10 Great Bottle Shops in the Pittsburgh Area

Who buys a whole case anymore? Stop at these local spots for brews by the bottle, many of which you’d be hard-pressed to find in a distributor.

photo via flickr creative commons

99 Bottles

1001 Washington Ave., Carnegie, 412/279-1299, 99bottlespittsburgh.com, Open daily 11 a.m.-2 a.m.
Claim to Fame: In addition to more than 500 different beers in bottles, a 35-tap system features local and craft beers; you can have a pint on-site or fill a growler to go.
Extra Credit: Long hours every day mean that you’re rarely out of luck when you want to grab some bottles of beer. 
 

Allegheny Six Pack and Doghouse

1301 Pittsburgh St., Cheswick, 724/275-7520, alleghenysixpack.com
Open Sun 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Mon-Thu 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Claim to Fame: The selection is limited but still enough to please any craft-beer lover. Friendly, helpful service and hot dogs make this a community gathering place worth visiting. 
Extra Credit: Trooper, an ale from the British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, is in the beer case as of press time. 
 

Atlas Bottle Works

4115 Butler St., Lawrenceville; 412/904-4248, atlaspgh.com
Open Sun 11 a.m.-9 p.m., Mon-Thurs 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-11 p.m.
Claim to Fame: There are two floors of choices in this brightly designed bottle shop. Options range from imports, ciders and a large selection of craft (nonalcoholic) sodas.  
Extra Credit: You can take your beer into the adjacent Row House Cinema. They’ll even chill it for you.
 

Carson Street Deli

1507 E. Carson St., South Side; 412/381-5335, carsonstreetdeliandcraftbeer.com
Open Sun 11am-8pm, Mon-Thu 10am-10pm, Fri 10am-11pm, Sat 11am-11pm
Claim to Fame: Friendly service and a carefully curated selection of beers make this a go-to destination on the South Side. Weekly beer sampling events are designed to educate expert and novice beer drinkers.  
Extra Credit: Fantastic sandwiches such as the Balboa, the Donnie Brasco and the Hot Pastrami Mama are proven crowd pleasers. 
 

D’s Six Pax & Dogz

1118 S. Braddock Ave., Regent Square; 412/241-4666, ds6pax.com
Open Sun-Wed 11 a.m.-11 p.m., Thu-Sat 11 a.m.-12 a.m.
Claim to Fame: The vast “beer cave” contains more than 1,000 bottles, many of them chilled and ready to drink.  
Extra Credit: A great pub grub menu is highlighted by signature hot dogs, wings and fries — and an excellent draft list.
 

Hal’s Bottle Shop

3225 Babcock Blvd., Ross Township; 412/364-3230
Open Sun 1 p.m.-11 p.m., Mon-Thu 4 p.m.-12 a.m., Fri 4 p.m.-2 a.m., Sat 1 p.m.-2 a.m.
Claim to Fame: Membership in the bottle shop’s “rare-beer club” gets you early access to an ever-changing selection of rare and one-off beers.
Extra Credit: A new event space in the back of the shop is a terrific spot for beer tastings and private parties. 
 

House of 1,000 Beers

357 Freeport St., New Kensington; 724/337-7666, houseof1000beers.com
Open Sun-Tue 11 a.m.-10 p.m., Wed-Thu 11 a. m.-11 p.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-12 a.m.
Claim to Fame: Quantity. There are actually more than 1,000 choices here; it’s billed as the largest selection in western Pennsylvania.
Extra Credit: There are 36 great beers on tap, too — as listed on a flat screen above the bar that’s as detailed as the arrivals-and-departures screen at the airport.
 

Packs and Dogs

223 Shiloh St., Mount Washington; 412/431-1855, packsanddogs.com
Open Sun-Thu 11 a.m.-12 a.m., Fri-Sat 11 a.m.-2 a.m.
Claim to Fame: Cold beer and great dogs make Packs and Dogs one of the most satisfying lightning-quick meals in town.
Extra Credit: As long as you order at least one food item, Packs and Dogs offers free delivery — yes, they bring the beer to you.
 

Pittsburgh Bottleshop Cafe

1597 Washington Pike, Bridgeville; 412/279-8170, bottleshopcafe.com
Open Sun 11:15am-1am, Mon-Fri 11am-1am, Sat 11:15am-1am
Claim to Fame: The beer selection is good, but the Bottleshop Cafe wins as an all-around quality bar (with tempting food).
Extra Credit: Cigar lovers, take your six-pack next door to Smoke Cigar Shop & Lounge — they have a BYOB policy.
 

Sharp Edge Bistro Penn

922 Penn Ave., Downtown; 412/338-2437, sharpedgebeer.com/bistro-on-penn
Open Sun 9 a.m.-12 a.m., Mon-Thu 11 a.m.-12 a.m., Fri 11 a.m.-1 a.m., Sat 9 a.m.-1 a.m.
Claim to Fame: Pittsburgh’s multilocation home for Belgian brews boasts one of the most robust selections of European beers around.
Extra Credit: It’s got plenty of food to match, including excellent build-your-own burgers, mussels and the sublime Buffalo Bites.