John Harvard's Brew House (Pittsburgh, Monroe: 2009, how much, upkeep)

[Lellobeetle]

The Pittsburgh location suddenly closed. Did anyone eat there? They had pretty good food. I don't drink beer, but it seemed like a cool place. It's a shame.

[lifepgh2op]

John Harvard’s Brew House shuts down - Pittsburgh Business Times:

[dugdogmaster]

Total speculation here, but there is a world-wide shortage of hops, and prices are astronomical for them right now. This may have something to do with it. There's actually a hydroponics farm in the Pittsburgh region that is experimenting with growing hops to harvest in 4 months, instead of the natural 2-2 1/2 years it takes.

Edit: See thread: Pittsburgh saving the beer world?

I can't figure out how to link another thread, it keeps coming up page not found.

[Drover]

I'm not a big fan of chain brewpubs -- I find the concept of a "chain" brewpub to be antithetical to the essence of a brewpub, namely to serve as a local alternative to national and international mass-market beers -- but the few John Harvard locations I've been to (including the Pittsburgh location) have had consistently good food, beer, and service. I'm sad to see the Pittsburgh location go, but I'm not surprised. In fact I've seen this coming for a while now and I'm surprised it's held on as long as it has, especially given its location. I only wish I could have made it there one more time before it closed.

Nonetheless, it's had a good run and but the place has simply its course. I think if it could have situated itself closer to a central dining/entertainment/nightlife district, such as the South Side Works instead of in strip-mall suburbia, it might still be around. There is a very strong market for craft beer in Pittsburgh, but it's also a very saturated market and is about to get more so with the long-planned Hofbrauhaus finally opening in 2009.

Unfortunately, I fear Church Brew Work's time is winding down too. It's a beautiful place, but the beer wasn't that great to begin with and has not improved in the decade-plus since it opened; the food is overpriced and doesn't quite live up to its pretension; the service has always been inconsistent and sometimes downright surly; and the novelty of the admittedly gorgeous setting has worn off. And God knows how much the upkeep is on that place. I'd like to see Church Brew live up to its potential so that there's a reason to keep going back other than to show out-of-town visitors that there are cool places to eat in Pittsburgh. But if they haven't gone the extra mile to keep the concept fresh yet, I'm not sure they ever will.

[Johnny C]

The Pour House in Monroeville is better than John Harvards - huge selection of handcrafted beers.

Welcome to MyRivertowne.com

[Drover]

That's like saying a couch is better than a dining room table. Which one is "better" depends on what your wants and needs are at any given time, as a brewpub and a standard beer bar serve two different purposes.

[Johnny C]

The Pour House is better IMO.

I agree - A couch is better than a dinning room table.