Have you ever passed a place all the time and thought you should really check it out? Amanda and I felt that way about Pittsburgh’s Penn Brewery. It sits just up the hill from our apartment (although there are several major highways crossing any direct path) and we finally decided to hop in the car and drive up for an early dinner last weekend.

Penn Brewery is Pittsburgh’s oldest and largest brewery. It’s housed in the mid nineteenth-century landmark E&O Brewery Building in the North Side’s Deutschtown neighborhood, which was settled by German immigrants. The current brewery has been onsite producing craft beer since 1986 — long before many of us had ever even heard of the small-batch brewery concept. Penn Brewery do their best to craft award-winning German-style beers brewed in the tradition of the early German immigrants of Western Pennsylvania. Penn Brewery tells the story of Pittsburgh’s European immigrants through its craft beer and homemade cuisine.

Our flight of Penn Brewery’s beers

We started out with a flight of the brewery’s year-round beers which include:

• Penn Pilsner
• Penn Dark
• Penn Gold
• Penn Weizen
• Penn Kaiser Pils
• Penn IPA

We enjoyed all of them, although we were split when it came to our favorites. Amanda was partial to the darker options and the Weizen (it had an almost-spicy finish) and I was more fond of the lighter craft creations.

We sipped and sampled until our German-inspired food was ready. I opted for a braut — and I’ve been thinking about its delicious, sweet flavor all week; it was THAT good. Amanda mixed and matched her order, getting the traditional pierogi appetizer and a side dish of Penn Brewery’s mac and cheese (mmm, beer cheese).

The food was excellent, the beer was cold and refreshing and the atmosphere was comfortable and cozy. Our only regret is that we waited four years to visit; we’re sure to be back soon.