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Individual User Reviews |
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I visited this brewpub on 10/13/05 and had the following brews; Celestial Gold, Pipe Organ Pale, Pious Monk Dunkel, Blast Furnace Stout, Confessional Kolsch, Octoberfest, and Burley Friar Barley Wine. The barley wine was not part of my sampler, but the waiter brought me a small sample to try. It was outstanding! Not quite what I am used to in a barley wine, but it made the stop for me. I can't add much to what others have said of the atmosphere, it is worth the stop in just to check out the stained glass. I was disappointed at the cost of the 6 packs to go. $10 for a six to go made it too expensive for me to take home this brew to my friends. You would think it would be cheaper at the source? Like a couple other brewpubs on this journey they did not have their medal winning brew available for me to try. Next time I am in town I will have to try the food!
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G. L. Averill,
Lakeway, TX
(10/17/2005) |
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Owners Note - This same batch of MaiBock took the Gold Medal at 2005 Grat American Beer Festival in the bock category. It also took two silvers and a bronze at the GABF in previous years. Great beers can be made in America using quality malt versus insane quantity of hops. Cheers - Father Foamy
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father foamy,
pgh, PA
(10/15/2005) |
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So So
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So So
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N/A
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Lousy
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So So
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The fact that they converted an old Catholic church to a functioning brewery is very cool. The atmosphere is really sort of neat. This however doesn't make the utterly flavorless beer any better. Nor does it make up for the fact that the waitress acted like she was doing you some sort of favor just to bring you a drink.
I had been anticipating visiting this place for weeks and could not have been more disappointed.
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Joshua Frank,
Rockford, IL
(10/09/2005) |
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Great
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Great
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Awesome!
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Great
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Great
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I visited for the second time over Labor Day Weekend with my Dad and Aunt. As others have mentioned, it is a beautiful place to have a beer, even if for the old Catholic in me a little sacrilegious! They had a pale ale on cask that was very good. I also had the pale ale they had on tap and trying the two was a good way to taste the differences between real ale and regular ale. The Dunkle lived up to its awards, it was very good. The only brew I really didn’t like was a cherry stout. The food was excellent, especially the 7 onion soup and the cheesesteak sandwich.
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Steve Alvin,
Henry, IL
(09/27/2005) |
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Good
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Good
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Good
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6 beers on tap. Tried the ones I hadn't had before; can't say that there's a whole lot to say about them, though. Stout was the best, mild and drinkable. Celebration de Mayo was a Vienna style that had a bit too much sweetness for my liking. Maibock @ 7% was pretty much nondescript. As I've mentioned before, Church is more about the place than the beers. It's spacious--there were about 70 people there and it felt empty. Good for them though, always room for one more!
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Beav,
York, PA
(06/29/2005) |
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Good
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Great
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Beers well done but not remarkable. Not much in the flavor category but they might be brewing to get people who have not tried pub beers interested. Menu pretty high end with prices to match but definitely good. Would go back for the food rather than the beer. Adding something for the hoppy in a person might be a good idea.
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Steven LaRue,
Ogden, UT
(06/27/2005) |
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Good
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Good
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Great
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I couldn't really find anything outstanding about most of the beers I had here, namely the dunkel, the IPA, the stout, the pale ale, and the gold lager. All are competently done and none are "bad" but suffice to say it won't necessarily be the beer that will keep me coming back. I did have one standout beer, however: a Belgian-style tripel that stacks up well against Belgium's finest offerings. The date on the bottle suggests it had been aged for five years. I must say, it aged exceptionally well. Service has been spotty in the past but this time our needs were met without pause or fumble. Our waitress was top-notch. Food was very good if a little steep. (I suppose they have to pay for the upkeep of this massively ornate place somehow.) Best cheese steak sandwich I can remember and the fries had a nice zing. Atmosphere: it just can't be beat. The photos speak for themselves. Even if the beer isn't stellar, this is a wonderful Pittsburgh institution that deserves your patronage if you're in town.
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The Enemy,
Chicago, IL
(04/23/2005) |
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Great
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Great
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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This is one of my favorite places in Pittsburgh in terms of atmosphere. Beautiful stained glass windows and high ceilings, and the lighting isn't too bright. The food is excellent and the servers and bartenders are always friendly and cool to talk to. And of course the beer is great. I think the Blast Furnace Stout is my favorite.
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Lisa Ondrey,
Pittsburgh, PA
(02/27/2005) |
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Awesome!
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Great
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N/A
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Great
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Great
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Stopped in last week and was lucky enough to find the Bocks au Chocolats on tap. Wonderfully dry cocoa-flavored beer, not the chock-sweet chocolate beers you'll find elsewhere, and light in body and color. Delightful. Service was quick, witty, and just a bit smart-assed: perfect for the moment. Great time, thanks, Church!
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Lew Bryson,
Philadelphia, PA
(01/02/2005) |
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Great
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Incredibly place. Great beer, cool aesthetics, a little sacreligion, what more could one possibly want?
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pittsburgh, PA
(12/28/2004) |
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Lousy
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Lousy
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So So
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Do you like Augustiner? Good, cause all the beers here taste like it! Seriously, clean your lines or something, cause the beer all tastes the same! Maybe your average "Bud light" guy likes the atmosphere and is being "wacky" by drinking a micro-brew, but this place needs to do more than just be in a "kooky" location. The beer is mediocre at best and bland at worst. the food is alright, I'll give you that, but if you are someone who likes different styles of beer to actually taste different, try Rock Bottom Brewery, or The Sharp Edge until this place gets it's act together. (Which hopefully, will be soon. You guys used to be good!?!?!)
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Matt,
Pittsburgh, PA
(12/16/2004) |
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Good
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Good
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N/A
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So So
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Good
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It seemed a little strange to be drinking in what was once a church.Who could of thought of that one?
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beer drinking mike,
lagrange, OH
(11/20/2004) |
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Great
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Great
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Great
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Great
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Church Brew Works continues to excel at both brewing beer and food. I was back recently to try their Oktoberfest. While it was good I was a little disappointed in its lack of a “kick”. It seemed a little mild for an Oktoberfest. But their standards remain very good. Their stout is very tasty and the Pious Monk Dunkel remains one of my favorite brews anywhere. The food has always been excellent. Everything from simple burgers and fries or pizza to the more upscale meals are always tasty. Of all the brewpubs to go under recently in the ‘Burg area, I’m glad this one has remained. Let’s hope it continues. We need more local brewpubs to contrast the blandness of the chains.
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John Lewis,
Pittsburgh, PA
(10/25/2004) |
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Great
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Great
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N/A
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Great
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Great
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Was in the 'Burgh for a wedding. Heard this is the place to go for great beer. Stopped in on a gloomy Sat afternoon. The place wasn't too busy, but then, this was at 3 in the afternoon. I would imagine the atmosphere is better during happy hour, late night, etc. I started with the Pipe Organ Pale. Excellent. Then I did the sampler. My favorite was the Pious Monk Dunkel but they were all very good. Highly recommended!
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Jeff K,
Boca Raton, FL
(08/11/2004) |
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Great
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Great
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Awesome!
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Great
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Awesome!
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Well the Church Brew Works continues to bring the crowds in and keep me a happy diner.
Every other month on the first Thursday, this place hosts Pittsburgh Geek Night. A good reason for the tech industry folks to get out and mingle.
Every visit I get the undeniable Southwest pizza... It's one of the best pizzas anywhere in Pittsburgh.
This time I tried the high alchol beer they had on tap... It seemed flat. The seasonal Weiss beer was a good followup and quite popular amongst the geeks.
The Church is working on bringing in an increasingly larger wine selection. That should please the non-beer folks visiting the Church.
Parking is around back and along the side street as well as limited space along Liberty Avenue... I only note this, because on weekends and event times, parking can be hard to find.
I can only say positive things about this Pittsburgh institution that keeps brewing and around even long after the other nearby brewpub concepts have long faded.
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paris lundis,
pittsburgh, PA
(08/09/2004) |
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Great
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Good
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Great
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It's hard to not be overwhelmed coming into the Church. The whole place is gorgeous. We got there late on a Friday night, but because of competing event in the area, getting a table was not a problem. The owners need to get over their problem with serving bar food in the dining room. We visitors from 300 miles away had no idea why we couldn't get a pizza in the "dining room," which has no apparent physical separation from the bar; since we saw people in the dining room eating pizza we insisted, though we probably wouldn't have bothered if there were more vegetarian options on the dining room menu. The salads were some of the best fresh green "house" salads I've ever had in 25 years of travel. Our waitress was a slow starter, but turned out to be excellent--she took the time to explain to us the bar-vs.-dining room policy. I won't reveal her name, because she told us that waitstaff has been hassled for not following the "rules." To the owners: You have an outstanding venue, very good beers (the Brown Ale was our favorite, the Alt was runner-up, but a littel thinner and drier than we expected) very good food and capable waitstaff. Why make your food policy the customer's problem? Sure, we understand if you are busy, this policy makes sense--BUT if you don't make that clear to the customer upon entry, you make it seem like it's their problem for asking. My long experience with designing customer service satisfaction makes me bristle when an arbitrary policy makes it difficult for me to buy from you. Get it? Of course, on balance, you have a fantastic place well worth visiting and revisiting, but this takes you from a solid five star to a 3-1/2.
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Jay Steichmann,
Ann Arbor, MI
(07/19/2004) |
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Awesome!
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Great
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Great
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Very nice atmospher. So many beers it was hard to choose. Waiter very attentive. Didn't mind waiting a little while for food as we were busy sipping away! Pulled Pork sandwich great!
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Mary Jo,
Pittsburgh, PA
(04/29/2004) |
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So So
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Good
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N/A
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Good
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Good
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This was my 2nd visit. Last year I tried the sampler and really couldn't adeqautely comment on the quality. This year I tried the Pale Ale and Maibock and was not impressed. I thoroughly enjoyed the ambience and the setting.
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Bob Morseburg,
Seattle, WA
(04/26/2004) |
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Great
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Great
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Good
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Good
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Good
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A must see. Nice selection of beers. Interesting Pittsburgh based food. Had a Pittsburgh salad that was filling, hot, and I would buy it again. Our service on Sunday afternoon was friendly and prompt.
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Lynwood sinnamon,
Arlington, VA
(04/14/2004) |
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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N/A
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Re: review below -- I'm glad to hear the Foundry brewer found work. I'm still heartbroken about the Foundry's demise. Now I know where I can get Foundry-quality brew. Foundry and Church Brew... now there's a great team.
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The Enemy,
Chicago, IL
(03/08/2004) |
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Great
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Good
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Awesome!
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Been coming here since 1996, not long after it opened. Food is excellent - the pizzas are the best around (not your typical pizza either). Service is pretty good - a few times I've had to wait for service longer than I wanted, but when the place is busy I expect that. There's been plenty of times I've been served quickly, so it all evens out - I'm not the type to whine if I'm not being treated like a king. The beer is good, but I wish they'd have more variety sometimes. The stouts and porters are never on tap for long. They recently had some coffee stouts there (which were out of this world!), which I learned were brewed by the ex-brewer of the Foundry. It tasted very similar to the wonderful Breakfast Blend, which I miss so much...as well as the Foundry :-( They always have a Gold, Dunkel, Brown, Pale Ale on tap and about 2-3 others.
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sean,
Pittsburgh, PA
(03/01/2004) |
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So So
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Lousy
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"THE" worst service of any brewpub I've ever been in. I've been there many times and EVERY time, I've had horrible service (won't bore you with details - trust me - it's BAD). The pizza is out of this world. I would go there for the chicken and sun dried tomato pizza alone. Not a big fan of their beer though :( sorry guys. Atmosphere is second to none - A MUST SEE.
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DannyK,
Youngstown, OH
(02/16/2004) |
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Awesome!
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Great
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Good
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Great
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Great
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The specialty beers are some of the best, period, from any brew-pub. The barley-wine and other high gravity big beers are always very well made and true to style. You must try the rotating specials to really appreciate the quality of this brewery. Wood oven pizza is what I usually eat, can't remember the other food.....
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bloombrews,
Pittsburgh, PA
(02/04/2004) |
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Beer Quality |
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Great
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Great
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Great
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Good
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Great
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A must stop if you've never been there before!
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Geo. Miller,
Plymouth, CT
(01/29/2004) |
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Beer Quality |
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Great
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Great
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Great
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Great
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Awesome!
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Great food. Great beer slection. I would reccomend it as one of the top 10 places in the Pittsburgh area.
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Matt Gray,
McCandless, PA
(12/30/2003) |
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