The Church Brew Works… Brewing Up Heavenly Craft Beer!<\/p>\n
Owner Sean Casey opened the Church Brew Works for business on the 1st of
\nAugust in 1996 and has been operational for 16 years.\u00a0 It is the oldest
\ncontinuous operating brewery in the City of Pittsburgh.\u00a0 The Church Brew
\nWorks is very successful, continually growing and producing more high
\nquality craft beer, thanks to dedication, commitment to quality and the love
\nof beer Sean has!<\/p>\n
It was quite evident to Nightwire that Sean is an amazing businessman and
\nthe driving force at the Church Brew Works.\u00a0 Sean told us, \u201cThe palate of
\nthe consumer has changed. They are moving away from corporate beers and
\ndefinitely moving more toward much more flavorful craft beers. Celestial
\nGold used to be the Church Brew Works\u2019 number one selling beer; now, it\u2019s
\nPius Mark Dunkel.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sean said that the largest growing consumers of craft beer are women. Women
\ntraditionally did not enjoy drinking beer, but what they are finding now is
\nthat the craft beers are appealing and pleasing to their palates. Women have
\ncome to enjoy craft beers just as much as they have in the past enjoyed a
\nfine glass of wine or a cocktail! I found this to be so true, as I only
\ndrank really cold light beer. Sean said, \u201cWell then, you probably never
\nreally liked beer because when you drink really cold light beer, you might
\nas well be drinking water.\u201d Oh yes, I have tried other beers in the past,
\nonly to find them too bitter, too sweet, too unappealing until I started
\nresearching and really tasting craft beers. What I found, to my surprise,
\nwas that Sean was absolutely right and nailed it…craft beers have flavor
\nthat you can savor and they are surprisingly refreshing.<\/p>\n
While at the Church Brew Works, I sampled some of their craft beers and,
\nguess what, my favorite beer was a stout.\u00a0 I have up until now hated stout
\nbeer.\u00a0 But, their Coconut Stout beer was absolutely outstanding, not bitter
\nat all but rather extremely refreshing and pleasing to my palate. I
\nabsolutely loved it!\u00a0 My next favorite was the Millennium Trippel, a
\ncarbonated beer that is corked and bottled like champagne, an absolute \u201cmust
\ntry\u201d beer! Their current summer beers are the German Wheat Beer, Saaz
\nMonster, a hoppy pilsner and Coconut Stout.<\/p>\n
Pittsburghers have grown to love the Church Brew Works beers; they are one
\nof the top selling Craft beers at PNC Park!<\/p>\n
Church Brew Works was built on the foundation of brewing quality and
\nmaintaining the consistency of their beers, which has been the key to their
\nsuccess.\u00a0 Sean is constantly investing money in his equipment and lab
\ntesting facility to ensure they maintain the quality and consistency of
\ntheir beer.\u00a0 Quality Control is the number one priority with the Church Brew
\nWorks, and it certainly shows. Sean just recently purchased the old Iron
\nCity supply house to help expand his brewery.<\/p>\n
The Church Brew Works is an amazing structure, with the most breathtaking
\nelement the position of the brew house on the altar. Because the altar was
\nbuilt as a centerpiece of the church, the steel and copper tanks gleaming in
\nthe celestial blue backdrop is nothing less than captivating. This
\nextraordinary view is only paralleled by the quality and taste of their
\nbeer.<\/p>\n
The following are some of the current Church Brew Works Beers as described
\nby their Brewmasters: Celestial Gold: This pilsner style lager is golden in
\ncolor with a light, bubbly effervescence.\u00a0 From the start, you will notice a
\nfine hop aroma and a light malt taste.\u00a0 Celestial Gold has been known to
\ninduce Celestial Bliss!!<\/p>\n
Pipe Organ Pale Ale: Brewed with a hefty amount of pale malt and three kinds
\nof American hops, this beer is a medium-bodied, dry-hopped ale with a malt
\nsweetness from the use of caramel malts.\u00a0 Balanced and sure to please, the
\nPipe Organ pale Ale finishes crisp and citrusy.<\/p>\n
Pious Monk Dunkel: This dark style lager was first brewed in Munich, Germany
\nover 150 years ago.\u00a0 Our version is fairly dark in color, but don\u2019t be
\nafraid: the Pious Monk Dunkel is the perfect example that not all darker
\nbeers are strong!\u00a0 The body is surprisingly mellow and the alcohol content
\nis low.\u00a0 It has a wonderful clean and roasty aroma and finishes crisp and
\nclean as a lager should.\u00a0 This beer is a multiple medal winning lager!<\/p>\n
The above are available by the case at participating distributers around the
\nregion.<\/p>\n
Rotating Blast Furnace Stout: Today there are many different variations of
\nstouts all over the world.\u00a0 To celebrate this diversity, we constantly
\nrotate our stout selections.\u00a0 Our past rotations included stouts brewed with
\nuntraditional ingredients such as espresso, vanilla, and coconut.\u00a0 We might
\nbe brewing an old favorite or experimenting with a new batch, so ask what\u2019s
\non tap.\u00a0 Drink it slowly and savor the rich flavors – we know you won\u2019t be
\ndisappointed!<\/p>\n
Millennium Trippel: Also available in bottles The Millennium Trippel is
\nlight in color and highly carbonated.\u00a0 It has a fruit – like aroma, and the
\nflavor is somewhat sweet and malty.\u00a0 Some say it has the look and feel
\nsimilar to champagne, thus making this a great beer for celebration!<\/p>\n
ThunderHop I.P.A.\u00a0 The ThunderHop I.P.A.\u00a0 has an intense hopiness, flavor
\nand aroma.\u00a0 We chose to use two varieties of American hops in the brewing
\nprocess.\u00a0 The color is copper to amber and the aroma is noticeably hoppy due
\nto the use of Glaciers in the dry hop process.\u00a0 You will alsopick up a
\ncomplexity from fruit -like esters.\u00a0 The body is big and malty with some
\ncaramel sweetness.<\/p>\n
Cherry Quadzilla: The Cherry Quadzilla is a full-bodied Belgian ale that is
\namber in color with some red hues.\u00a0 You will notice lots of fruit- like
\nesters and a bread – like maltiness with a lingering caramel sweetness.\u00a0 As
\nthe Cherry Quadzilla warms, the complexity increases and the flavor becomes
\nfuller.<\/p>\n
Herbal American Wheat: The Herbal American Wheat an American – style wheat
\nale with a twist.\u00a0 We added a pound of secret herbs per barrel to make the
\nbeer extra refreshing.\u00a0 The base is roughly 50% wheat malt, very lightly
\nhopped and fermented with our house ale yeast.\u00a0 After fermentation, we
\ninfused the finished product with herbs and made sure it was carbonated
\ngenerously.<\/p>\n
Mad Brewer Maibock: The Mad Brewer Maibock was the Silver Medal winner in
\n1999 and 2000, Bronze Medal winner in 2001, and the Gold Medal Winner in
\n2005 at the Great American Beer Festival in the German Bock category.\u00a0 A
\nbock beer is required by German law to start at 17 Plato.\u00a0 For those who are
\ninterested, Plato is a measurement of the sugar content before fermentation.
\nIt is a very malty lager beer with medium hop bitterness.\u00a0 A maibock is a
\nlight to amber colored bock beer and is very similar to a Helles\/pale bock.
\nMaibocks were originally brewed for the coming of spring, hence the name Mai
\n(German for May).\u00a0 The Mad Brewer Maibock is medium amber in color.\u00a0 Though
\nsimilar in color to our Pipe Organ Pale Ale, it is very different in
\ncharacter.\u00a0 Don\u2019t let it get you though; it\u2019s a very strong beer at about 7%
\nalcohol.\u00a0 It has a very clean and malty nose.\u00a0 The hop bitterness is
\nevident, but not dominant.\u00a0 The Mad Brewer Maibock will finish quite full
\nand have a delicate sweetness.<\/p>\n
Unholy Matrimony: How about the unnatural union of rye and wheat?\u00a0 The
\nUnholy Matrimony pours blonde and foamy.The extra carbonation is to aid the
\naroma.\u00a0 You should smell spicy citrus and fresh scents.\u00a0 When you taste it,
\nyou will first notice its dry rye spiciness which yields to its smooth,
\npeppery citrus finish.\u00a0 The wheat and citrus get along pretty well together,
\nand some added spelt provides some extra mouthfeel to hold all the flavors
\nup.\u00a0 Saaz Monster: This is a Lager beer packed full of Czech Saaz hops.\u00a0 We
\ndecided to not filter this beer so as to not jeopardize the wonderful hop
\nflavor and aroma.\u00a0 If you carefully swirl the glass and take a big whiff,
\nyou will get a full but delicate fresh hop aroma from only the best noble
\nhop – Czech Saaz.\u00a0 We used nearly 2 lbs of hops per barrel of beer, which is
\nnot far off from what we use in our IPA, though this beer has half the
\nbitterness.\u00a0 The flavor profile is spicy hops up front with a clean malt
\nfinish and pleasing bitterness.<\/p>\n
Coconut Stout: Our next stout in our rotating Blast Furnace Stout series is
\na Coconut Stout.\u00a0 We noticed in the last our years that our stout sales
\ndecline in the summer months.\u00a0 Most people don\u2019t want to struggle with a
\nnice thick stout in the summer months when they are looking to cool off.\u00a0 I,
\nhowever, love a nice stout in the hot months, so I felt a compromise was in
\norder.\u00a0 When I think of summer, three things pop into my mind: baseball, the
\n4th of July, and coconut.\u00a0 All right, maybe coconut doesn\u2019t make me think of
\nsummer, but I like it and I\u2019m in charge now so let\u2019s see if we can shake
\nthings up a bit.\u00a0 This recipe is a twist on my Milk Stout that debuted back
\nin November.\u00a0 It is the basic recipe for the Milk Stout except I added a
\nconsiderable amount more chocolate malt and scaled back the roast barley.
\nThe coconut comes into play in the serving tank.\u00a0 I added fifty pounds of
\nunsweetened coconut flakes into the conditioning tank and serving tank.
\nWhen the cooling jackets are turned on, the oils from the flakes will mix
\nwith the brew, giving the beer a subtle hint of coconut.\u00a0 When tasting this
\nbeer you will notice the chocolate malt up front on your tongue.\u00a0 This will
\ngive way to a subtle taste of coconut in the finish and in the back of your
\nthroat.\u00a0 The hop bill was kept low so that it would not overpower the
\nsweetness and the coconut.\u00a0 I hope through this beer that everyone will
\nthink of coconut when they think of summer.<\/p>\n
Steve Sloan, Head Brewer Hometown: Born in Waterford\/Pontiac MI, just north
\nof Detroit.\u00a0 Favorite CBW Brew: Big Belgian fan so I would have to say the
\nTrippel at the moment.\u00a0 Enjoy lagers too so the Gold is a nice session beer.
\nBrew you\u2019d love to see us brew: A series of Saisons, with seasonal spices
\nand wild yeasts.\u00a0 And a Polish Pils for summer.\u00a0 Education: Undergrad
\nKalamazoo College (Chemistry), Masters from University of Florida
\n(Chemistry), Diploma in Brewing from the Institute of Brewing and Distilling
\nout of London, Brewing Microbiology Course at Siebel Institute of
\nTechnology.\u00a0 Background as a brewer: First brewing job was with Kona Brewing
\nCompany in Hawaii as a shift brewer in 1996.\u00a0 Decision to become a brewer: I
\nwas exposed to craft beer while going to undergrad in Kalamazoo and drinking
\nplenty of Bell’s and spending a few summers playing and coaching American
\nfootball in Germany where I really found a passion for better beer.\u00a0 After
\ngrad school, ended up in Hawaii where I was trying my hand at teaching and
\ncoaching.\u00a0 Ended up meeting the head brewer for Kona Brewing who was looking
\nfor help.\u00a0 From day one I knew that the craft brewing industry was the
\nperfect fit.\u00a0 Good mix of using my science background for consistency and
\nquality while at the same time allowing a lot of creativity in problem
\nsolving and recipe development.\u00a0 Couldn’t imagine doing anything else.\u00a0 I
\nfeel fortunate that I stumbled upon this industry, which has had such huge
\ngrowth.\u00a0 Ending up at the CBW: After John Harvard’s closed in 2008, I did
\nsome part time work with Church Brew Works before heading out to California.
\nI was working for a great company in Firestone Walker in a beautiful area in
\nCA, but when I was contacted by Sean about the position, I was very excited
\nsince my wife and I love Pittsburgh.\u00a0 The Church is one of the coolest pubs
\nin world, and the brand has a great deal of potential.<\/p>\n
Matt Moninger, Assistant Brewer<\/p>\n
Hometown:\u00a0 Greene County, PA Favorite CBW Brew: Zwarte Piet\u2019s Xmas
\nEducation: University of Pittsburgh-Bachelors in Religious Studies
\nBackground as a brewer: Homebrewer since 1997, CBW Bottling line \/
\noperations Decision to become a brewer: It is the only job I can think of in
\nwhich you get to make beer!\u00a0 Ending up at the CBW: Friends in high places!<\/p>\n
Justin Viale, Brewer Hometown: Knoxville, TN Favorite CBW Brew: I go in
\nphases; right now it\u2019s the ThunderHop IPA.\u00a0 Education: BA in Anthropology
\nfrom the University of Tennessee Background as a brewer: Homebrewer for
\nthree years, then volunteer at Moccasin Bend Brewing Co.\u00a0 Decision to become
\na brewer: First, because beer is fantastic!\u00a0 Second, I like the work; after
\na day of brewing, something is made that other people get to enjoy.\u00a0 Ending
\nup at the CBW: After interviewing at breweries from (literally) coast to
\ncoast, I was offered a part-time position that grew into full time by the
\nend of the first week.\u00a0 I feel very fortunate at the opportunity I was given
\nto learn all aspects of the Brewery very quickly, and Pittsburgh has been a
\ngreat new city for me and my wife.\u00a0 Steven O`Neal Hometown: Pittsburgh, PA
\nFavorite CBW Brew: Hefe Weizen Education: Taylor Allderdice High School
\nBackground as a brewer: Homebrewer Decision to become a brewer: Love of good
\nbeer Ending up at the CBW: At first, it was my second job as a busboy, and I
\nwas offered a job in the brewery and have been here ever since (eight
\nyears).<\/p>\n