PHOTO COURTESY OF THE PITTSBURGH BREWERS GUILD

The hops don’t stop once the Easter Bunny bounces out of town.

Three Rivers Beer Week is scheduled for April 12-16. That’s right, yinz guys; this year’s celebration of local brews starts on 4/12. 

The Pittsburgh Brewers Guild has organized the bash — formerly known as Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week — since 2019. The nonprofit represents nearly 50 breweries in Allegheny County. 

Taprooms will be hosting unique events throughout the five days. There’s an interactive calendar online that allows you to search for specific activities or within a certain area. New events are added daily. 

So far, the fun includes an Imperial Breakfast at Sharpsburg’s Dancing Gnome, an art-themed happy hour at Back Alley Brewing in Dormont, a fundraising drag show at Necromancer Brewing Co. in Ross, a Lawrenceville Brewery Crawl and a party to celebrate the opening of the new indoor space at Grist House in Millvale. 

PHOTO COURTESY OF GRIST HOUSE

In addition to participating in activities, beer lovers can pick up the latest Pittsburgh Brewery Guide. 

The third edition of the passport-style booklet, which is available for $10 at participating breweries and online, is filled with information about the guild’s members as well as nine designated beer trails throughout the city. Folks can also plan their own taproom-hopping adventure online and win prizes for visiting a certain number of sites to have their book stamped. Beer Week organizers hope to release a digital guide in 2024. 

Another new edition to the annual celebration is the launch of Friends of Pittsburgh Beer, a fundraising program that gives imbibers insider information, rewards and discounts on things such as pints, beer festival tickets and brewery swag. Registration starts April 12 and there is a $99 annual membership fee. 

After holding autumnal beer weeks the past few years, organizers are happy to spring forward. The original Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week, which was run by beer fans, not brewers, was held each spring from in 2012 until 2018.  

In 2019, the guild received a $75,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Malt and Brewed Beverage Industry Promotion Board to revamp and relaunch Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week, an event that was run by beer lovers, but not necessarily beer makers. The funds were earmarked for 2020, but, due to the pandemic, the guild was given an extension in mid-2021 to establish the new festival.

Guild President Matt McMahon, owner of Eleventh Hour Brewing, urged everyone to have fun and take the Three Rivers Beer Week Pledge, a code of conduct for the week. 

April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month, so McMahon’s Lawrenceville business partnered with Pittsburgh Action Against Rape (PAAR) on a charity beer called Monarch. A portion of proceeds from the sale of the the low-ABV pale ale will go to the 50-year-old organization that provides advocacy, counseling and other services to victims of sexual violence and their families. 

While there’s no official kick-off party for Three Rivers Beer Week this year, Eleventh Hour will host a Monarch release event on April 2 starting at 2 p.m. 

Representatives from PAAR will be on hand to discuss Project Last Call, a new training program now available for all bars/restaurants/clubs in Allegheny County. The program works to train and educate staff in the service industry to establish a safe environment, identify sexual harassment, train bystander intervention techniques, identify common scenarios and provide resources.