Pittsburgh's beatified brewery

Nancy at The Church Brew Works

In Nashville, they call the Ryman Auditorium the "Mother Church of Country Music." I would not presume to dub anywhere the Mother Church of Craft Brewing, but given Church Brew Works' location, it's an applicable slogan.

St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Pittsburgh's Lawrenceville neighborhood was decommissioned then put to service as a massive brewpub.

Brew kettles soar above the dais that once housed an altar. The pews have been repurposed as dine-in seating and a large wooden bar runs along one wall, with several smaller brew tanks below the exquisite stained-glass panels of saints and martyrs.

None of the décor felt like sacrilege; the quality of Church Brew Works’ beer certainly helped. Starting with Heavenly Hefeweizen, we worked out way through most of Church’s regular and rotating lineup. The hefeweizen burst out with traditional hefeweizen notes (orange-banana-clove) them embellished them with notes akin to Belgian wit (lemon, pineapple, and lavender). Heavenly was a perfect pour for anyone after a single taste of what the Church could do.

Having recently become acquainted with the long-forgotten style, I could not skip Church’s take on Lichenhainer, a collaboration with Troegs Brewery. Essentially a smoked, slightly sour ale, this Lichenhainer lived up to its billing. Orange-bodied and tempered, the ale was slightly sour but well-smoked, with hints of wheat emerging throughout. The smoke lingered a little and mixed well as the cidery sour notes emerged later on the palate. Smoke is gentle but sticks around.

Brew tanks and saints in stained glass behind the bar.

Nancy picked Cherry Quadzilla, the Church’s strong Belgian ale, had a rusty, ruby body and the flavor to match. Rich with esters from its Belgian yeast strain and possessed with a ton of black cherry character, it was a good spin on a Belgian classic.

Nancy also went after St. Agricola Ale had a surprisingly aggressive nuttiness and sassafras character. Pipe Organ Pale Ale was leafy but light, with a bright orange hop citrus character ready for a happy hour session.

While some of Church’s large-format bottles tempted me (I have never been know to turn away a tripel), I picked an item both Nancy and I could agree upon – a six-pack of Thunderhead IPA. The rich, Cascade hop-laden brew competes with the best West Coast IPAs.

More brew tanks, this time replacing the altar.

Everything poured at the Church excelled, even if its location might earn it a little help from on high. It's a landmark for Pittsburgh and craft brewing.