Here's my quick $.02 about CBW: If you don't want the surprise to be spoiled--don't reaad this article. Go there and read this later. That said, let's press on... The Church Brew Works is amazing. My girlfriend Juliet and I went there last night (Friday) and found the place wonderful. The space is simply majestic. The huge interior of the church adapted well to its new use. Warm conversation seems to rise up into the lofty space. They have four beers--a light lager, a light ale, a dark lager, and a dark ale. They all have 'nifty' names like Monk Dunkel. Their pale ale was very good with a nice hoppy flavor. Even their light lager was very good. <<hopefully they will convert their share of Coors drinkers>> The bar area serves gourmet pizza (Pierogie Pizza was on the menu) and there is a dining area where they serve unique appetizers and entrees. Dinners run in the $12.95-17.95 range, beers are $3. They also have a sampler of 4 oz. of each beer for $3. Juliet and I had a few beers each, dinner and appetizers and the bill was $50, not including tip or the beers we had before we were seated. They are still new, and it shows a bit. Our food was very good - but not great. The pierogies du jour were good, but being a SouthSider, I have high expectations for pierogies. For my entree, I had a chicken dish with Quinoa. It took getting used to but it was good. The piece of chicken I got, though was pretty dry. This will hopefully improve. Everything on the menu has a very unique twist to it. Sort of in a way as to make you curious as to what it is. The waitstaff all seemed excited to be there which made the evening more enjoyable. Service was very good. (I was surprised at how uncrowded it was) Juliet is a vegetarian and we were suprised to see a vegan pasta/tofu dish on the menu. <<I wish more restaurants would have vegetarian food. Sometimes it's difficult unless you really, really like average side salads.>> All in all a great dining experience. I will go back very soon. Go there and share what you think! --Dave Cameron
Pittsburgh, PA
The Church Brew Works (review)
On first glance, it appears that the church was still in business. The pews had just been rearranged, the dias made host to a small stainless-steel-and-copper brew works, and a confessional converted into a merchandising outlet. The interior of this tremendous space is separated into two sections -- the dining room on the right, and the bar on the left. Both look to seat about 75 persons each. Between the two sections is The Aisle. It is open to traffic, easily accessible, and eerily inviting. During the couple of hours I was there, not a single person ventured down it. This might have been due to the lack of openings in the low walls on either side of the aisle. Or maybe trekking down the thing either digs up bad memories or invokes ominous portents. Or maybe it makes the adventurous appear to be worshipping beer making equipment. In any case, the environment was pretty cool, with the high ceilings, retained stained glass windows, and parts of the former church organ in plain view. A couple (non-religious) of the party I was with felt that this might be considered sacrilegious. I personally can think of no better use for the church than to turn it into a brewpub. I'd recommend any church to consider doing the same -- I'd guarantee a huge boost in attendance. The beer itself appeared the product of an inexperienced brewer. The four styles were a Pilsener, a Brown Ale, an India Pale Ale, and a Dunkel. All suffered from cloudiness or chill haze. All were a little light on hops, especially the IPA, which stylistically should be very bitter. They all had uncharacteristic fruity (ester) aromas, the Pilsener especially so. The Dunkel could have used a little more of a malty kick. They could all have used a lot more flavor. That said, I was able to down several pitchers of each style in a night, and look forward to going back many more times for several gallons again. The batches appear to be small, so it will be interesting to see how the quality improves over time! I didn't make it into the dining room, the waiting list being 1.5 hours plus. I had Pierogie Pizza, which was damn fine. Food prices were okay, beer prices were good, and I'll be going back. Doug
Someone wrote: > I hate it when people ask this without looking in the phone book, but > I did, and the Church Brew Pub isn't listed: where is it? Address > and phone appreciated. > > Thanks! > > Tony From their business card: The Church Brew Works 3525 Liberty Avenue Pittsburgh, PA 15201 412-688-8200 restaurant 688-8282 office 688-8201 fax www.ChurchBrew.com