First Growler at Fat Heads

I was going through some of my writing that I did as editor of the TRASH Can, for the Three Rivers Alliance of Serious Home Brewers. I found this article from June 2001 and thought it would be interesting as growlers have been around Pittsburgh for 10 years now. Has it been that long Glenn?

Headline: All Smiles at Fat Heads

A while back Fat Heads South Shore Saloon on the South Side shut down for a remodel. They have been reopened now for several weeks with an expanded beer list. Going from 20 to just-under 40 taps put a broad smile on my face. They have always been noted for serving good US microbrews and this has not changed but they now expanded the English, German and Belgium offerings. But this is not why I write.

For the first time in Pittsburgh a tavern is selling growlers. Talk about one for the road. Yes, our local brew-pubs have been doing this for a number of years but Fat Heads is the first bar that I know of that is selling draft beer to go. If you think another pubs has or is doing this too please let me know.

It has always been legal for bars to sell draft take-a-way; this is how growlers got their start. The price of the beer is the same as on draft plus the $5 cost of the growler. They bottles hold 48 oz. of beer and the cost usually works out to the price of three 16 oz. pints. The specialty beers have an adjusted price but just remember you are paying for 48 ounces of beer. They will refill the jug if you bring it back for the cost of the beer.

Even if you have just one or two favorites on tap the new happy hour should start you smiling. From 4 to 6 all drafts are half off and not just at the bar. Either in the dining rooms or the new patio everybody can be happy at happy hour. Myself I’m pretty happy at the bar just to have a chat with Amy.

The above story was first published in June 2001 so the growler prices and happy hour ar edifferent at Fat Heads now.

Fat Head's Alt Beer

Tuesday, 20 July was an exciting day for me as Fat Heads South Shore Saloon tapped its German Alt bier. The beer was made at the Fat Heads Brewery in Cleveland and I wasn’t expecting to see it poured on the South Side until Friday. Knowing how fast a keg can kick at Fat Heads I took no chances and headed down that afternoon. I was drinking Alt after being served by the lovely Colecia and sitting in my favorite seat watching the girls go by. Life was good that afternoon.

Alt beer is a Dusseldorf style and unlike bottom fermenting lagers it is actually a top-fermented ale. But in the traditional German style it is lagered at a colder temperature. Originally all beers were top fermented until bottom fermenting yeast was developed. But, that was the “old way”. Having spent four wonderful days in the Alstat district of Dusseldorf this past March I did some quality control at the Zum Uerigei brewery that was walking distance to my hotel, which was called the Alt Dusseldorf. The BJCP, or Beer Judge Certification Program says that Alt should be orange-bronze to deep copper in color, but not brown. The taste should be in the malt and clean tasting. As this is a session beer the mouthfeel should be smooth with little to no astringency. The Uerige has an alcohol content of 4.7% V. The Fat Heads Alt was listed at 5.5% V and for me that was enough to pick up a difference in the overall mouthfeel. This is not a negative quality as the beer was a VERY CLOSE match to the German. It was to be somewhat expected as the amount of malt used was a bit higher in the American. Yes Steeler fans, Cleveland is in America.

Matt Cole is the brewer at Fat Heads Cleveland and has won numerous awards. Headhunter and Bumbleberry have been mentioned nationally and his Up-In Smoke Porter should be (is) one of America’s finest. It did win a Silver at the 2009 Great American Beer Festival. Matt has been to Germany and knows the style and how to replicate them here. The sad news is that he is not in Pittsburgh so visits to North Olmstead (the real location) are required from time to time to get more of his brews. Should you venture into the brewery please do not ask to speak to Mr. Cole as he needs time to brew more beer for Pittsburgh.

The German Beer Guide to Alt: http://www.plastic.dsl.pipex.com/germanbeer/altbier.html has some information, but a number of good links to other sites on Alt.

Uerige Brewery: http://www.uerige.de/start/

Fat Heads South Side: http://www.fatheads.com/home.php

Fat Heads Cleveland: http://fatheadscleveland.com/

BJCP: http://www.bjcp.org/index.php

Alt Dusseldorf Hotel: http://www.alt-duesseldorf.de/

Keg: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keg

Fat Head's Brewery

I must say that I am in a quandary and I don’t know what to do. I am updating my Pittsburgh Brewery’s page on my website: Pubnetwork and have an issue with an entry; Fat Head's. I was thinking about this during their beer tasting event at Bocktown on Wed. 29 July. Fat Head’s is a bar on the South Side and they do not brew (here). There is a Fat Head’s Brewery in Cleveland. It is a franchise of the South Side tavern. Many bars in Pittsburgh bring in beers from micro-breweries but that does not get an entry on my site. But what if it’s the bar’s name on the beer? Any bar can have a brewery contract a brewery to make them a house brew or a series of beers with the bar’s name on the label. But I this case it is a much-more stronger tie. We hear about bars (in England) being tied to a brewery, but in an odd sort of way in this case it is the brewery being tied to the bar. This must be a first in America.

In any event, “Fat Head’s” brews in Ohio and serves it here at their bar, as well as Piper's Pub and soon to be in many more, hopefully. So, how do I list them on my “Pittsburgh” breweries page? If you have a comment please pass it my way. I am not looking for a legal opinion, just a beer drinker’s thoughts. And don’t be afraid to stop in the bar to help you get opinionated. I do several times a week.

Cask Ale in May

There seems to be a lot of beer events happening in town this month. Here are a few venues doing cask ale for May 09 with a smidgen of April, in Pittsburgh’s South Side. To locate these fine pubs go to the Bars of the South Side on my site: pubnetwork.

April 29th (Wednesday) at Piper’s Pub will be meet the Yards Brewers. Cask Ale will be served from a firkin. For more on their cask ales see Piper's Pub. I am hoping that they have the Brawler on cask, 4.2%ABV.

April 30th (Thursday) at the Birmingham Bridge Tavern (no known web). On draft from the Yard’s Brewery in Philadelphia will be Thomas Jefferson Ale (8.0% ABV) & General Washington Porter (7.0%ABV). The BBT does not pull a beer engine but we may need more Yard’s ale. For the good of the country of course.

The meet the Yard’s Brewer night on Wednesday and Thursday is a Vecenie Distributor promotion. Ok boys and girls, what does the 1933 mean to you?

May 7th (Thursday) Piper’s Pub will introduce the Duck Rabbit Brewery from North Carolina. They are sending a firkin of the Duck Rabbit Coffee Porter that will be pouring. Somebody from the brewery will be in that evening for the event. Sorry, no ABV.

May 8th (Friday) Fat Heads will also place a firkin on the bar of the Duck Rabbit Porter. Fat Heads starts tapping the firkins at 5 pm so get in line behind me. In addition to the porter expect to see 2 or 3 others from the brewery. They make a milk stout, brown, amber and the porter. The Imperial porter may come this way too.

May 15th (Friday) is a non-cask night at Fat Heads but our friends from Oskar Blues (Dales Pale Ale) will be in at 6pm.

May 18th (Monday) will be a cask night at Fat Heads but we can meet the brewer from Victory Brewing. Not sue of the time so check out Fat Heads. St Boisterous Bock (7.3%ABV) and Braumeister Pils (?%ABV)will be on Tap and the Hop Wallop (8.5%ABV) on Cask.

Just a note for June 2009, the Penn Fest is scheduled for the first Saturday of the month. I already have my tickets. The Penn is located on the North Side and can be found at Penn Brewery.
MAY 12, 2009 PENN BREWERY UPDATE: The Penn Fest is being re-scheduled. If you have a ticket you need to take it to the brewery for a refund. They need the ticket as this is their way of keeping track of returns. Check their site to updates.