breweries to stop at in and around our city!
Another upgrade that comes with the newest release of the Pittsburgh Brewery Guide is the addition of different prize levels, including an extra special prize for those patrons that visit 40+ breweries – piece of cake, right? If you aren’t quite as ambitious, brewery guide holders can still redeem prizes after visiting 10, 20, and 30 breweries as well.
Another awesome program that is brought to us by the Pittsburgh Brewers Guild is the new Friends of Pittsburgh Beer program. Friends of Pittsburgh Beer program (or FoPB) is an opportunity for local connoisseurs of Pittsburgh beer to earn rewards redeemable at some of the best events and breweries the city has to offer!
Memberships for FoPB are $99 and include a welcome gift, a copy of the Pittsburgh Brewery Guide 3.0, monthly discounts on beer/merchandise at various breweries, discounted tickets to Barrel and Flow Fest, discounted tickets to Beers of the Burgh Festival, and more! If you’re an avid brewery hopper, this is the program for you.
Whether you are a casual beer drinker or a hardcore Pittsburgh brewery fan, Three Rivers Beer Week is going to be fabulous! Get out and support local brewers by attending their events with friends or family throughout the next couple days. Cheers!
This content was provided by a local, independent contributor to Made in PGH, a lifestyle blog.