Vandergrift - The Beer Thrillers

Allusion Brewing Company’s Second Location is Having Their Grand Opening Saturday

B. Kline — Wed, 10 Apr 2024 13:48:24 +0000

Allusion Brewing Company’s second location (in Duncan Manor Plaza) is having their grand opening on April 13th.

Allusion Brewing Company’s second location is having their grand opening on April 13th

Allusion Brewing Company’s second location (in Duncan Manor Plaza) is having their grand opening on Saturday – April 13th, 2024. We covered their Second Location here: Allusion Brewing is Opening a Second Spot in McCandless Township, Duncan Manor in Allison Park and the initial announcement here: Allusion Brewing Expanding into Allison Park – North Hills after we learned about it at the Great Appreciation Party.

They are located at 1701 Duncan Avenue, Allison Park, Duncan Manor Plaza.

Allusion Brewing Company won our 2023 Battle of the Breweries Championship.

Announcement

We have some exciting news to share! We will be celebrating the Grand Opening of our second location next Saturday, April 13! Doors open at 12n and we’ll be serving beers until 11pm. Bailee’s Bistro LLC will be serving delicious eats!

Find us at 1701 Duncan Avenue, Allison Park, in Duncan Manor Plaza!

Please note we will be closing our Vandergrift location that day so that our staff can join in on the excitement!

We can’t wait to celebrate with you!

Allusion Brewing Company – Facebook Post

Allusion Brewing Company Locations

For a relative idea of where at – check out this map: Allison Park, North Hills.

Be sure to check out our travelogue of going out to celebrate their winning our Battle of the Breweries (2023): An Alluring Trip to Vandergrift.

This will mark their second location. Their first location is in Vandergrift, PA. You can find them at: Allusion Brewing Company – Brewery (Vandergrift) [Google Maps].

This map will give you a general idea of distance to their new spot: Allusion Brewing Company to Possible Future Home of Allusion Brewing Company.

For More Information on Allusion Brewing Company

For more information about Allusion Brewing Company you can visit their very well designed website here: Allusion Brewing Company – Official Website.

The following comes from Untappd: Allusion Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. They have 66 unique beers and over 6,300 ratings, with a global average rating of 3.83 (as of 4.10.24). Their Untappd description reads: Vandergrift’s hometown brewery, offering a consistent library of approachable beers taking the tradition of each style seriously. Craft beer is about bringing people together – come join our story.

For more information, you can find them at their social media pages here:

Brewery News

Interested in finding out about many other brewery openings, new locations, closings, movings, and in general brewery news? You can check out our links below:

Thank You for Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

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MAPS OF BREWERIES

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Allusion Brewing is Opening a Second Spot in McCandless Township, Duncan Manor in Allison Park

B. Kline — Fri, 29 Dec 2023 12:45:00 +0000

Allusion Brewing is Opening a Second Spot in McCandless Township, Duncan Manor in Allison Park in Early 2024

Allusion Brewing Company is expanding and opening a second location in Allison Park – Duncan Manor – McCandless Township; in the Greater Pittsburgh Area in early 2024.

As we reported back in July of 2023 – Allusion Brewing Expanding into Allison Park – North Hills – Allusion Brewing Company is growing and expanding, adding a second location in the North Hills. We were told about this while we were there for their Great Appreciation Party.

Their announcement on Facebook reads:

As we near the end of 2023, we are thankful for all of the support from our local community of Vandergrift. We look forward to another great year in this amazing historic town!

We have big plans for 2024!

Construction has been going strong for a couple months now, and early in 2024, we are going to open our second location in the North Hills. McCandless Township, Duncan Manor in Allison Park to be exact!

With the addition of a second location, we are making a few adjustments to our hours of operation, which will apply to both locations:

Tuesday and Wednesday, 3 pm -10 pm
Thursday, 12 pm – 10 pm
Friday and Saturday, 12 pm – 11 pm
Sunday, 12pm – 6pm

*Kitchen closes 1 hour before taproom*

These hours will go into effect in Vandergrift starting January 2nd
Allusion Brewing Company – Facebook Post

For a relative idea of where at – check out this map: Allison Park, North Hills.

Be sure to check out our travelogue of going out to celebrate their winning our Battle of the Breweries (2023): An Alluring Trip to Vandergrift.

This will mark their second location. Their first location is in Vandergrift, PA. You can find them at: Allusion Brewing Company – Brewery (Vandergrift) [Google Maps].

This map will give you a general idea of distance to their new spot: Allusion Brewing Company to Possible Future Home of Allusion Brewing Company.

For More Information on Allusion Brewing Company

For more information about Allusion Brewing Company you can visit their very well designed website here: Allusion Brewing Company – Official Website.

The following comes from Untappd: Allusion Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. They have 63 unique beers and over 5,900 ratings, with a global average rating of 3.83 (as of 12.29.23). Their Untappd description reads: Vandergrift’s hometown brewery, offering a consistent library of approachable beers taking the tradition of each style seriously. Craft beer is about bringing people together – come join our story.

For more information, you can find them at their social media pages here:

Brewery News

Interested in finding out about many other brewery openings, new locations, closings, movings, and in general brewery news? You can check out our links below:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

We Can’t Always Be a Glutton Right? – Perfect Portions and Allusion Brewing Company

AmyMWolfe — Mon, 31 Jul 2023 03:03:09 +0000

Allusion Brewing Company – Baker Street Brown and the Cheeseburger Skillet by Perfect Portions

A Perfect Meal

We can’t be gluttons all the time, right? One evening a little while ago I decided to pair the Cheeseburger Skillet from the Perfect Portion and the Baker Street Brown Ale from Allusion Brewing Company. I’m not pretending to be any sort of expert on pairing food with which type of beverage. I am just gonna go with the motto of “I’ll try anything once”. But this combo was pretty darn good!

I’ve been trying to lose a little of this pregnancy weight and drinking beer as a hobby doesn’t really help with the loose weight part. So, I decided to pair my beer for the evening with a healthy meal from The Perfect Portion. When I first started going to The Perfect Portion (TPP for short) back in 2018 the cheeseburger skillet was one of the first meals that I tried. It’s still one of my favorite meals.

The two things I was hoping to find from a meal prep service was: 1. Flavorful meals and 2. That they didn’t leave me feeling unsatisfied. TPP nails both of these items. I should have known I’d be obsessed when the owner, Kristin Brunner, states right on her website “I LOVE to eat!”. She also states on her website “Our meals are made with fresh, whole, minimally processed ingredients and range between 300 – 600 calories depending on whether you order breakfast, lunch or dinner.”

The cheeseburger skillet reminds me of the creamy and cheesiness from the Hamburger Helper Cheeseburger skillet meal. TPP also pairs it with Zucchini fries. They are topped with Italian seasonings and Parmesan cheese. I was hoping for that to pair nicely with the Baker Street Brown Ale from Allusion Brewing Company.

A Perfect Beer

Baker Street Brown by Allusion Brewing Company (background) with the Cheeseburger Skillet (foreground) by The Perfect Portion

(Fun trivia: Baker Street is the home of Sherlock Holmes, and as you can see from the beer can label it has his address – 221B on the can. For some reason, I feel like a Brown Ale is the perfect beer for Sherlock Holmes. Watson would probably be a Witbier.)

Beer: Baker St. Brown
Brewery: Allusion Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale – English
ABV: 5%
IBU: 15
Untappd Description: Traditional Mild English Brown Ale brewed with English floor malted maris otter, English chocolate malts, and English Fuggle hops for a light drinking sessionable ale with hints of caramel and toasted bread. Sit back and enjoy one while you solve your latest mystery.
Global Untappd Rating: 3.75 (as of 7.30.23)

This tasty brown ale is described on the Allusion website as “Traditional Mild English Brown Ale brewed with English floor malted Maris Otter malt, English chocolate malts, and English Fuggle hops for a light drinking sessionable ale with hints of caramel and toasted bread.” For me it was definitely that maltiness that hits your taste buds first and then finishes with a sweet caramel taste. Allusion Brewing Company has quickly ranked in my top breweries I need to revisit very soon. Being there you felt like you were on an episode of Cheers. Other patrons of the brewery knew each other just from visiting the same brewery. Each time someone walked up to the brewery everyone was saying hello and greeting them by their name. It’s the sense of community for me I keep hearing the OG Karen saying while we were all sipping some brews outside a few weeks ago.

Karen with the title belt (see our Instagram for more pictures)

I had a rough time deciding which 4 pack we were taking home after visiting Allusion to celebrate the March Tournament Win. The fact that I have 3 more of this tasty brown ale in my fridge makes me very happy and I think I’ll go crack one open now.

— Drink More Beer!

-Amy

Allusion Brewing Company’s title belt for winning The Battle of the Breweries 2023 Tournament

Amy’s Back

Amy with the title belt (check out our Instagram to see more pictures)

This is Amy’s first column back after two weeks. We’ve certainly had a busy few days and weeks. Real life and family stuff, trips out to Vandergrift, myself getting to go to two soccer (futbol) games at the Lincoln Field last Sunday, going out to Sworn Brewing Company and checking out their soon to be opening brewery, and much more.

So I’ll take the blame for Amy not having time to write. But she is back, and she has told me she actually has a few ideas of what she wants to write about. (She’ll also be part of the Sworn Brewing Company article alongside myself and Josh Doncevic returning to write as well.) So have no fear, Amy is back and will be continuing to write for us. Sorry for keeping her away from all of you the past two weeks and sorry to Amy for keeping her so busy.

-B. Kline

For More Information on Allusion Brewing Company

For more information about Allusion Brewing Company you can visit their very well designed website here: Allusion Brewing Company – Official Website.

The following comes from Untappd: Allusion Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. They have 57 unique beers and just over 5,200 ratings, with a global average rating of 3.84 (as of 7.30.23). Their Untappd description reads: Vandergrift’s hometown brewery, offering a consistent library of approachable beers taking the tradition of each style seriously. Craft beer is about bringing people together – come join our story.

For more information, you can find them at their social media pages here:

Amy’s Column Series

Since getting back to writing for the blog after a short hiatus, Amy has started up a weekly column style writing for the blog. You can find these articles here:

Brewfests with Anxiety (Amy’s original weekly column start)
I’ve Missed Drinking (A Look at Non Alcoholic Beers)
Beer and Pretzel Review: Legends and Lore (St. Boniface Brewing Company) and Garlic Parm Pretzels (Pretzels.com)
Peanut Butter Eggs, Easter, Beer, and YAH Brew’s Shimmy Shake (Beer Review)
Cox Brewing Company: Back to Their Roots
Amy’s Day Off
It Was All A Dream (A Visit to YAH Brewing)
Just Another Weekend (A Hike at Saint Pete’s Trail and Hares Hill Brewing)
I’m Pretty Darn Lucky (Happy Mother’s Day)
Ready to Kick of the Summer
Beer Review: Beer Devil IPA (Niagara Brewing Company)
World MS Day
Have you ever picked a beer based on the can art?
Happy Father’s Day
What is Your Summer Time Go To Beer?
Holiday Weekend and Bomber Bottles
Baby’s First Ffej
We Can’t Always Be a Glutton Right? – Perfect Portions and Allusion Brewing Company
You can find all of Amy’s articles here: Amy’s Archive of Articles.

(And please take a moment to fill out Amy’s survey on her ‘Holiday Weekend and Bomber Bottles‘ column.)

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

Allusion Brewing Company Appreciation Party

B. Kline — Thu, 20 Jul 2023 16:29:00 +0000

The Battle of the Breweries Winning Championship Belt. The 2023 Champion – Allusion Brewing Company.

Battle of the Breweries – 2023 Champions

The Winner of the 2023 Battle of the Breweries, and your champion – Allusion Brewing Company; will be hosting a celebratory party to show their appreciation on July 22nd at their brewery in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania.

They outlasted 159 other breweries from several states to become The Battle of the Breweries 2023 Winner. This year’s tournament done in the style of the World Cup with an opening group stage then turned into the knock out tournament. In the knock out tournament they defeated Chatty Monks Brewing, Victory Brewing, Bunnyman Brewing, and Von C Brewing. In the finals they defeated Tattered Flag Brewery and Distillery, AleCraft Brewing Company, and Mad Chef Brewing in a fatal four – way.

Battle of the Breweries 2023 Winner

They have won several awards over the years, primarily from the CBMAs. They won both in 2022 and in 2023 at the CBMAs.

So in honor of all the support they receive from their fans and followers – Allusion Brewing Company is throwing an appreciation party.

Appreciation Party – July 22nd, 2023

This week at Allusion Brewing Company – Saturday: Customer Thank You Party and The Beer Thrillers Award Party

Tomorrow – Saturday July 22nd, 2023 – Allusion Brewing Company is hosting a celebratory appreciation party to thank all of their loyal guests, customers, and followers.

Today is your last chance to get “Blue Lion,” strawberry rhubarb sour and our “SMASH IPA.”

Open tonight until 11:00pm.

Tomorrow is our Appreciation Party!

Come join us as a “thank you for your support” and the awards you help us win!

#thebeerthrillers are joining us tomorrow from 12:30-3:30 to celebrate our 2023 Battle of the Breweries Championship!

*Come down and meet TheBeerThrillers and get your picture with the Championship Belt!

*Door prizes – winner every 15 minutes

*Vanilla Mocha White Stout “First Day” back on tap!

*Robert will be cooking complimentary food for you from 12-5pm.
Allusion Brewing Company – Facebook Post

So please come out tomorrow and meet Amy and I from 12:30ish to 3:30ish. We are coming from the Harrisburg area, so its (checks Google Maps again) a 3 hour and 47 minute drive. We are hoping to be on the road no later then 8:30 and hoping to be in Vandergrift by noon.

The party sounds like its going to be a blast, and it was so cool to get on social media today to find out they went and made their own championship belt for the appreciation party. A great piece of hardware to add to their growing pile of CBMA awards.

Can’t wait to get to see many of you tomorrow, and get to see the Allusion Brewing crew again. Last time I was there was in 2020 on a trip out to Indianapolis and stopped in. So glad I did! The beer was fantastic.

Hope to see you all tomorrow at the Appreciation Party! Cheers!

For More Information on Allusion Brewing Company

For more information about Allusion Brewing Company you can visit their very well designed website here: Allusion Brewing Company – Official Website.

The following comes from Untappd: Allusion Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. They have 56 unique beers and just over 5,200 ratings, with a global average rating of 3.84 (as of 7.21.23). Their Untappd description reads: Vandergrift’s hometown brewery, offering a consistent library of approachable beers taking the tradition of each style seriously. Craft beer is about bringing people together – come join our story.

For more information, you can find them at their social media pags here:

For More of our Award Articles

Looking for more articles about breweries and brewers winning awards? Check these out:

Brewery News

Interested in finding out about many other brewery openings, new locations, closings, movings, and in general brewery news? You can check out our links below:

Thank You For Reading

If you like this article, please check out our other many articles, including news, beer reviews, travelogues, maps, and much much more. We greatly appreciate everyone visiting the site!

Cheers.

-B. Kline

MAPS OF BREWERIES

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

The Beer Thrillers on LinkTree can be found here: The Beer Thrillers LinkTree.

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) Winner Is

B. Kline — Mon, 17 Apr 2023 20:47:29 +0000

Allusion Brewing Company is the 2023 Battle of the Breweries Champion.

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) Winner Is…

The winner of this year’s Battle of the Breweries is Allusion Brewing Company!

Allusion Brewing Company has survived the tournament of 160 breweries ranging from states of Pennsylvania, New York, New Jersey, Ohio, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, West Virginia, Indiana, and Kentucky as well as the district of Washington.

They defeated Tattered Flag Brewery and Distillery, AleCraft Brewing Company, and Mad Chef Brewing in the Finals Fatal Four Way.

They won with 58.77% of the votes. Second place had 35.14% of the votes. They totaled 2517 votes in the finals to win 2023’s Battle of the Breweries!

Quick Finals Break Down

A quick finals break down, as I will go into the full details in a follow up post most likely tomorrow or the day after.

Break down of the votes in the finals:

Tattered Flag Brewery and Distillery (4th Place) – 111 votes (2.59%)
Mad Chef Brewing (3rd Place) – 150 votes (3.50%)
AleCraft Brewing Company (2nd Place) – 1505 votes (35.14%)
Allusion Brewing Company (1st Place) – 2517 Votes (58.77%)

Champions

Battle of the Brewery Winners

Allusion Brewing Company joins Isle of Que Brewing and Von C Brewing as winners of our yearly “Battle of the Breweries”. We started the tournament in 2021. This was our third year of hosting it.

For more information on the past winners:

Allusion Brewing Company

If you haven’t been to Vandergrift Pennsylvania, or never heard of Allusion Brewing Company, you are certainly doing yourself a disservice. Make your way out there and check them out.

For a full article on them, you can check it out here:

Allusion Brewing Company

You can visit Allusion Brewing Company in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania at 143 Grant Ave, Vandergrift, PA 15690, just like I did back in November 2020. They have a beautiful little tap room, with a very cool flight system. Their flights are in old book catalogue (from a near by Library that sold their Book Catalogue desk / table / system), and the tasters fit into it perfectly, and all the bartender has to do is pull them out of the card catalogue cabinet / table / desk system thing.

I had an absolute wonderful time when visiting the brewery, and cannot wait to come back out to Vandergrift to get check them out again.
The Beer Thrillers – Allusion Brewing Company

More Information About Allusion Brewing Company

For more information about Allusion Brewing Company you can visit their very well designed website here: Allusion Brewing Company – Official Website.

The following comes from Untappd: Allusion Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. They have 53 unique beers and just over 4,600 ratings, with a global average rating of 3.84 (as of 4.17.23). Their Untappd description reads: Vandergrift’s hometown brewery, offering a consistent library of approachable beers taking the tradition of each style seriously. Craft beer is about bringing people together – come join our story.

For more information, you can find them at their social media pags here:

Conference Finals Voting Page

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Conference Finals

Conference Finals Results Page

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Conference Finals Results

Thank You For Reading

Sorry for getting this posted so much later in the day. My insomnia kicked in hard last night and I didn’t sleep much or well at all last night, factor in a newborn, and you can see why I was dragging butt to start the day. Also early in the morning Amy had a doctor’s appointment so we had that, and then had a friend stop over, and between all of that, household chores, etc, etc, etc, yadda yadda yadda (and no, I didn’t yadda yadda over the best part), this is why its only going up now.

My apologies.

I was also trying to decide how I wanted to write the article and how I wanted to frame it, I think I’ll do the full recap in a different article, and will probably get that posted up tomorrow. So be on the look out for that.

I want to thank all 160 breweries that participated. It was so great seeing all of the breweries get into it over the past month (more than a month’s worth of time!). I hope everyone had a good time. I thought the tournament ran very smoothly.

I want to say congratulations to the four breweries that made it to the finals – Tattered Flag Brewery, Allusion Brewing Company, AleCraft Brewing Company, and Mad Chef Brewing. And especially to Allusion Brewing Company for winning.

Congratulations!

Honestly everyone, if you have a chance to stop out at Allusion Brewing Company in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania, please do. I very highly recommend it!

I’m hoping to get back there this year. Fingers crossed.

Ok everyone, thank you for reading. If you have any comments, questions, concerns, suggestions or anything at all, don’t hesitate to comment.

Please like, subscribe, share, and follow.

Cheers All!

-B. Kline

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Facebook Group, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

Allusion Brewing Company

B. Kline — Fri, 14 Apr 2023 02:12:00 +0000

Allusion Brewing Company logo.

Allusion Brewing Company is in The Battle of the Breweries Finals

Congratulations to Allusion Brewing Company for making it to the Finals of The Battle of the Breweries (2023). They are currently competing against Tattered Flag Brewery and Distillery, AleCraft Brewing Company, and Mad Chef Brewing in The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Finals Fatal Four Way.

I am taking a deep dive into all four of the breweries that are competing in the finals, devoting an article a day to each of the breweries. Yesterday we covered – Tattered Flag Brewery and Distillery. Today we are now looking at Allusion Brewing Company, and tomorrow we will be looking at AleCraft Brewing Company, and then finally (but not least) we will be looking at Mad Chef Brewing.

This is the final week (the last few days) of voting for The Battle of the Breweries (2023). You can vote in the tournament here: The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Finals Fatal Four Way.

Voting ends on Sunday, April 16th, 2023, at 11:59:59 PM EST.

Allusion Brewing Company

Allusion Brewing Company iconic logo

You can visit Allusion Brewing Company in Vandergrift, Pennsylvania at 143 Grant Ave, Vandergrift, PA 15690, just like I did back in November 2020. They have a beautiful little tap room, with a very cool flight system. Their flights are in old book catalogue (from a near by Library that sold their Book Catalogue desk / table / system), and the tasters fit into it perfectly, and all the bartender has to do is pull them out of the card catalogue cabinet / table / desk system thing.

I had an absolute wonderful time when visiting the brewery, and cannot wait to come back out to Vandergrift to get check them out again.

Grand Opening

Allusion Brewing Company celebrated their Grand Opening in October of 2020 (so shortly before I ended up visiting them in early November of 2020).

They opened their doors on October 10th, 2020 at 11:00 AM. They promoted through YouTube and Twitter at the start, with this YouTube video and Twitter post:

We are excited to announce our Grand Opening will be October 10, 2020 at 11:00 AM!

We will debut with eight of ourbeers plus Blueberry, a seasonal hard cider by Knocking Noggin. #grandopening #allusionbrewing pic.twitter.com/zfJMxjQB7V
— Allusion Brewing Company (@AllusionBrews) October 2, 2020

From their Facebook and Twitter accounts back in 2020, they gave a detailed discussion of how they were started, founded, and their opening:

“Allusion Brewing Company was started in 2013. When John Bieranoski and Robert Buchanan started experimenting with home brewing, the resulting beers they created were of surprisingly good quality. As more and more friends and family tried the beers they were creating, the demand for the beers continued to grow. Within a very short time, there were continuous suggestions that a microbrewery should be considered.

While discussing the potential for a microbrewery in 2013, John and Robert were brainstorming ideas for the name of the brewery. Both being advocates of classical literature and history, the names of the beers were always being created with an obvious or sometimes subtle reference to a figure or item from history or literature. When it was apparent that all of our beers names were alluding to literature, film, and pop culture, Allusion Brewing Company seemed a perfect fit!

Nick Bieranoski joined the team early in stages of development. He shares Robert and John’s passion for craft beer and his enthusiasm for the business has expedited the expansion of our brewing capacity and our search for a flagship location.

A suitable location was the next step for the business. Smaller communities surrounding Pittsburgh were the focus of the search. We wanted a smaller community that could support our brewery, but also would benefit from our original goal of giving back to the community. We have toured breweries where a beer is created and proceeds of the beer sales go back to an organization in the community. Our original thought being Allusion Brewing was to donate proceeds to a local library. During our search, a family member of John and Nick suggested we look into a location in Vandergrift, Pa. The building was a fantastic fit for what we wanted our brewery to offer. We learned the building was owned by a non-profit organization in Vandergrift formed to work towards revitalization of the town. The Vandergrift Improvement Program (VIP) has embraced our idea for a brewery and is working with us to get the location up and running.”
Allusion Brewing Company – Facebook

It couldn’t have been easy opening amidst the pandemic and the craziness that was 2020 (and even subsequently the years after). I know locally in October Howling Henry’s and Rubber Soul’s openings didn’t go as planned due to the COVID-19 and coronavirus pandemic. (Rubber Soul was originally planned to open earlier in March – May of 2020… but well… obviously that couldn’t happen at that time.)

(Read: Allusion Brewing Company Opens This Saturday in Vandergrift.)

After months of delays, Vandergrift’s Allusion Brewing Co. will officially open Saturday.

Robert Buchanan and John Bieranoski had planned to open their craft brewery in the spring. They were ready to make Vandergrift a new destination for craft beer enthusiasts. In February, Buchanan said everything was on track for a smooth and successful opening in the spring.

Then the covid-19 pandemic hit the region.

With businesses closed, Buchanan said the final preparations for the brewery were subsequently delayed. They could continue working on improving the building — which required renovations — but they weren’t able to have as many contractors working at once. They couldn’t have inspections performed on plumbing, electricity and other utilities or receive certain equipment on time. Buchanan said it took an extra three months for the brewery to receive a new transformer for their extensive equipment. Without it, they couldn’t even turn on the machinery.

“With everybody being shut down, we had to wait unusually long times for inspections on utilities,” Buchanan said. “(We had) delays, delays, delays, delays getting the power for the equipment. We couldn’t even start brewing in the spring.”

“But we’ve soldiered on and we’re here,” he added.
Allusion Brewing Co. to open Saturday in Vandergrift

COVID-19 certainly hampered a lot of things in 2020, especially from March through August. But thankfully Allusion Brewing Company was able to push through, and open, and boost the small town of Vandergrift, Pennsylvania.

“We have a 10-tap system,” Bieranoski said, gesturing to the ornate line of taps behind the brewery’s newly-finished bar. “That’s five staples and that gives me five to play with and have fun.”

Both natives of Western Pennsylvania, they decided to locate their shop in Vandergrift as a way to boost the small community.

“We knew we always wanted to go to a small town that we felt we could help to bring back the vitality to,” Bieranoski said. “We look at Vandergrift as one of those towns that has a lot of potential to become a great small destination town for folks around the Pittsburgh area.”
Allusion Brewing Co. to open Saturday in Vandergrift

Allusion Brewing Company Pushed On

In 2021 Allusion Brewing Company was able to celebrate their 1st Anniversary. In 2022 they celebrated their second, and this fall (October) they will be celebrating their third anniversary.

The following is from a news article celebrating their 1st anniversary:

Friends John Bieranoski and Robert Buchanan never planned to open a business during a pandemic.

But the new business owners did, and they not only have survived, they have thrived.

Allusion Brewing Co., the only in-house brewery in Vandergrift, recently celebrated its one-year anniversary.

For Bieranoski, 46, and Buchanan, 44, the milestone has left them feeling grateful and hopeful.

“There’s so many silver linings,” Buchanan said.
Building the Valley: Allusion Brewing celebrates 1st anniversary, expansion plans in Vandergrift

It so great to see this brewery to keep growing and expanding, and making such good quality beers, so happy for them to be celebrating their 3rd anniversary this year.

The duo said opening during covid had them “hoping it could only get better.” They announced expansion plans last week.

Buchanan, of Ross, said they’re in the process of purchasing the building next to Allusion, 143 Grant Ave.

The men said the expansion will grow the seating of 70 to about 140.

“We want to have an open area to accommodate live music. That’s a huge ‘ask’ around here,” Buchanan said.

“We got the brewing equipment in February 2020, and we were super excited, and then March happened, so, yeah, it was a little stressful,” said Buchanan of the decision to open during the covid pandemic.

The two friends began brewing beer themselves in 2013. Their friends and family encouraged them to open a microbrewery someday.

Bieranoski, who serves as head brewer, is studying to earn his master brewer certification.

“The best part has been the support we’ve received throughout the pandemic from the town itself and our customers. A lot of great feedback and a lot of customers that continue to grow with us and enjoy it,” Bieranoski said.

Bieranoski, 46, is a Kiski Area High School alumnus from Allegheny Township. He left his job in the higher education sector to pursue his beer brewing hobby.

“This is confirmation for me,” said Bieranoski of Allusion’s early success.
Building the Valley: Allusion Brewing celebrates 1st anniversary, expansion plans in Vandergrift

My Trip to Vandergrift in 2020

Back in 2020 I did a full trip all the way out to Indianapolis by myself to visit the Kurt Vonnegut Library. It was a wonderful trip, I stopped at a lot of breweries through Western PA, Ohio, Indianapolis, even hitting a few in Kentucky and West Virginia. I did a lot of hiking too.

For the quick recap of of the day I visited Allusion Brewing Company, you can find that here:

The Trip to Indy – Day Two Recap: Landfall in Pittsburgh and Shenanigans (Allusion Brewing Company, Couch Brewery, Hop Farm Brewing Company)

For the complete, seven day trip recap, you can find that here:

The Complete Seven Day Trip to Indianapolis and Back Trip – Recap, Breweries, Hikes, and Stats

Rock Furnace and Vandergrift

The Kiskiminetas River along Roaring Run Trail

From the article I wrote about my trip to Vandergrift and Allusion Brewing Company:

…[But], there was a nearby hiking trail that went along the creek called Rock Furnace Trail, and I did hike that, and it led out by the river and was a bike / walk path called Roaring Run Trail, and I walked some of that as well. The trails were located in Apollo Pennsylvania, and the river that ran alongside Roaring Run Trail is called Kiskiminetas River. It was a beautiful path (both the Rock Furnace Trail and the Roaring Run Trail), the creek alongside Rock Furnace Trail was pretty, low, meandering, and the Kiskiminetas River was big and roaring with lots of rapids. Unfortunately, no real waterfalls or cascades to see, I assume all of those were at the Jackson Falls that were now on the private property.

After hiking and walking the two trails / paths, it was about 11AM when I left Apollo and made my way to Vandergrift Pennsylvania, for my first brewery stop of day two. Vandergrift was a small, quaint, old time town, that reminded me of the town from Back to the Future. Not sure why, but it just did. I walked a few blocks of it before / after drinking and eating at Allusion Brewing Company.
The Trip to Indianapolis: Day Two: Rock Furnace Trail, Allusion Brewing Company, Couch Brewery, Riverview Park, Hop Farm Brewing Company, and The Meadows Casino and Racetrack.

The bar at Allusion Brewing Company

Then, after getting to Vandergrift, and getting to Allusion Brewing Company:

Allusion Brewing Company is a micro brewery located in Vandergrift Pennsylvania; just outside of Pittsburgh. According to Untappd it has 18 unique beers, with 542 ratings and has an average rating of 3.8. The Untappd description simply reads: “Vandergrift’s hometown brewery.” The oldest created unique beer was on 12.26.13, but then the next wasn’t until 5.24.14. It certainly seems like it’s a relatively new and small brewery, but the beers were great, the building was beautiful, and the staff – Jim – was wonderful. If you get a chance to go by Vandergrift, make sure to stop in, visit Allusion Brewing, and see Jim as bartender, wonderful guy, very nice, informative and talkative.
The Trip to Indianapolis: Day Two: Rock Furnace Trail, Allusion Brewing Company, Couch Brewery, Riverview Park, Hop Farm Brewing Company, and The Meadows Casino and Racetrack.

To read more about the trip to Vandergrift and Allusion Brewing Company, you can read the full day trip travelogue here:

The Trip to Indianapolis: Day Two: Rock Furnace Trail, Allusion Brewing Company, Couch Brewery, Riverview Park, Hop Farm Brewing Company, and The Meadows Casino and Racetrack.

More Information About Allusion Brewing Company

For more information about Allusion Brewing Company you can visit their very well designed website here: Allusion Brewing Company – Official Website.

The following comes from Untappd: Allusion Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. They have 53 unique beers and just over 4,600 ratings, with a global average rating of 3.84 (as of 4.13.23). Their Untappd description reads: Vandergrift’s hometown brewery, offering a consistent library of approachable beers taking the tradition of each style seriously. Craft beer is about bringing people together – come join our story.

For more information, you can find them at their social media pags here:

The Battle of the Breweries (2023)

Here is a look at how Allusion Brewing Company made it to the Finals Fatal Four Way:

In the Group Stage, they were in Group G of the Nugget Conference. Allusion Brewing Company and Elder Pine Brewing and Blending emerged victorious from Group G with 36 and 32 votes respectively.

In the Nugget Conference Round of 16, Allusion Brewing Company (149 votes) defeated Chatty Monks Brewing (99 votes)

In the Nugget Conference Round of 8, Allusion Brewing Company (161 votes) defeated Victory Brewing Company (66 votes).

In the Nugget Conference Final Four, Allusion Brewing Company defeated Bunnyman Brewing. In the second battle we had six seed Allusion Brewing Company defeat the 15 seed Bunnyman Brewing with a total of 283 votes to 169 votes.

In the Nugget Conference Finals we had 6 seed Allusion Brewing Company battling the defending champions (coming in at the 8 seed) Von C Brewing Company. This was another hotly contested battle. This time Allusion Brewing Company emerged victorious with 2255 votes to 1128 votes. Thats a 1127 voter difference.

It was a battle of East Pennsylvania vs. West Pennsylvania (Norristown vs Vandergrift), and this time West Pennsylvania emerged victorious. (Much like the Penquins beat the Flyers last night – as much as that pains me to admit.)

Allusion Brewing Company will be a strong competitor in the Finals Fatal Four Way.

(See end of article for all of The Battle of the Breweries voting and results pages.)

Past Results:

Group Stage Voting Pages

Group Stage Results Pages

Round of 16 Voting Pages

Round of 16 Results Pages

Round of 8 Voting Pages

Round of 8 Results Pages

Conference Final Four Voting Pages

Conference Final Four Results Page

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Conference Final Four Results

Conference Finals Voting Page

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Conference Finals

Conference Finals Results Page

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Conference Finals Results

Voting Rules

First, before we get to the voting, we have to go over the rules. Unlike all of the previous rounds, the Finals Fatal Four Way is a two week round. Voting will end Sunday, April 16th, at 11:59:59 PM EST.

You can vote once per day for your favorite brewery in the finals. The voting block will list all four breweries, but you can only select one. You can share this page on your social media to help your favorite brewery win the tournament.

Vote Here

Vote. Vote here. Get your voting here! Click below to vote:

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Finals Fatal Four Way

[perfect_survey id=”10950″]

Remember to vote daily, starting today and ending on April 16th at 11:59:59 PM EST.

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Voting and Results Pages

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Finals Fatal Four Way (Voting Page)

Thank You for Reading

I want to take this opportunity to congratulate the four remaining breweries and wish them all the best of luck. I have enjoyed visiting all four of them, and they certainly all rank very highly in my opinion. (Amy has been to three of them with me, and has loved the three she visited as well.)

It is a tremendous honor to get to this point in the competition – out of 160 breweries, we are down to just 4 remaining. Thats amazing to think about, and shows the love and support these breweries have.

Even the conference runner ups put in a tremendous effort and deserve some recognition too. Cox Brewing Company, Von C Breiwng Company, RAR Brewing, and Boneshire Brew Works are all amazing breweries and have loved my (and Amy as well) visits to their breweries.

As well as I want to take the moment to thank all of the 160 breweries that shared, linked, pushed, and helped make this tournament a rousing success. You all blow me away with the love, support, and energy you pour into this – as well as what you pour into your breweries (and, by relation – what you pour into my glass). Thank you all for everything you’ve done!

This tournament has been a lot of fun, but it is also a lot of work. So thank you to everyone for your patience.

We have also completed the first two Maps of Breweries – Maine and New Hampshire. You can see those here:

We are currently starting to work on creating maps of all the breweries in each state, starting geographically with Maine. So be on the lookout for these great resources to soon be popping up on the blog. Hoping to get a state done every 2 – 4 days. (Some will be quicker and easier than others, but 50 states, plus Washington D.C., will certainly take some time!)

Thank you everyone for reading and please like, share, follow, subscribe, all that good stuff you see at the end of every YouTube video.

You can check out the final four breweries left in the Finals Fatal Four Way here and vote:

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Finals Fatal Four Way (Voting Page)
The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Conference Finals (Results Page)

Check out some recent articles:

Cheers All!

-B. Kline

You can check out our different directories here: Beer Reviews, Hike Reviews, Book Reviews, Brewery News, Brewery Openings, Brewer Interviews, and Travelogues.

If you would like to reach out to us for product reviews, beer reviews, press release writing, and other media – please contact us at thebeerthrillers@gmail.com. Thank you.

Allusion Brewing Company Wins Two Top Awards

B. Kline — Thu, 05 May 2022 20:30:00 +0000

Allusion Brewing Company receiving their awards at the Craft Beer Conference (Photo courtesy of Allusion Brewing Company’s Facebook)

Craft Beer Conference Awards

At the annual Craft Beer Conference (in Minneapolis, Minnesota this year), held over the past few days; Allusion Brewing Company received two awards. Both in “Craft Beer Marketing”. They won their awards for “Best Tap Handle” in the US and “Best Flight Display” in the US.

These are two big awards for the small brewery out of Vandergrift, Pennsylvania. Receiving any award is always a great moment for any brewery, but being recognized at the Craft Beer Conference and winning a national award (and top place) is especially huge for the small hometown brewery.

The Awards

Much like the Great American Beer Fest, the World Beer Cup, and many others – the Craft Beer Conference has their own award ceremony where they announce winners in several different categories on a whole host of things.

Their first award was for “Best Flight Display” in the US. They have a very cool flight board, which are pull out drawers from an old library’s card catalog cabinet. They use the cabinet to keep track of the flights that are out. You can see the flight below:

A flight at Allusion Brewing Company

Their second award they have won was for “Best Tap Handle” in the US. I didn’t have a good picture of their tap handles, but found a picture of their bar background from TribLive back in 2020 (October 9th, 2020) when they were opening. You can see the tap handles in the background of it:

Allusion Brewing Company’s bar (at time of opening in October, 2020) (Photo Courtesy: TribLive Article – Allusion Brewing Co. to Open Saturday in Vandergrift)

Allusion Brewing Company

I got to stop out at Allusion Brewing Company in November of 2020 when I was taking my trip out to Indianapolis and back. It was early in the day so the place wasn’t full yet (actually I was the only person there at the time, they had just opened), but it was a really lovely building and brewery. The beers were great. And if you are ever in the outskirts of Pittsburgh you definitely should stop in.

For more information on my trip there, you can check out these articles:

You can find them on Google Maps here: Allusion Brewing Company.

From Untappd, they are listed as a microbrewery from Vandergrift, PA. With 40 unique beers and 2,686 ratings. Their global average rating is 3.83. Their Untappd description reads: “Vandergrift’s hometown brewery, offering a consistent library of approachable beers taking the tradition of each style seriously. Craft beer is about bringing people together – come join our story.”

Allusion Brewing Company’s Announcement

The following is their Facebook and social media announcement about winning the awards:

Allusion Brewing Company receiving their award at the Craft Beer Conference (Photo Courtesy: Allusion Brewing Company – Facebook)

When we started Allusion Brewing Company, one thing we knew from the beginning is that we would give every aspect of our business our full effort to make it the best it could be.The effort we put into bringing you great beer is matched by how much we care that you have an amazing location and guest experience to drink that beer!All the compliments we get from all of you that come into the brewery show us that our efforts are appreciated.During the Craft Beer Conference in Minneapolis, we got recognition from our professional peers in the industry.Last night we were invited to a party hosted by the Craft Beer Marketing Awards program. 600 judges gave us the highest award in the US for two craft beer marketing categories.“Best Tap Handle” in the US!“Best Flight Display” in the US!Needless to say, it was a pretty good night!Huge shout out to the companies that helped us create these pieces and ultimately win these awards! Thank you Hankscraft AJS and Creation Lab!
Allusion Brewing Company (Social Media)

For More Information

For more information on Allusion Brewing Company, you can check out the following links:

Thanks For Reading

As always, thank you everyone for reading. Its so great to see local small hometown breweries getting national recognition and we’re so glad to see them grow and get acknowledged! We love posting about Pennsylvania and other local breweries winning awards, so be on the lookout for those.

And as always, stay tuned for plenty of great articles coming your way from us here at The Beer Thrillers. Hope you had a wonderful May the Fourth yesterday, and having a good Revenge of the Fifth today, and Cinco de Mayo.

Cheers!

-B. Kline

The Trip to Indianapolis: Day Two: Rock Furnace Trail, Allusion Brewing Company, Couch Brewery, Riverview Park, Hop Farm Brewing Company, and The Meadows Casino and Racetrack.

BKline — Tue, 24 Nov 2020 03:40:00 +0000

Woke up bright and early in Indiana, Pennsylvania and checked out of my hotel early early. My first of several hotel stops, and nearly the entire trip comes undone when I can’t find my wallet before leaving. A twenty minute search finally yields it behind the bed, it must have fallen off the nightstand back behind there. Whew, dilemma and catastrophe averted, I was on my way to towards Pittsburgh.

My first stop of the day was a morning wake up hike. I was wanting to hike and see the Jackson Falls… but unfortunately, despite Google Maps saying you could access them, the land for Jackson Falls (recently?) became purchased by a water company and was considered private property and you were unable to use the road to them; it was now a private road / driveway for this water company.

The Kiskiminetas River along Roaring Run Trail

But, there was a nearby hiking trail that went along the creek called Rock Furnace Trail, and I did hike that, and it led out by the river and was a bike / walk path called Roaring Run Trail, and I walked some of that as well. The trails were located in Apollo Pennsylvania, and the river that ran alongside Roaring Run Trail is called Kiskiminetas River. It was a beautiful path (both the Rock Furnace Trail and the Roaring Run Trail), the creek alongside Rock Furnace Trail was pretty, low, meandering, and the Kiskiminetas River was big and roaring with lots of rapids. Unfortunately, no real waterfalls or cascades to see, I assume all of those were at the Jackson Falls that were now on the private property.

Rock Furnace Trail, Roaring Run Trail, and Kiskiminetas River

After hiking and walking the two trails / paths, it was about 11AM when I left Apollo and made my way to Vandergrift Pennsylvania, for my first brewery stop of day two. Vandergrift was a small, quaint, old time town, that reminded me of the town from Back to the Future. Not sure why, but it just did. I walked a few blocks of it before / after drinking and eating at Allusion Brewing Company.

Vamdergrift Pennsylvania

Allusion Brewing Company is a micro brewery located in Vandergrift Pennsylvania; just outside of Pittsburgh. According to Untappd it has 18 unique beers, with 542 ratings and has an average rating of 3.8. The Untappd description simply reads: “Vandergrift’s hometown brewery.” The oldest created unique beer was on 12.26.13, but then the next wasn’t until 5.24.14. It certainly seems like it’s a relatively new and small brewery, but the beers were great, the building was beautiful, and the staff – Jim – was wonderful. If you get a chance to go by Vandergrift, make sure to stop in, visit Allusion Brewing, and see Jim as bartender, wonderful guy, very nice, informative and talkative.

Allusion Brewing Company

I got a flight at Allusion Brewing, which was in an old card catalogue holder from a library, which was pretty neat. My flight was:

Oh, Bother!
One Inning More
Baker St. Brown
V.I.Porter

Oh Bother

Beer: Oh, Bother!
Brewery: Allusion Brewing Company
Style: Blonde Ale
ABV: 4.75%
IBU: 28
Untappd Description: A sweet malty golden colored blonde ale brewed with caramel malts and Canadian honey malt to achieve a sweet honey taste. A beer to enjoy in the Hundred Acre woods.
My Untappd Rating: 3.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.74 (as of 11.23.20)

One Inning More

Beer: One Inning More
Brewery: Allusion Brewing Company
Style: Pale Ale – American
ABV: 5%
IBU: 45
Untappd Description: American Style Pale Ale brewed with Pale and Victory malts and bittered with American Willamette and Cascade hops to produce a balance beer with hints of earthy, floral, spice from the hops. Let’s hope the Mighty Casey won’t strike out so that you can enjoy another inning of entertainment and great beer.
My Untappd Rating: 4
Global Untappd Rating: 3.65 (as of 11.23.20)

Baker St. Brown

Beer: Baker St. Brown
Brewery: Allusion Brewing Company
Style: Brown Ale – English
ABV: 3.5%
IBU: 15
Untappd Description: Traditional Mild English Brown Ale brewed with English floor malted maris otter, English chocolate malts, and English Fuggle hops for a light drinking sessionable ale with hints of caramel and toasted bread. Sit back and enjoy one while you solve your latest mystery.
My Untappd Rating: 4.25
Global Untappd Rating: 3.75 (as of 11.23.20)

V.I.Porter

Beer: V.I.Porter
Brewery: Allusion Brewing Company
Style: Porter – American
ABV: 4.8%
IBU: 38
Untappd Description: American style robust porter brewed with various caramel malts and black mat to achieve hints of roasted coffee and dark chocolate. Sit back and enjoy your beer knowing that proceeds from each pint goes toward projects to help the local community.
My Untappd Rating: 3.75
Global Untappd Rating: 3.65 (as of 11.23.20)

Bidding Jim a farewell, I was off to Pittsburgh proper and made it to the city roughly around 12:30-1PM. For the second time now, Google Maps has led me astray with the Rodef Shalom Biblical Botanical Garden. I took my daughters through Pittsburgh last summer – August – and it was closed the day we were there, despite Google Maps saying it was open. Same thing, again, Google Maps listed it as open, but it was closed (closed for the season on September 15th). I have since figured out the issue – the synagogue that the garden is attached to is open year round, and Google Maps based the hours for the garden on that of the synagogue and not the actual hours for the garden. Le sigh. At some point I will get to visit the garden and walk through it. I swear it!

Rodef Shalom Biblical Botanical Garden

From there, I got a special treat, I was invited by Bobby – the head brewer for Couch Brewery – to visit Couch Brewery (on a day they were closed) for a personal tour and sampling of the beers. He was in the building kegging up their upcoming release for their Black Friday stout bash; a collaboration he did with friends (home brewers and other breweries in the area) called The Four Horseman. This was an utter blast, and Bobby is a fantastic guy, funny, down to Earth, and very knowledgeable about beer, brewing, stouts, home brewing, bars, breweries, etc. Was a blast getting to hang out for a few hours, check out the brewery, and try the entire run of their beers on tap.

I will be doing a full article on just the brewery tour (look for that most likely tomorrow), so there will be plenty more to go than just what I list here, so be sure to check that article out.

Beers I got to sample at Couch Brewery:

Recliner
Morning Wood
Hippie Blackberry Sour
Sofa Quemando
Fest Bump
F1 Hazy IPA
Thicc Ric
Macho Man
Atomic Clock
Stardust – Mango Passion
The Four Horseman (collaboration)

Recloner

Beer: Recliner
Brewery: Couch Brewery
Style: Stout – Oatmeal
ABV: 6%
IBU: 30
Untappd Description: A delicious yet unconventional oatmeal stout brewed with the wrong hops, or so you would think. It delivers a wonderful silky smooth mouthfeel with a refreshing hint of citrus, a little bit of chocolate and a touch of coffee.
My Untappd Rating: 4
Global Untappd Rating: 3.67 (as of 11.23.20)

Morning Wood

Beer: Morning Wood
Brewery: Couch Brewery
Style: Stout – Coffee
ABV: 6.7%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: (blank)
My Untappd Rating: 4.5
Global Untappd Rating: 3.87 (as of 11.23.20)

Beer: Hippie Blackberry Sour Ale
Brewery: Couch Brewery
Style: Sour – Fruited
ABV: 4.7%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: (blank)
My Untappd Rating: 4
Global Untappd Rating: 3.68 (as of 11.23.20)

Beer: Sofa Quemando
Brewery: Couch Brewery
Style: Stout – Other
ABV: 7.1%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: Mexican Stout.
My Untappd Rating: 4.25
Global Untappd Rating: 4 (as of 11.23.20)

Beer: Fest Bump
Brewery: Couch Brewery
Style: Festbier
ABV: 5.3%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: (blank)
My Untappd Rating: 4
Global Untappd Rating: 3.7 (as of 11.23.20)

Beer: F1 Hazy IPA
Brewery: Couch Brewery
Style: IPA – New England
ABV: 7%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: (blank)
My Untappd Rating: 4
Global Untappd Rating: 3.56 (as of 11.23.20)

Beer: Thicc Ric
Brewery: Couch Brewery
Style: IPA – New England
ABV: 7%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: (blank)
My Untappd Rating: 4
Global Untappd Rating: 3.53 (as of 11.23.20)

Beer: Macho Man
Brewery: Couch Brewery
Style: Wheat Beer – Other
ABV: 5.5%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: Hibiscus Raspberry Lime Wheat
My Untappd Rating: 4.25
Global Untappd Rating: 3.82 (as of 11.23.20)

Beer: Atomic Clock
Brewery: Couch Brewery
Style: Red Ale – American Amber / Red
ABV: 6.3%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: (blank)
My Untappd Rating: 4
Global Untappd Rating: 3.57 (as of 11.23.20)

Beer: Stardust – Mango Passion
Brewery: Couch Brewery
Style: Hard Seltzer
ABV: 5%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: (blank)
My Untappd Rating: 3.5
Global Untappd Rating: 3.52 (as of 11.23.20)

Beer: The Four Horseman
Breweries: Couch Brewery, Fury Brewing, 2 Homebrew Collaborators
Style: American Brown Ale

There is no Untappd listing for this, and I don’t recall if Bobby gave me information on ABV / IBU / etc. (No official rating for Untappd for me or for others either then; but I would give it a 4.25.)

Couch Brewery Tour

Bobby also gave me a four pack to go, which included Macho Man, Sofa Quemando (for Drew), Atomic Clock, and Morning Wood. Couch Brewery on Untappd is listed as a micro brewery in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania with 113 unique beers, over 12 thousand ratings, and an average rating of 3.59. They have no Untappd description for their brewery.

I finally had to bid Bobby a fond adieu and promised if / when I’m back in the Pittsburgh area I would definitely be stopping in, at a time when the place is open, and hopefully with some friends. The brewery is great and he was an utter blast to hang out with.

After Couch Brewery, my next walking / hiking activity was Riverview Park at the top of Pittsburgh where the Allegheny Observatory is. I made a few mis-turns and went up and down those massively steep hills a few more times than I wished or would have liked to, and actually even went past the chapel where I took the girls last year – St. Anthony’s Chapel – (they have a piece of the cross that Jesus was crucified on) (I did not stop in) – but I finally made it to the top of Pittsburgh Hill or whatever its called, and walked the park and walking trails.

Riverview Park in Pittsburgh Pennsylvania

The park and walking trails were really nice. Nothing crazy intense, but just a good walking area for families and for people with dogs or what have you. Some pretty views and sights. Lots of deer too that were pretty tame an would walk right up to you. The Old Zoo trail was really nice and interesting to see old broken paths, old Zoo enclosures and buildings (like the Bear Pit) and old crumbling buildings and infrastructure. The whole area was very busy, but people were keeping distanced and walking within their own families and friends. It reminded me of ants crawling around on an ant hill with everyone going this way and that and doing their own thing, and looking at things or seeing different views, and just meandering around, getting exercise and fresh air.

Once it got dusk and dark I finally left after a good three or so hour walk. While up on Troy’s Hill I passed the Penn Brewery, but unfortunately they were closed. I still stopped for a picture of their building because its a very beautiful building.

Penn Brewery in Pittsburgh

Across the street from Penn Brewery, an old Bottling Company

My next stop was a brewery – that … fingers crossed, God Willing, and Google Maps hopeful – was open… and huzzah it was! Hop Farm Brewing Company. ….but they were at max capacity so I had to wait for someone to leave. I walked the block and came back and thankfully someone was leaving just as I came back, so I was able to snag a table.

Hop Farm Brewing Company

Hop Farm Brewing Company is a micro brewery from Lawrenceville Pennsylvania. Lawrenceville is in between Pittsburgh and Washington (where the Meadows Casino is). Its still basically Pittsburgh, but not fully in Pittsburgh. Untappd lists them with 209 unique beers, over 49 thousand ratings and a global average rating of 3.65. Their Untappd description reads: “Hop Farm Brewing company is a independently partner owned brewery by Matthew and Emily Gouwens, in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh Pennsylvania. Our focus is on sustainability and local sourcing while producing hoppy ales, farmhouse ales, sour ales and various other interesting brews.”

While there, I had a delicious hamburger and two beers. I had the Kulak and the Pittsburgh Pale Ale.

Kulak

Beer: Kulak
Brewery: Hop Farm Brewing Company
Style: Stout – Russian Imperial
ABV: 9.8%
IBU: None
Untappd Description: (blank)
My Untappd Rating: 4
Global Untappd Rating: 3.83 (as of 11.23.20)

Pittsburgh Pale Ale

Beer: Pittsburgh Pale Ale
Brewery: Hop Farming Brewing Company
Style: Pale Ale – American
ABV: (none listed)
IBU: (none listed)
Untappd Description: (blank)
(….well that was all very informative huh?)
My Untappd Rating: 4
Global Untappd Rating: 3.83 (as of 11.23.20)

After leaving the brewery, I went to The Meadows Casino and Racetrack. I scoped the place out, talked to a few dealers about COVID and how things have been going there for them (compared to my work) and played a little bit of dice. (26$ thrown down on the table – 12 on the 6 and 8, dollar each for the dealers. Hit the 8 twice, didn’t press, got 28$, then seven’ed out, so dealers made 2$ off me, and I made 2$ and I was done. Meh.)

The Meadows Casino and Racetrack

I stopped over at the bar, and tried to have a beer with a hot dog as it was starting to get late – 10:30ish, I saw a brewery I hadn’t had before – Sobel’s Obscure Brewery and got a pint, it ends up kicking after just a little bit of it, so I ended up with a Hazy Little Thing by Sierra Nevada (the bartender didn’t quite get what I meant by “local craft beer” and kept suggesting Yuengling Lager………).

Watched a little bit of the Monday Night game while there, then got back to the hotel at 11PM, to pretty much fall straight to bed.

Tomorrow’s article should be the Couch Brewery Tour and Sampling, so be sure to check out that. Then it’ll probably be followed up with a few beer reviews, and then I will pick back up with the Trip articles. The next will be me entering Ohio, Salt Fork State Park, and Columbus and Dayton. Lots more great pictures, hikes, and breweries to go, so stay tuned and don’t miss it!

Thank you all for reading! Love to hear from you, so be sure to leave a comment or talk it up with me, you can also check out our social media pages and comment and talk to us there as well.

Cheers!

-B. Kline

The Trip to Indianapolis – Full Articles:

Day One: Thousand Steps Trail, Juniata Brewing Company, Ghost Town Trail, Levity Brewing
Day Two: Rock Furnace Trail, Allusion Brewing Company, Couch Brewery, Riverview Park, Hop Farm Brewing Company, The Meadows Casino
Day Three:
Day Four:
Day Five:
Day Six:
Day Seven:

The Trip to Indianapolis – Recap Articles:

August (2019) Road Trip Series:

Rickett’s Glen (2020) Road Trip Series:

Monocacy Battlefield Road Trip:

Visiting Reading Pennsylvania:

A Visit to Reading
The Birthday Trip to Reading Pennsylvania – The Good, The Bad, and the Ugly

A Road Trip to The PA Grand Canyon:

Visiting Wellsboro PA and the Grand Canyon

Hiking Hawk Rock

Hiking Hawk Rock and Visiting Liquid Noise Brewery

Hiking Pinnacle Trail and Pulpit Rock

Hiking to Pinnacle Overlook, Pulpit Rock, Visiting 1787 Brewing and Schaylor Brewing

Hiking Around Ephrata Pennsylvania:

Hiking Around Ephrata Pennsylvania – Pour Man’s Brewing, Black Forest Brewery

Hiking Sunset Rocks and Checking Out Maxie’s Brewhouse:

Hiking Sunset Rocks and Checking Out Maxie’s Brewhouse in Shippensburg Pennsylvania

Other Brewery Hopping Articles:

My Article for Breweries in PA:

Touring Breweries Around Harrisburg

My Podcast About Breweries in Central PA:

Beers with Strangers – A Beer Thriller in Hershey

Some other brewery tour and road trip articles:

Also, be sure to check out some of our other beer reviews in recent history:

Please be sure to follow us on our social media accounts – Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, and Influence. Please be sure to also follow, like, subscribe to the blog here itself to keep updated. We love to hear from you guys, so be sure to leave a comment and let us know what you think!

The Trip to Indy – Day Two Recap: Landfall in Pittsburgh and Shenanigans (Allusion Brewing Company, Couch Brewery, Hop Farm Brewing Company)

BKline — Tue, 10 Nov 2020 04:40:00 +0000

Day two of the trip arrived bright and early at my hotel in Indiana. After the morning get-up and get ready, and a harried look for my wallet (it fell back behind the bed and took me twenty minutes to find it), I was finally on the move towards Pittsburgh.

Rock Furnace Trail – Mile 0

The day started with some trails around the Jackson Falls. The Rock Furnace Trail walks right along the beautiful creek’s edge with lots of little rapids and small waterfalls. Beautiful 9AM walk with nobody in sight. It then led into the Roaring Run Trail along the river where there were more bikers and walkers.

After my hike, it was time to keep moving west young faithful traveler.

Allusion Brewing Company

The first brewery for day two was Allusion Brewing Company in Vandergrift Pennsylvania. A pretty little brewery pub that really captured the old – time feel of the town. The town was quaint, small, and old in that way most small Pennsylvania towns are. It reminded me of the town from the Back to the Future (when they travel back in time). It just had this oldey timey feel. The beers at Allusion were top notch. And if you visit, and Jim is there, make sure to say hello, great guy and fun bartender. The flights are also very cool, they repurposed old library card catalogue holders.

After this I ventured into Pittsburgh itself (I know a dangerous thing for a Cincinnati Bengals, Philadelphia Flyers, and Philadelphia Phillies fan to do), but I visited the Rodef Shalom Botanical Biblical Garden. I stopped here last year with my girls, to find out we were there on the wrong day (despite Google Maps saying they were open). Well, once again Google Maps got me, and here they closed for the season back on September 15th.

Couch Brewery

I was invited by Bobby, the current head brewer for Couch Brewery, to stop in and pay him a visit. They were closed but he was in the ‘shop’ kegging their upcoming release – The Four Horseman, so he invited me in, gave me a tour of their facilities backstage, and brought me out to the bar, and let me have a run of samples of all of their beers. Even giving me a four pack to go. Top notch dude, a complete blast and riot, funny guy, and knows his beer as well. The beers were all fantastic, and he sent me on my way with – Macho Man, Sofa Quasimodo, Morning Wood (not often can I say that a guy sent me on my way with Morning Wood), and Atomic Clock.

Four Horseman

He even gave me a sample of their upcoming collaboration beer that he was kegging – The Four Horseman. (He’s Arn Anderson.) I can’t say enough thanks for the hospitality and friendliness he showed me. If you are in the Pittsburgh area be sure to stop out and check Couch Brewery out.

I then traveled up to Riverview Park, where along the way, I must’ve made about ten different wrong turns, going up the steepest hills and back down the steepest slopes. I passed the St. Anthony’s Chapel, where I had taken my daughters to last year, to see a piece of the Cross. I finally made it to the Alleghany Observatory parking lot, and spent the next couple of hours walking and hiking.

Penn Brewery

While up on Troy’s Hill I saw Penn Brewery and stopped, they were unfortunately closed, but I still snapped a picture, and found a brewery (don’t fail me now Google Maps) that was open, so I was on my way to Hop Farm Brewing Company.

Hop Farm Brewing Company

I got to Hop Farm Brewing Company around 7:30PM to find they were at max capacity, so I walked the block, and went back to my car for about fifteen minutes and read, then came back and they luckily had an open table. (Seating was pretty limited.) The burger was delicious and they did their french fries in hop oil (like how Troegs Brewing does their’s at their brewery), and they were absolutely stellar, better even than Troegs.

Hop Farm Brewing Company

My night concluded with me going to The Meadows Casino and Racetrack. Hung out there for a bit, checked out the dice tables, poker room (didn’t play), and tried to get a local beer on tap – Sobel’s Obscure Brewery’s Prehistoric Pilsner. But it kicks with barely a taste in it, and when for replacement I asked the bartender for a local beer, she offers me the Sierra Nevada’s Little Hazy Thing …… sigh. Oh well, so it goes.

Hop and a skip over to my hotel, and I’m calling it a night. See you guys on here again for tomorrow’s recap as I venture into Ohio and Columbus. Cheers!

-B. Kline

The Trip to Indianapolis:

Vandergrift - The Beer Thrillers

Allusion Brewing Company’s Second Location is Having Their Grand Opening Saturday

Allusion Brewing Company’s second location is having their grand opening on April 13th

Announcement

Allusion Brewing Company Locations

For More Information on Allusion Brewing Company

More of Our Articles About Allusion Brewing Company

Brewery News

Thank You for Reading

Allusion Brewing is Opening a Second Spot in McCandless Township, Duncan Manor in Allison Park

Allusion Brewing is Opening a Second Spot in McCandless Township, Duncan Manor in Allison Park in Early 2024

For More Information on Allusion Brewing Company

More of Our Articles About Allusion Brewing Company

Brewery News

Thank You For Reading

We Can’t Always Be a Glutton Right? – Perfect Portions and Allusion Brewing Company

A Perfect Meal

A Perfect Beer

Amy’s Back

For More Information on Allusion Brewing Company

More of Our Articles About Allusion Brewing Company

Amy’s Column Series

Thank You For Reading

Allusion Brewing Company Appreciation Party

Battle of the Breweries – 2023 Champions

Appreciation Party – July 22nd, 2023

For More Information on Allusion Brewing Company

More of Our Articles About Allusion Brewing Company

For More of our Award Articles

Brewery News

Thank You For Reading

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) Winner Is

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) Winner Is…

Quick Finals Break Down

Champions

Allusion Brewing Company

More Information About Allusion Brewing Company

More of Our Articles About Allusion Brewing Company

Past Results:

Group Stage Voting Pages

Group Stage Results Pages

Round of 16 Voting Pages

Round of 16 Results Pages

Round of 8 Voting Pages

Round of 8 Results Pages

Conference Final Four Voting Pages

Conference Final Four Results Page

Conference Finals Voting Page

Conference Finals Results Page

Thank You For Reading

Allusion Brewing Company

Allusion Brewing Company is in The Battle of the Breweries Finals

Allusion Brewing Company

Grand Opening

Allusion Brewing Company Pushed On

My Trip to Vandergrift in 2020

Rock Furnace and Vandergrift

More Information About Allusion Brewing Company

More of Our Articles About Allusion Brewing Company

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Finals Fatal Four Way

The Battle of the Breweries (2023)

Past Results:

Group Stage Voting Pages

Group Stage Results Pages

Round of 16 Voting Pages

Round of 16 Results Pages

Round of 8 Voting Pages

Round of 8 Results Pages

Conference Final Four Voting Pages

Conference Final Four Results Page

Conference Finals Voting Page

Conference Finals Results Page

Voting Rules

Vote Here

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Finals Fatal Four Way

The Battle of the Breweries (2023) – Voting and Results Pages

Thank You for Reading

Allusion Brewing Company Wins Two Top Awards

Craft Beer Conference Awards

The Awards