Hopefully this event wont be sold out by the time you read this blog post. The cool kids who run the Independent are teaming up with the folks at Wigle Whiskey for a four course dinner that will redefine the shot and beer. The food at the Independent Brewing Company is awesome and at $65/person this is a steal for what promises to be a delightful evening. Tickets are available here.
Read more about local beer and booze in Pittsburgh…
I know that I included the Hitchcock! A Halloween Party at the Carrie Furnace on the big list of Pittsburgh Halloween Parties, but the folks who are working to make this a fabulous party and this location both deserve a more than the few bullet points that were included on that list.
The hosts of this upcoming soiree have been sending some amazing updates about the party, more on that in a minute. First the party details…
If you are new to Pittsburgh, or maybe you grew up here when the Waterfront had already been turned into a shopping plaza, you might not know what in the heck people are talking about when they say furnace.
Carrie Furnace No. 7, U.S. Steel Homestead Works, Blast Furnace Plant, Along Monongahela River, Homestead (Allegheny County, Pennsylvania) (cropped) (Photo credit: Wikipedia)
The Carrie Furnace is actually the Carrie Furnaces, former blast furnaces that were part of a steel manufacturing plant. As you may know, most of the steel manufacturing left the Pittsburgh area in the 1970s and 1980s. The Carrie Furnaces were built in 1907 for the Homestead Works. The Rivers of Steel National Heritage Area is working on making these furnaces one of the focal points for a proposed Homestead Works National Park.
The Carrie Furnace and the whole Rivers of Steel area are an often overlooked, but very important part of local and national history. The steel industry a key story line in the development of Pittsburgh as a major international city but the Homestead Strike of 1892 was a significant historical event in the countries labor history.
And that is just a tiny bit of the history behind the Carrie Furnace. You can learn more about the site from the Rivers of Steel website here.
The Hosts: The Brew Gentlemen, The Independent Brewing Company & Bar Marco
This party is being put together by three businesses that are all relatively new to Pittsburgh, but whose owners have a passion for supporting the local community, local businesses and local history. I know that I, as well as many others in Pittsburgh, have written much about each of these businesses before (and I am sure the other bloggers are better writers than me). But all of these fine folks should be on your radar…
The Trailer: Yes, this party has its own video trailer
The Other Details…
Pete, who is one of the owners of The Independent Brewing Company as been writing some impressive essays, I mean updates about the party. Here are a few of the highlights, you can read all of the party updates here.
On what to wear…
1. Wear “outdoor” shoes. Most of the party is indoors, but even indoors, the terrain can be a bit rough. So wear something that will prevent you from twisting ankles or skinning toes. You can rock that sexy 60s cocktail dress just as well (and a heck of a lot more comfortably and safely) in a cute pair of sturdy flats. as you would in 6 inch stilettos.
2. Dress as light as you’d like, but be SURE to bring something warm to throw on — Current weather predictions are sunny (yay!) but a low of 39 degrees (boo!). Don’t worry — we’re not animals — we’ll have fire barrels in the courtyard and also space heaters in the A/C Powerhouse (which will likely warm up from human heat pretty well too). But, plan to have a couple of layers. No one is going to stop you from coming naked and wrapped in a bloody shower curtain, but be sure to bring a blanket to wrap yourself in when you go into the courtyard.
On why this party matters…
But, I hope (and, after today, I think that I know) that, at this party, you’ll have a sense that what you’re doing is being part of something special, for the furnaces and the region. And I hope that you can connect back to that same feeling that we’ve had as we continue to build our set: namely, that not long ago, there were hard working people in this very same place making iron that built not just our city, but our whole nation. We can’t compare to the achievements of those workers. But we can help keep their memory alive by throwing one hell of a party and bringing that sacred place alive for one more evening (and hopefully, many more days and evenings to come in the future).
If you get the chance, sign up the for the Independent Brewing Company’s Email list (I have no idea where or how you sign up for this) but I promise you that Pete’s weekly updates are not something that you will want to click unsubscribe.
If you are new to Pittsburgh, or are just a casual Pirates fan – you may be wondering why everyone is walking around in an extra layer of black and gold. It is a BIG day in Pittsburgh. The Pirates play a postseason game tonight at PNC Park.
Here are few of the ways that Pittsburgh is getting ready for the game tonight. We want to see how you are preparing for the Pirates postseason game – share your tweets and photos with the #PGHfanatics
The Independent Brewing Company Break Out The Television
I wanted to share the email that the Independent Brewing Company just sent out, which does an excelled job of explaining why the game tonight is a big deal. If you haven’t been to the Independent Brewing Company yet – GO THERE NOW! A great bar, located in the heart of Sq. Hill that only server local brew. If you can’t make it to the Independent Brewing Company RIGHT NOW, then take a moment to follow @IndependentPGH on Twitter.
No. We’re not putting the TVs back in and renewing Fanattics’ cable subscription. Yes. We are going to play tonight’s Pirates playoff game, which we will stream to a flat screen television through my espn.com account.
We stand by our position that televisions, for the most part, ruin good tavern experiences. And after tonight’s game, we will return to our televisionless tavern lifestyle. However, at the end of the day, if a newly-minted 21 year-old walked into the Indie tonight for her first legal beer, she would have witnessed exactly one season of Pirates playoff baseball in her life. These things don’t come around often. I’d like to think we’d televise another moon landing. Pirates playoff appearances are just as rare.
Click here to read the entire email from the Independent Brewing Company Management.
I know that I included the Hitchcock! A Halloween Party at the 
If you are new to Pittsburgh, or are just a casual Pirates fan – you may be wondering why everyone is walking around in an extra layer of black and gold. It is a BIG day in Pittsburgh. The Pirates play a postseason game tonight at PNC Park.