Barrett O.
Yelp
This place is wicked cool! I went with friends and family here after a play and was blown away with the gorgeous venue, food, service, and of course beer!!
We arrived at this Italian architectural style church that was built 121 years ago, St. John the Baptist Church that now a brewery, you heard right :-) As for the venue it's a former Catholic Church that has been desanctified as a result of diocese consolidation. They have done a truly inspired job of preserving and incorporating the architecture and interior into the restaurant/brewery that is creative, welcoming and almost breathtaking. It's so cool how they've incorporated the organ, pews, pulpit, stain-glass and I sincerely doubt that there's any brewery in our part of the world can compare to this, it's a must visit destination. AMEN! (check out names on expansive stain glass)
We were warmly greeted and seated right away and presently with an expansive menu that did represent Pittsburgh nicely but some unexpected items as well. Like Shrimp and Grits, Jambalaya, Lobster & Shrimp Mac n Cheese, and BBQ Ribs, surprising indeed. But
I had been jonesing for Pittsburgh traditional pierogies and that's exactly how I started our meal with an order of pierogies, potato and cheese served with sauteed onions, melted butter, and sour cream that were perfectly prepared and delicious. Another appetizer was the Spinach, Feta & Smoked Gouda Dip that's
Served warm with tortilla chips, also good. For my entree I had the German Mac n Cheese that's
sliced bratwurst, red onions and crumbled bacon sauteed with cavatappi pasta and finished with a swiss and
smoked gouda cheese sauce with braised chicken. It was rediculously delish and I wanted more!!
They have a nice menu of specialty cocktails but seriously, let's talk beer. Like many breweries they have different beers all the time but on my visit they were:
Mad Brewer Maibock Bock, Ambrosia Ale, Celestial Gold Pilsner, ThunderHop, Blackberry Quadzilla Belgian Millennium Trippel, Mexicali Blues Lager, and Saaz Monster. I went with the Pious Monk Dunkel, a German style brew that was smooth and tasty and even took some home, back to the Gulf Coast, with me :-)
Yes, they do have beer to go, you'll see the
big cooler of beer to go near the exit with six packs and mini kegs, cool. Don't forget to and so fun cool merch, too. They do take reservations and if you want it delivered you can order through their website for Uber or Doordash, but probably not the beer. They are open seven days a week with various hours.
Bottom line: Gorgeous atmosphere, great service (shout out to Sarah), good food, and, beer at expected pricing that makes for an overall excellent experience. Highly recommended!!!
https://churchbrew.com/
https://www.facebook.com/Churchbrewworks/