East End Brewing Company

East End Brewing Company
Outdoor patio with beer at East End Brewing
Map
Location147 Julius Street, Pittsburgh (2012-present)[1]
6923 Susquehanna Street, Pittsburgh (2004-2012)
OpenedDecember 2004
Owned byScott Smith
Websitewww.eastendbrewing.com

East End Brewing Company is a Pittsburgh brewery. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, it is a "force in the local beer market."[2]

Owner Scott Smith founded the brewery after quitting his job with a consumer products company.[3] The brewery started selling beer in December 2004.[2]

The brewery was originally located in a 4,000-square-foot (370 m2) brewery in the Homewood neighborhood of Pittsburgh's East End.[2] In 2011, the company began pursuing a move to a 17,000-square-foot building in the nearby Larimer neighborhood, and completed that move in November of 2012.[2] In order to finance the move, Smith sold $1,000 vouchers to customers/investors, which will be redeemable for future beer, merchandise and special access to new brews.[4] The move was completed in November 2012.[1] The new location will allow production to increase from 2,500 barrels brewed per year to 5,000 barrels.[5]

Tap and tasting room at East End Brewing Company Pittsburgh (Larimer) location.

In 2008, it sold 700 barrels;[6] in 2010 it sold 1,800 barrels of beer.[2] Sales are primarily done through growlers and kegs sold to local bars.[7] In 2010, sales were expanded to the Pittsburgh Public Market in the Strip District.[7]

As of 2010, there were 28 varieties of beer.[2] Big Hop is the flagship beer.[8] Specialty beer varieties include Big Hop Harvest Ale,[9] and Gratitude barleywine.[10] Smith delivered the bike-themed beer Pedal Pale Ale via bike trailer.[11] Smith commemorated the enactment of a smoking ban within Allegheny County with "Smokestack" smoked porter.[12]

The brewery is closely associated with Pittsburgh.[13] The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette cited East End Brewing as an example of Pittsburgh's superior beer culture compared to Philadelphia's.[14] Demand for East End beer spiked after the Pittsburgh Steelers won Super Bowl XLIII.[6]

In 2012, Pittsburgh Magazine named it one of the best breweries in Pittsburgh.[15] It is among the most popular Pittsburgh businesses on Twitter.[16]

April of 2023 brought East End's first satellite location: a taproom in the Mt. Lebanon suburb of Pittsburgh.

Special events

In 2007, after mistakenly ordering a quadruple batch of New York-grown cascade and centennial hops for his Big Hop Harvest beer, Smith shared his hops with local breweries for a "Wet-Hopped Beer Festival" at an East Liberty bar.[17] Church Brew Works, John Harvard's Brew House, Rivertowne Pour House, Johnstown Brewing, Victory Brewing participated by using the excess hops.[17]

In 2008, the company was threatened by high hops prices.[18] After the prices eased in 2009, East End Brewing celebrated with a specially brewed beer called "Out of the Woods."[6]

The brewery was the final stop on the 2012 Venture Outdoors hike; successful hikers were rewarded with a beer.[19][20]

Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride

The Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride is a charity cycling event hosted by East End Brewing Company each year to ceremonially deliver the first keg(s) of the summer seasonal Pedal Pale Ale from the brewery to a location unknown to the participants of the ride. Since its inception in 2006, the number of participants has grown to 600 in 2012.[21]


  • East End Brewing Company merchandise shelf at Pittsburgh (Larimer) location.
    East End Brewing Company merchandise shelf at Pittsburgh (Larimer) location.
  • Brewery equipment at the Homewood location
    Brewery equipment at the Homewood location
  • A keg tagged with a stencil
    A keg tagged with a stencil
  • Growlers
    Growlers

References

  1. ^ a b Batz, Jr., Bob (November 6, 2012). "It's pouring at East End's new place". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved November 7, 2012.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Cato, Jason (April 30, 2011). "East End Brewing Co. eyes Larimer expansion". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  3. ^ Stroup, Mark (September 6, 2006). "The (Art and) Craft of Brewing". Pop City. Archived from the original on September 26, 2012. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  4. ^ Batz, Jr, Bob (March 30, 2012). "East End Brewing Co. is minting 'money'". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  5. ^ Klein, Hal B. (November 14, 2012). "East End Brewing makes a big expansion". Pittsburgh City Paper. Retrieved November 15, 2012.
  6. ^ a b c Schooley, Tim (March 30, 2009). "East End Brewing Co. happier as hops more plentiful". Pittsburgh Business Times. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  7. ^ a b Schooley, Tim (August 13, 2010). "East End Brewing coming to Public Market". Pittsburgh Business Times. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  8. ^ Batz, Jr., Bob (September 21, 2006). "East End Brewing's alt taps "wet" hop freshness". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  9. ^ Batz, Bob (October 13, 2005). "Gold medal goes to Church bock beer". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  10. ^ Batz, Jr., Bob (March 29, 2012). "Being grateful for beer, again: East End Brewing's 'Gratitude' is back". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  11. ^ Batz Jr., Bob (April 16, 2009). "Beer: 'Beer Wars' will be followed by chat". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  12. ^ Batz, Jr., Bob (July 3, 2007). "East End Brewing smokes out a beer with an unusual flavor". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  13. ^ Rich, Andrew (October 1, 2009). "Our man at the Great American Beer Fest". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  14. ^ Batz, Jr., Bob (March 6, 2008). "Beer: Philly a better beer-drinking city than Pittsburgh? Sez them". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  15. ^ "The 'Burgh Beer Bible". Pittsburgh Magazine. October 2012. Archived from the original on 2013-03-31. Retrieved 2012-10-22.
  16. ^ Millman, China (July 12, 2009). "Restaurants try out Twitter patter". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved February 2, 2013.
  17. ^ a b Batz, Bob (September 27, 2007). "Beer: What to do with too many hops? Brew up a festival". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  18. ^ Schooley, Tim (October 27, 2008). "Brewery raises prices as costs bubble up". Pittsburgh Business Times. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  19. ^ Gigler, Dan (March 28, 2012). "Novelty hike ends at East End brewery". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  20. ^ "Briefs: East End Brewing Co. a highlight of Venture Outdoors hike". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. May 28, 2008. Retrieved September 9, 2012.
  21. ^ Iva (1 May 2012). "ALTERNATIVE FUEL: EAST END BREWING 2012 KEG RIDE". I HEART PGH. Archived from the original on 15 June 2012. Retrieved 9 September 2012.

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