Balance Brewing Co. Resurrects the Art of Beer-Making in Ross

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

The world’s unstable, but you can find Balance in the North Hills.

Last weekend’s surprise opening of the brewery on Babcock Boulevard in Ross raised the spirits of local beer lovers longing for a neighborhood watering hole.

It’s been more than two years since the building’s former tenant, Necromancer Brewing Co., went belly up. (Speaking of bellies, USA Baby occupied the enormous space for decades before it became a suds factory. I bought my daughter’s crib there in 2009 and still sing the catchy jingle!)

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Open daily, the expanded taproom contains small decorative nods to its past, plenty of high-topand lounge seating, and a rotating bank of pinball machines. A mural artist will soon add splashes of color to the white walls and picnic tables will pop up on the patio when the weather breaks.

The facility’s seven-barrel electric brewhouse is where Balance owners Rob Houston and Matt Gibb find their zen.

Houston says that in addition to offering balanced beers, a balanced taplist and a balanced taproom vibe, the company wants to create a good work-life balance for its employees.

The industry veterans make a variety of styles, from the House Lager and Cat Party Cream Ale to River Views IPA and the Gorilla Gardening hazy. They’ll start canning in the next few weeks and supplying kegs to area craft beer bars.

The drink menu also includes seltzers and ciders from Arsenal Cider House. If you think you’ll get tipsy at Balance, designate a driver and buy them a non-alcoholic beverage, such as locally made Barmy Soda.

PHOTO BY KRISTY GRAVER

Patrons are welcome to bring their own food or order from area restaurants; food trucks will be regularly parked out front. Balance will host trivia nights, live music and other activities based on customer input. The building also has a large storage area that could be transformed into an event space.

For years, Houston worked in IT down South, but left the high-tech world after a part-time stint at Atlanta’s Monday Night Brewing. After moving into Pittsburgh’s beer scene, which USA Today ranked one of the best in the nation, he beefed up his beer expertise at Brew Gentlemen in Braddock and Pittsburgh Brewing Company in Creighton.

He met Gibb — a graduate of Chicago’s famed school for brewers, Seibel Institute of Technology — while working at Hitchhiker Brewing Co. in Sharpsburg.

Their first order of business when they opened Balance was to join the Pittsburgh Brewers Guild, a nonprofit organization representing nearly 50 breweries in Allegheny County. They look forward to participating in Three Rivers Beer Week April 8-12; the Guild has organized the bash since 2019. This year, commemorative pint glasses will be sold exclusively at member breweries. .

If crowds continue to pack the Balance taproom like they did last weekend, a second location could be in the cards.

Right now, Houston and Gibb are holding steady.

“Our goal is to have this be the community spot we want it to be,” Gibb says. “If that’s all that happens, I’ll be happy.”

Balance Brewing Co. is at 2257 Babcock Blvd., Ross. Hours are 4 to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 2 to 10 p.m. Friday, noon to 10 p.m. Saturday and noon to 8 p.m. Sunday.