For the first time in two years or so, Pittsburgh has a new brewery. Balance Brewing Co. opened in the old Necromancer Brewing space in the North Hills last month.

“Our opening weekend was wonderful,” said co-owner Rob Houston. “We got a lot of great support.

“A lot of people thanked us for opening the space back up,” he noted.

Between them, Houston and his co-owner, Matt Gibb, have worked at a number of local breweries, including Hop Farm, Hitchhiker and Pittsburgh Brewing, where they first met. Houston handles the operations at Balance while Gibb heads up the brewing. They offer “something for everybody,” Houston said, including IPAs, stouts, sours and more. “It’ll depend on what our customers want.” Their house lager and Gorilla Garden IPA are early favorites, he added.

In addition to a variety of Balance brews, Goodlander canned cocktails, seltzers and soft drinks are available. 

Rob Houston and Matt Gibb, co-owners of the area’s newest local brewery, Balance Brewing, have taken over the old Necromancer space on Babcock Boulevard. Photo courtesy of Rebekah Fitzgibbons.

As Necromancer fans will recall, the Babcock Boulevard space is huge. Houston and Gibb have increased the taproom size to 3,400 square feet, which still leaves plenty of room for a seven-barrel brewing system and eventually, an event space. 

Balance is open seven days a week, something of a rarity among local breweries. Pointing to their commitment to “something for everybody,” Houston said he hopes to attract service industry workers on their nights off. Look for food trucks on weekends; patrons can bring their own food or order in on other evenings. 

The brewery’s name is intentional, Houston said, noting they strive for balance in their brewing, in their employees’ work/life balance and life in general: “It’s a business philosophy.”

Abjuration making moves

Abjuration Brewing Co. has been shaking things up. Late last year, they opened a small taproom at Taps Axes and Games in Mt. Lebanon, a new axe-throwing bistro. The McKees Rocks brewery, which has operated inside the Parkway Theater since 2018, has also joined Abstract Realm and New France as the third tenant at Hazelwood Brew House. 

“We’ve been looking at this for some time,” said Dave Hallam, Abjuration’s founder and brewer. “We need more beer to sell.”

Dave Hallam, owner of Abjuration Brewing, looks forward to moving into Hazelwood Brew House sometime this summer. The McKees Rocks location will remain, and their drafts and cans are available at Tap Axes and Games and other local stores. Photo courtesy of Coret Fisher, City Lights Cinematography.

The Hazelwood expansion will greatly increase their production capacity, to as much as 3,000 gallons annually, Hallam said. They’ll still brew and sell beer at their original location, “which will lovingly be referred to as The Lab,” he added. 

Abjuration is best known for its dessert beers, including a vast array of ice cream sours. Among the more notable flavors are cherry, made with cotton candy and cherry ice cream; a smoothie-style sour, with guava and strawberry purėe; and a muffin sour, featuring bananas, macadamia nuts and cinnamon. 

“The tartness makes the flavors pop,” Hallam noted, adding that he’ll be able to increase production of customer favorites, such as a Bomb Pop candied sour and pineapple ice cream sour.

The Brew House space is open on Fridays and Saturdays for now, as Abjuration brewers work to set up production and tap service. He’s happy with the new location, as Hazelwood and McKees Rocks have a lot in common, Hallam said: “They’ve both been downtrodden, but now they’re revitalizing.”

Other happenings:

Three Rivers Beer Week 2026 is April 8-12. Abjuration’s ice cream mixer, a Beer Week tradition, is April 11 at their McKees Rocks location. They’re collaborating with Frio Creamery on several sours, including a banana, peanut butter and chocolate concoction, and with Ivy’s Ice Cream Doggie Pawlor for canine treats. Other events include the release of a limited edition Three Rivers Beer Week glass, available at many local breweries starting April 8. The East End Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride and Lawrenceville Brewery Crawl return on April 11.

Work continues on Allegheny City Brewing’s second location on California Avenue in Brighton Heights. “We want this spot to really focus on giving Brighton Heights and nearby neighborhoods a comfortable place to hang out and get to know their neighbors,” said owner Al Grasso. Opening day should be later this spring. 

Mike Haas and Donnie Cardone, founders and owners of Altered Genius Brewing Co., have sold the brewery to their former brewing assistant, Daelyn Schellhaas. Schellhaas is Pennsylvania’s first Black female brewery owner. Photo courtesy of Altered Genius Brewing.

Founders Donnie Cardone and Mike Haas have sold Altered Genius Brewing to assistant brewer Daelyn Schellhaas. They report that Schellhaas will be Pennsylvania’s first Black female brewery owner. Altered Genius’s Ambridge location is currently closed for renovation, but the Trailside taproom in Imperial remains open. 

Riverbank Distillery, Lawrenceville Distilling’s new home on Allegheny River Boulevard in Verona, is now open. The refurbished bank offers bar and table seating, and cocktails made with their small-batch vodka, gin and absinthe. Look for small bites on hand, as well as pop-ups by local chefs.

Barrel and Flow founder Day Bracey has organized the festival’s first spinoff: Barrels on the Bayou happening in New Orleans on April 18. It’s not quite a Steelers away game, but Bracey says yinzers will be well represented. Local creators from TLC Libations, Trace Brewing and Windy Bridges Brew will be on hand, and so will some local drinkers, according to Bracey: “They’re bringing caravans.” To add to the NOLA fun, the French Quarter Festival is just a few blocks away on the same day. Bracey and his team are also at work on Barrel and Flow, set for Aug. 8 in the Strip District. 

Marcus Wyatt, Windy Bridges’ brewer/owner has a lot going on in addition to his featured role at Barrels On The Bayou. He’s working with Diane and Erika Turner, the mother-daughter owners of TLC Libations, to create the Black Brewhouse, “a shared passion between TLC and me,” Wyatt said. “We are dedicated to creating a welcoming space where our drinks can be enjoyed, fostering connection and a lively, genuine atmosphere.” They expect to announce more details in the next couple of weeks.  Windy Bridges beers will also be on tap at Babesburgh Bash at Allegheny Landing Park on June 6.