Dig in With Graver: National Accolades, Commemorative Beer Cans and Sustainable Suds

PHOTO COURTESY OF PITTSBURGH BREWING CO.

Drinkin’ With Graver would be a better title for this week’s column.

USA Today again named Pittsburgh’s beer scene one of the 20 best in the country. This year, we came in fifth place between Charlotte and San Diego. The publication also raised a toast to Barrel & Flow Fest, a celebration of Black culture, creativity and community. Ohio-based Fat Heads’s Brewery — which has had a saloon on Pittsburgh’s South Side since 1992 — was honored for its Bumble Berry label.

Around here, we like a little neighborly competition of our own.

On April 21, 11 local brewers will compete for best beer at the Allegheny Mountain Malt Sustainable Sip-Off at Mike’s Beer Bar on the North Shore.

Each participating brewery will create a beer featuring locally and regeneratively grown Allegheny Mountain Malt. Attendees will taste, evaluate and cast their vote for the People’s Choice, while professional and celebrity judges name Top Draft Pick and contest participants select Brewer’s Choice. The Sustainability Spotlight Award will also honor the brew featuring the highest percentage of locally sourced ingredients.

The event, produced by Sustainable Pittsburgh, Food21 and Allegheny Mountain Malt, starts at 4 p.m. with winners announced at 7:30 p.m. Tickets are $20 in advance and will be available for $25 at the door. Admission includes samples from the participating breweries, a voting ballot, entertainment, a souvenir pint glass and one complimentary full-size pour from the extensive Mike’s Beer Bar menu.

Participating breweries include Burghers Brewing, Abjuration Brewing, Cobblehaus Brewing Co., Devout Brewing, Hazel Grove Brewing, Headley’s Brewing, Hop Farm Brewing Company, Late Addition Brewing + Blending, Tortured Souls Brewing, Unity Brewing and Windy Bridges Brew.

It’s a great time to be a sustainable suds drinker in the 412!

PHOTO COURTESY OF PITTSBURGH BREWING CO.

With the NFL Draft coming to our steel town April 23-25, creating an Iron City Draft was a no-brainer.

This month, Pittsburgh Brewing is releasing Iron City Draft collector’s cans. The limited-edition beer will also flow from taps at more than 100 area bars, restaurants and hotels.

Pump an Iron at the official Draft Watch Party on April 23 at the company’s headquarters in Creighton, where every pick will be shown on big screens while fans enjoy food trucks, outdoor activities and a live WTAE-TV broadcast. Tickets are available online.

I must admit, I’m a sucker for a collectible beer can. I inherited this love for aluminum from my dad, whose garage is decorated with commemorative cans from the Steelers’ Super Bowl-winning run in the ‘70s.

I managed to amass all of Rolling Rock’s Myron Cope cans during Super Bowl XL, when the Black-and-Gold beat the Seattle Seahawks, but they were lost during the chaotic victory celebration. Double yoi!

I still have Iron City’s 2022 tribute to Bill Cowher (my dad’s doppelgänger) and a vintage pull-tab receptacle of Olde Frothingslosh with a label featuring the late, great Marsha Phillips, a model, go-go dancer and my suds-lovin’ soul sister.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

I’m sure Iron City’s latest limited-edition release will end up on a shelf in my beer-themed kitchen, which I refer to as my “bitchin’.” The new cans and tap handles were designed by the company’s longtime illustrator, Ron Mahoney, with Bobby Baker providing creative direction.

I think they crushed it.