Written By Breweries In PA Contributor Jen Bril (Give her a follow at @hellobrewtifulpgh!)
Earlier this year we shared that Homebrew Con 2022 was coming to Pittsburgh on June 23-25.
The event, held at the Lawrence Convention Center, is expected to attract 1,500 homebrewers and suppliers. In conjunction with Homebrew Con 2022, the Pittsburgh Brewers Guild (PBG) partnered with the Master Brewers Association (District Pittsburgh) and the Three Rivers Association of Serious Homebrewers (TRASH). Together they paired up top local performers from TRASH’s annual homebrew competition with PBG member breweries to create some special collaboration brews.
The collaborations include:
• Abjuration Brewing will collaborate with Adam Sullivan of McDonald (Specialty Beer)
• Arboretum Trail Brewing will collaborate with Pete Paredes of Millvale (All American)
• Cobblehaus Brewing will collaborate with Carmelo Medina of Jefferson Hills (Lager)
• East End Brewing will collaborate with Bill Bickerton of North Hills (Top Overall Score)
• Helicon Brewing will collaborate with Chris Radi of Pine Township (Best of Show)
• Hop Farm Brewing will collaborate with Roland Warzel of Ligonier (United Kingdom Session Ale)
• Leaning Cask will collaborate with Adam and Laurie Bashline of Green Tree (Stouts & Porters)
• Mindful Brewing will collaborate with Nick Smith of Butler (India Pale Ale)
• Southern Tier Brewery Pittsburgh will collaborate with Dem Bones Brewing and John Koziel of Kennedy Township (Light Ale)
• Spoonwood Brewing will collaborate with Steve Hartman of South Hills (Belgian)
• War Streets Brewery will collaborate with Tom Zacher of Greenfield (High Gravity
More information about when and where the collaboration beers will be available to the public will be shared soon.
In addition, Hitchhiker Brewing will be welcoming any interested local homebrew club member for an open brew day to be scheduled later at its Sharpsburg brewery. Andy Kwiatkowski, Hitchhiker’s head of brewing operations, remains very active in the homebrew community and served as a judge at the April competition.
“A number of folks in our industry – including brewery owners and head brewers – started as homebrewers,” said Malcolm Frazer, head brewer at Hop Farm Brewing in Lawrenceville and a Pittsburgh Brewers Guild board member, who helped organize the collaborations. “With these collaborations, we get to celebrate and reinforce that connection between professional and amateur brewers. Our member breweries are very excited about this – the response has been tremendous.”
The PBG is also working with VisitPITTSBURGH and the Brewers Association (the American Homebrewers Association parent organization) to promote Pittsburgh beer during the course of Homebrew Con. The PBG and VisitPITTSBURGH will operate a space at the convention center to answer questions about Pittsburgh and pour local beer, including some of the homebrewer collaborations. The PBG is also helping the Brewers Association create a special version of its popular Pittsburgh Brewery Guide for the event, which includes brewery trail maps and information about more than 40 Allegheny County breweries.
