Welcome to our “Meet The Brewer” series! Where we interview brewers in Pennsylvania, from breweries small to large. Let us know if you know anyone who should be featured, email us at [email protected].
East End Brewing Company opened in the Larimer neighborhood of Pittsburgh back in 2004 by Owner/Brewer Scott Smith. Since then, they have consistently put out a variety of beers, some new and some seasonal. We recently wrote about the “Almost Famous Pickle Beer’ they brewed with popular Pittsburgh sandwich restaurant Primanti Bros.
Scott Smith is the Owner and “Brewer Emeritus” as he calls himself, at East End. Learn more about Scott including how he got started as a brewer, the first beer he ever brewed, where he sees the craft beer industry heading, and much more!
What was your introduction to craft beer?
While I had some brushes with better beer earlier in my college days, I’d say the hook wasn’t set until I moved to Chicago and started frequenting a local tavern with a bartender that became a friend. She was pushy about beer in just the right way, and it was Kalamazoo Stout from Bells kicked down the door for me.
How did you get started as a brewer?
Like many in the beer biz, I started out with 5 gallons at a time on my stove, homebrewing. Then after about 9 years of it, and quitting my engineering job, my wife was the one who suggested that maybe it was time to give the brewery idea a go. (I don’t recommend quitting the day job first, if you gothis route, but it is definitely motivating!)
My startup model consisted of me, constructing a brewery disguised as an abandoned building, producing draft-only beer, with no direct to customer sales. Of course, that model was significantly modified about 4 months into the first year.
What style allows you to be the most creative, and why?
It’s so wide open today. So many hot new styles constantly emerging… I’d have a hard time picking one. But for us at EEBC, that creativity can take a number of forms… what to brew, why to brew, and mostly… how to make it better, every single time.
What was the first beer you ever brewed, and what did you learn from it?
My first commercial brew at East End Brewing was a batch of BigHop. That’s where I learned that hop utilization does not scale well, if I was using my pieced together homebrew rig as the scale model. Everything works a little differently, and a lot better in the big rig.
Where do you see the craft beer industry heading in the next few years?
It continues to be an interesting time in the beer world, and a great time for the beer fan! As the number of breweries making craft beer continues to rise, we as an industry are faced with a problem… but it’s the same problem we’ve had from the start: How do you get more people into the world of independently produced beer?
We’ve certainly seen it happen with the massive popularity of low-bitterness, hop-forward beer styles (aka New England IPAs or hazy hoppy beers), as that flavor profile is so incredibly accessible. Same thing with the explosion of fruited kettle sour beers. (Ok, not LITERAL explosion with these styles. Putting something into a package that could explode? That’s just bad beer making.)
We participate in both of these style groups, pretty significantly. But I think we’re also starting to see a return to classic, well made, beer styles… Kölsch, Pils, Cream Ale. Some of it is palate fatigue, but most of it is just that these are fantastic hot weather offerings, that still resonate with the hard core craft beer fan. It’s in large part, a style set we’ve always pushed back against, but now you have PERMISSION to enjoy them because they are Craft… whatever that means.
And of course, here at EEBC, we’re always looking for new ways to draw people into our world of GOOD BEER. We opened our restaurant this summer, which is pulling in a completely different mix of guests, and we’re also seeing a bunch of familiar faces we’ve not seen for a while.
We also launched our YOU ARE HERE! Pittsburgh Neighborhood beers series this summer, which we are releasing out in all of our city’s 90 neighborhoods, one beer and one pop-up event at a time as the beers come out. Suddenly, we have a way for people to connect with us in a whole new way, based on a connection that we also share with them to our city. Including new people in beer is the way of the future… or at least, I hope it is.
And if there is a shakeout – and we are seeing a few more closures of late. If it happens, I’m hoping it stems from clinging to outdated business models or poor quality beer. A culling of that nature would actually improve the industry as a whole, right? But I don’t want anyone to close… I’d rather they adapt and improve, and turn the boat around.
Describe what it’s like to be a brewer in Pennsylvania.
Pennsylvania is now the beer capitol of the US, right? How cool is that!
What is the inspiration behind your beer names?
Which one?
What is your favorite beer to drink right now?
Well, it’s just before noon and it will be 95F today… a perfect time for a bourbon barrel aged Barleywine. Actually, I’m a sucker for low abv hoppy stuff and crisp lagers in weather like this. We’re canning a Czech Pils this week, and I can’t wait to bring some home.
What is the most important lesson you learned in the beer industry so far?
Early on, I was fortunate enough to be on the receiving end of some incredibly generous and talented brewers. People who helped me get started brewing commercially, landing equipment, and even sorting thru the technical aspects of our operations. So I’ve always tried to continue to pay that forward, to offer assistance or advice whenever the need arises.
I know of no other industry that operates like this, and I sure hope it continues.
Thank you to Scott Smith for talking with us! Make sure you visit East End Brewing Company for all the latest beers, news, information and special events. And also follow East End on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter!
