I actually have Catholic guilt for not reviewing Church Brew Works until now as I've been here countless times over the years. And Catholic guilt is appropriate for this venue as, obviously, "Church" Brew Works is located in a very old Catholic Church.
When you walk in if you're Catholic, by habit, you'll want to dip your hands into the Holy Water holder that is sans Holy Water. But your eyes will immediately go to the old altar that now holds large vessels that are brewing and fermenting some pretty great beer. That being said, be aware that you're going to smell some pretty strong malty-sweet aromas from the brewing. On my most recent visit it was stronger than I would have preferred. But no fear, we were able to sit outside, which is like transforming yourself into a scene from Harvard in the late 1800's. The little courtyard patio outside is two levels surrounded by brick walls covered in ivy. You can sit with a small group or bring all your friends and grab the picnic table with the long bench. Either scenario is going to be great.
Onto the food. Oh how I love the menu here. I always want to go for the wood fired pizzas because they rock - and there are so many culinary treats to choose from like pierogie pizza or chicken and pineapple or wild boar BBQ. That's right, I said Wild Boar and I'm not lying. Amazing thin crust wood fired to perfection.
The menu typically has a salmon or some sort of fish but what you can always count on is a delicious pierogie option. You're in Pittsburgh and Church Brew Works does their pierogies right. On my most recent visit I had buffalo chicken pierogies and truth be told (we were in church so I cannot tell a lie) there wasn't a crumb left on my plate.
If you have friends in town visiting Pittsburgh for the first time or the tenth impress them by taking them to Church Brew Works. Because I guarantee that they'll go back to their hometown and will tell all their friends about this awesome treasure. Amen.