Pittsburgh breweries now serving winter beer

The label on bottles of Tröeg’s Mad Elf Ale displays a picture of a maniacally grinning elf… The label on bottles of Tröeg’s Mad Elf Ale displays a picture of a maniacally grinning elf who carries red cherries slung over his shoulder. Hoppin’ Frog’s Frosted Frog Christmas Ale’s bottle depicts a frog in a Santa Claus hat, greeting the drinker with a raised glass.

These and other full-bodied, dark beers populate bars’ and distributors’ shelves in Oakland and the city at large as the winter takes over. Their heavier, nutty feels and higher alcohol content offer a change from the lighter summer ales, enticing customers to drink on cold nights.

Around wintertime, Church Brew Works, a Lawrenceville-based brewpub, turns the taps on for Biere de Noel, a malty recipe of the bière de garde style, which originated in France.

Phillip Moran, the front-of-the-house manager at the brewpub that also operates its own restaurant, creates a number of special beers for the winter. According to him, it is “very rare” that a seasonal beer, winter or otherwise, does not sell well.

The dates the brewery begins offering its seasonal beers vary with the demand and how quickly other beers run out.

“It’s not a specific date, but as the weather turns, we start to go darker,” Moran said.

Moran, who has worked for the brewery and restaurant for more than seven years, said a black ale that might be suitable for the season is the Renegade Ale, so named when Steelers fans began using the Styx song as an anthem.

The brewery’s Llama Lager, which, like the rest of the restaurant’s selection, is brewed on the altar of the Catholic church that previously occupied the building, includes quinoa.

Quinoa is a pseudocereal which originated in the South American Andes mountains and is becomingly increasingly popular in the U.S. as an alternative to grains such as rice and wheat. It gives the Llama Lager a nutty flavor.

But for imbibers whose taste buds that prefer wheat, The Porch, an Oakland restaurant which opened in November and overlooks Schenley Plaza, offers Blue Moon’s Winter Abbey Ale, a malty, Trappist-style ale which carries hints of wheat.

Joshua Palashoff, manager of The Porch, said the Winter Abbey Ale is the restaurant’s only seasonal beer, but it has proven popular. He said the restaurant emptied two kegs within the first three weeks of business.

Winter Abbey Ale is one of the seasonal products of the Colorado-based brewing company Blue Moon, which rotates four separate seasonal beers throughout the year — one for each season.

Also close to campus, Peter’s Pub on Oakland Avenue offers several selections for winter revellers. Mad Elf, an IPA from Tröegs Brewing Company, is a particular favorite.

“It’s Tröegs. It’s local, and it’s got pretty high alcohol content,” said Andy Stackiewicz, the manager of Peter’s Pub, referring to the 11 percent alcohol by volume of the beer.

According to Stackiewicz, who has worked at Peter’s Pub for seven years, Tröegs only distributes a limited supply of Mad Elf in the area. He pointed out that the bar also stocks Samuel Adams Winter White Ale, the nationally recognized brewery’s pale ale, and Great Lakes Christmas Ale, a dark ale.

John Elavsky has owned Hemingway’s Cafe for 16 years. The seasonal beers he offers all have one thing in common.

“They’re all my style because they’re darker,” Elavsky said. “For winter, that’s typical.”

Hemingway’s also offers Samuel Adams Winter Lager, Pittsburgh’s Penn Brewery’s St. Nik Dark Bock, Leinenkugel’s Fireside Nut Brown Ale, Blue Moon Winter Abbey Ale and Festivus, a brown ale from Pennsylvania’s Full Pint Brewing Company in North Versailles.

But for beer enthusiasts who want even more variety, Sharp Edge brewpub in Friendship adds about 70 to 75 winter options to its menu each year.

Brett McMahan has worked for the company for a little more than 10 years. Sharp Edge is a brew company that owns five stores and bistros at locations in and around Pittsburgh.

According to McMahan, Sharp Edge’s cellarman, breweries and distributors offer a large variety of new seasonals each year.

While the styles of winter beer vary widely from Belgian types to hoppy India Pale Ales and heavy stouts, they tend to share certain features.

“They usually have a little more body to them, as well as more alcohol in there with the [extra] body,” McMahan said.

He said that the beers often include notes of coffee or chocolate, or distinct hints of spices. The images and names on their labels make them popular with shoppers looking for gifts, as well as those lured by the higher alcohol content.

But for McMahan, one of the great things about selling beer is the variety.

“It’s about finding out what the customer really wants,” McMahan said.

Like McMahan, Moran emphasized the range of the selection as much as any individual flavor.

“Beers go quickly here, and they change very quickly,” Moran said