Tag Archives: the brew gentlemen

Pittsburgh Halloween Party Carrie Furnace

The (Party) People Behind The Hitchcock Halloween Party

Pittsburgh Halloween Party Carrie FurnaceI 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…

Hitcock! A Halloween Party

The Venue: Carrie Furnace

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 Wor...

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.

Pitt-Starter: The Brew Gentlemen Are Bringing a Brewery to Braddock

There is just 2 days left on this Kickstarter project, and these guys have already passed their goal to raise $25,000.  They have even passed their 2nd goal to raise $30,000.

But I wanted to share their video anyways.  I met these two gentlemen last year at the first Grub With Us dinner last January – you can read a recap of the dinner here.  This is a cool little video and gives you an intro to their brewery and Braddock.  But I also think that the Brew Gentlemen is a great example of something happening in the local economy and it is the opposite of Pittsburgh brain-drain. We spend alot of time talking about folks growing up here and not coming back to town and we often overlook the the stories of those who come to Pittsburgh and decide to stay – which is just as important.

Matt and Asa (aka The Brew Gentlemen) came to Pittsburgh to attend Carnegie Mellon.  Before they graduated they started working on their business and less than a year later – they have started a new business in Braddock.

You can read more about their brewery on The Brew Gentlemen blog here.  They have been posting about their new space in Braddock, updates to their Kickstarter campaign, beer events around Pittsburgh and more.  Even if you don’t give to the Kickstarter campaign – and they do have some cool rewards – keep these guys on your radar.

Southside Slope StepTrek 2012 Poster

City Steps, Beer in Braddock, Wilkinsburg Celebrates 125th Birthday, Parades, Art Cars and Pierogi Day

Hello Pittsburgh! It’s shaping up to be another perfect weekend in Pittsburgh – there is an activity that is sure to please everyone this weekend!  Here are the links for the events we shared on WDVE this morning – plus even more stuff to do that we didn’t have time to mention on the radio.  Please be sure to leave a comment or send us a tweet with your favorite place for pierogi in Pittsburgh!

Wilkinsburg 125 Annoversay Celebration

  • Friday, October 5 – Free Reception at Hosana House (6-10pm)
  • Saturday, October 6 – Parade (11am)
  • Follow @wilkinsburg125 on Twitter
  • A detailled history of Wilkinsburg is available here.
First Annual Sewickley Octoberfest

  • Friday October 5 (5-11pm) and Saturday October 6 (4-11pm)
  • $5 for Adults, $2 for kids
  • live music, beer and food – what else do you need at an Oktoberfest
Tour De Mon

  • Saturday, October 6, 2012 – starts at 8am
  • Bike the Mon River – rides for every level of cyclist – 5miles to 60 Miles
  • hosted by the Mon Yough Area Chamber of Commerce
  • Read more about the Tour De Mon in the Post-Gazette here.
Fineview Step-a-thon

  • Saturday, October 6, 2012
  • 8:30 am
  • This is a road race but on steps from the website – “As with any trail race, following the course is another part of the challenge.  There are 47 turns on the course.   We don’t have volunteers guiding you at every turn – this ain’t no pansy-ass road race!”
  • Online registration is closed, race day registration is still available
  • Read more about Fineview and the race here.
South Side Slopes StepTrek

  • Saturday, October 6, 2012
  • 11am-4pm
  • A self-guided tour of the city steps in the South Side Slopes – routes available for all levels
  • Register online here.
  • Facebook Event

Southside Slope StepTrek 2012 Poster
Columbus Day Parade

  • Saturday, October 6, 2012
  • Bloomfield
  • Parade starts at 11am
  • Check out BoringPittsburgh’s nice write up with lots of great photos of last weekend’s Little Italy Days here.

Pittsburgh Columbus Day Parade

Pittsburgh Columbus Day Parade (Photo credit: rucky8453)

Vehicular Abstraction – Art Cars on Display in Garfield

  • Saturday, October 6 2012
  • Morning – cars being painted
  • Noon-4 pm – Juried art cars on display
  • Cars will be on display near the Most Wanted Fine Art Gallery 5051 Penn Ave
  • Read more about the event and watch a video with the artists on Bill Peduto’s blog here.
Pop Up Beer Garden Visits Braddock

  • Saturday, October 6, 2012
  • 2-9pm
  • Check out Pittsburgh’s newest Brewery – The Brew Gentleman
  • Food options from Franktuary, PGH Pierogie Truck, Bar Maro, Pig Roast by Kevin Sousa, Fukuda Sushi, and more!
  • Facebook Event Link
Wood Fired Words

  • Saturday, October 6, 2012
  • 7-10pm
  • meet the 2012-13 Braddock writers-in-residence
  • celebrate Braddock Avenue Books, a new press based in Braddock
  • The event will feature East End Book Exchange’s pop-up bookstore, art by Anna E. Mikolay, homemade pizza from the community pizza oven (with special chef appearance by Kevin Sousa)
  • Facebook Event Link
 Free Admission to the Zoo – RAD Days

  • Sunday, October 7, 2012
  • The zoo is open for free – thanks to the RAD tax.
National Pierogi Day – October 8

Pierogi

Pierogi (Photo credit: a.fiedler)

 

Don’t Forget to Register to Vote!



Good Grubbing With You – Following Up on the First GrubWithUs Dinner

A few weeks ago we posted about the website GrubWithUs and the first Pittsburgh GrubWithUs meal – see our original post here. The event was a great success. Check out some of the feedback and learn about upcoming meals.