{"id":233714,"date":"2026-07-02T12:29:21","date_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:29:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/233714\/"},"modified":"2026-07-02T12:29:21","modified_gmt":"2026-07-02T12:29:21","slug":"beer-in-pittsburgh-is-increasingly-nonalcoholic-say-brewers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-pa\/233714\/","title":{"rendered":"Beer in Pittsburgh is increasingly nonalcoholic, say brewers"},"content":{"rendered":"

It was a beautiful day for Beers of the Burgh last month. Among the great beers I sampled were an ice cream sour from Abjuration Brewing, a summery lime ale from Old Thunder (The Long Light) and a classic double IPA from Brew Gentlemen (Albatross) that hits a world-class rating of 98% on Beer Advocate<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I was really struck by the variety of nonalcoholic options at the festival \u2014 more than last year, and up from almost none just a few years ago. There were samples from Two Frays, the first local to brew an NA more than three years ago; East End Brewing, Cinderlands, Penn Brewery and more, along with spirits and mocktails from Goodlander and Lucky Spirits, to name a couple.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is definitely a trend with some staying power,\u201d said Mark Turic, Beers of the Burgh\u2019s organizer. In fact, this year\u2019s festival was the first to offer a ticket for NA samples only.<\/p>\n

\u201cThey were about $20 cheaper (than full-price tickets), and we sold about a hundred,\u201d Turic said.<\/p>\n

Not just NAs, but low-alcohol styles like lagers, pilsners and kolsch are gaining popularity. Scott Smith, who opened East End Brewing Co.<\/a> in 2004, sees it as \u201ca pushback against the alcohol arms race that was going on at one time,\u201d when connoisseurs equated higher alcohol by volume (ABV) with better beer.<\/p>\n

The new easy-drinking trend is reflected in East End\u2019s taproom lineup, which includes Everyday Pilsner, Sports Beer light lager and a seasonal watermelon gose, which all hover at about 4% ABV. East End also has its own NA brew \u2014 Dry Hop \u2014 inspired by their flagship beer, Big Hop. Other nonalcoholic options include Barmy Soda, Hop Water and nonalcoholic seltzers.<\/p>\n

\"\"Beers of the Burgh Festival 2025. Photo courtesy of Beers of the Burgh.<\/p>\n

When big beers are not the main attraction, events are key. East End, like most local taprooms, offers a full schedule of diversions at all three of its locations. There\u2019s weekly Drew\u2019s Clues trivia at both Larimer and Mt. Lebanon, yoga at the summer pop-up on the North Side, occasional bingo and monthly bluegrass or Scottish music in Mt. Lebanon. Alternate Histories<\/a>\u2019 Matt Buchholz hosts holiday Crafts and Drafts. Look for World Cup watch parties too.<\/p>\n

\u201cHabits have changed,\u201d Smith noted. \u201cWe\u2019re not gonna go out for beers. We\u2019re gonna go out and do something and maybe have some beers.\u201d<\/p>\n

For Smith, it\u2019s all good.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI used to think we were a beer company, and while we are, we\u2019re a community gathering place that has beer that we make.\u201d<\/p>\n

Mel Babitz, owner of The Open Road<\/a>, apparently saw all of this coming back in 2020, when she started selling NA beers, wine and cocktails. She opened a store on Arlington Avenue in 2022 and moved to a larger space in Garfield last year. Babitz has dozens of NA beers. In addition to locals from Two Frays and East End, and regional selections from Voodoo and New Trail, almost every major corporate beer brand has its own, including Pabst Blue Ribbon and Corona. There\u2019s even an NA version of the Belgian Delirium Tremens: Delirio, with the same distinctive blue bottle, \u201cflies off the shelf,\u201d Babitz says.<\/p>\n

\"\"Mel Babitz of The Open Road, a nonalcoholic drinks shop, displays the list of NA options available at last month\u2019s Beers of the Burgh. Photo courtesy of Mike Poggi.<\/p>\n

Babitz\u2019s most popular category is \u201cweed drinks\u201d \u2013 NA beverages infused with hemp with potency ranging from 3 to more than 20 milligrams of THC and\/or CBD.<\/p>\n

\u201cIn Pennsylvania, if you have a liquor license, you can\u2019t sell any hemp products,\u201d though breweries in other states are producing hemp beverages, Babitz said.\u00a0<\/p>\n

(Though recreational marijuana is illegal in Pennsylvania, a loophole in a 2018 federal Farm Bill<\/a> has permitted hemp sales. This may change in November, when a law prohibiting the sale of hemp products with more than 0.4 milligrams of THC is set to go into effect.)<\/p>\n

She also sells tinctures, kava drinks and more. It\u2019s all \u201cabout health and wellness,\u201d and not just for the younger generations who are famously less interested in alcohol.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cOur clientele skews older,\u201d including people who can\u2019t, or may not want to, drink as they once did, Babitz noted.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For those over 21 who are sober, or sober-curious, or just want to check out the weed drinks, Babitz and her staff are a valuable resource as the NA space grows and changes.<\/p>\n

Virtue Signal hits town<\/p>\n

In related news, the area\u2019s first business dedicated solely to high-quality nonalcoholic beer has had a busy few months.<\/p>\n

\u201cThings are going well,\u201d said Mike Poggi of Mt. Lebanon, founder of Virtue Signal Brewing<\/a>. Like Babitz, he saw an opportunity in a burgeoning field: His beverages are \u201cas good as an alcoholic beer.\u201d His company released their first three styles (Presumed Innocent West Coast IPA, Bougie Bliss Belgian-Style Wheat and No Clucks Given vanilla dark porter style), earlier this year, and it\u2019s not hard to find them around town. Old Thunder, Back Alley and Acclamation are among the taphouses carrying Virtue Signal. It\u2019s available along with Brew Gentlemen beers at Riverlife\u2019s Shore Thing<\/a> and at a growing number of restaurants, including Mediterra and F & F Pizzeria in Mt. Lebanon. More than 20 local beer distributors and retailers, including The Open Road, sell six-packs featuring all three varieties, as well as single cans, Poggi said.<\/p>\n

\"\"Virtue Signal Brewing\u2019s first three styles of NA beer at a 412 Food Rescue event. Photo by Tyler Newpol.<\/p>\n

Thirsty visitors were lining up at Poggi\u2019s Beers of the Burgh table last month, to his delight.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cI kept telling them, \u2018You have to smell it first,\u2019\u201d he said. \u201cThen you\u2019d see their eyes light up.<\/p>\n

\u201cYou need to pour (the beers) into a glass, to get the head, the smell and the mouth feel,\u201d Poggi advised. \u201cFor people who care, that makes a big difference.\u201d<\/p>\n

Black BrewHouse attracting visitors<\/p>\n

Black BrewHouse<\/a>, the joint venture between Marcus Wyatt, owner of Windy Bridges Brewing<\/a>, and Erika Turner, founder of TLC Libations<\/a>, has been open Downtown on Forbes Avenue for about two months, and they\u2019re staying busy. Juneteenth weekend was a big party, with DJs, food, yoga and line dancing. Last weekend, they hosted a Barrel and Flow meet and greet on Saturday, plus gave out beer and cocktail samples during Open Streets.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s getting better,\u201d Wyatt said, noting their Thursday and Friday happy hours, which attract Downtown workers from PNC and other companies. \u201cWe\u2019ve created a destination for people.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n

The challenge for both Windy Bridges and TLC is increasing their production to keep up with growing demand, but \u201cit\u2019s a great problem to have,\u201d Wyatt noted. TLC also continues to operate its Homewood lounge.<\/p>\n

The BrewHouse is an inviting, living room-type space with couches, comfy chairs and a small bar. The front area is often open to catch evening breezes. The drinks menu includes\u00a0 a rotation of Windy Bridges beers. Recently, Wyatt offered a cream ale and strawberry lemonade sour. TLC cocktails included espresso martinis, strawberry guava and pineapple mimosa punches, and their own spin on classics like old fashioneds and margaritas. The BrewHouse often hosts food trucks, or patrons can grab food from Forbes Tavern across the street.<\/p>\n

Wyatt and Turner are looking forward to welcoming Picklesburgh visitors July 16-19, and not long after that, hosting Steelers fans.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u201cWe complement each other,\u201d Wyatt said of his partnership with Turner. \u201cYou open a business, you\u2019re really taking a leap of faith.\u201d<\/p>\n

Important information about Barrel and Flow<\/p>\n

Pittsburgh\u2019s Black brewfest returns on Aug. 8. African American brewers and distillers including Daelyn Schellhaas, owner of Altered Genius in Ambridge, Wyatt and Turner, as mentioned above, and brewery owners from across the country will converge at the Stacks at Three Crossings for the annual celebration of Black creativity. New brewers include WNBA legend Tina Charles, who owns 78 Brewery in Connecticut. (Sports fans might know the 78 is in honor of her college team, the UConn Huskies, which posted a 78-game winning streak in 2009 and 2010.)<\/p>\n

\"\"Left to right: Barrel & Flow Founder Day Bracey, Community and Business Outreach Director Charda\u00e8 Jones, Festival Coordinator Tyra Jamison, Operations and Communications Director Ummey Karim, and Tom Marshall, head of collaborations and owner of New France Brewing. Photo by Annette Bassett.<\/p>\n

As the big day gets closer, founder Day Bracey has an urgent message for festival goers: be sure to download the new Barrels Festival app on the Apple Store<\/a> or Google Play Store<\/a>. It provides all the information needed on vendors, artists and performers, along with a list of brewers and collaborations, merch and the event\u2019s history.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Explaining the purpose of the app, Bracey said, \u201cA lot of people hit me up with dumbass questions. I hate it.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s a free app,\u201d he added. \u201cDon\u2019t you dare ask me questions when I paid all this money for the app.<\/p>\n

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