Hank Williams may have had a tear in his beer, but there have been times when Western Pennsylvania's hop lovers haven't even had a glass to cry into, as Pittsburgh has lost nearly 20 breweries throughout its history. Fortunately, an intrepid coalition of microbrewers, like Church Brew Works and East End Brewing Company, have been reversing the trend in the recent years, and the newest crew of ambitious brewers at
Full Pint Brewing are getting in on the action.
Full Pint is composed of five partners, four of whom used to brew at John Harvard's Brew House in North Huntington. After John Harvard's shut down, the former co-workers teamed up last year with aptly named Mark Kegg to keep beer flowing from the facility.
"We've been in the building for a while, but we weren't allowed to brew, because of zoning issues. April was our final hearing, when we became legal," says Full Pint partner Sean Hallisey.
Since then, Full Pint has spread to approximately sixty taps in bars across Pennsylvania, and just recently began their bottling operation. Like many young breweries, the members at Full Pint are in it for the love of the beer, currently making ends meet with other jobs and enlisting the help of loved ones.
"When we bottle we have a lot of friends come in and help us," says Sean. "As far as brewing goes, we try and designate as much time as possible. There's always somebody there every day of the week."
Full Pint Brewing's facilities can potentially produce about 11,000 barrels per year, and this year they hope to reach production of 5,000 barrels. Be on the lookout for Full Pint's brand new bottles in Pittsburgh bars, which include their Chinookie Imperial Pale Ale, All-In Amber Ale, and White Lightning Belgian ale.
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Source: Sean Hallisey, Full Pint Brewing
Writer:
John FarleyImage courtesy Full Pint Brewing