Paul Guggenheimer
Published November 7, 2019
Two major players in Pittsburgh’s food and beverage scene are joining forces to open a Winter Pop-Up Taproom in Pittsburgh’s Allentown neighborhood.
Hitchhiker Brewing Co. and chef Kevin Sousa of Superior Motors will celebrate the grand opening on Saturday at the warehouse space set up like a beer garden at 829 Industry St.
Hitchhiker owner Gary Olden will serve draft beer and to-go cans out of a vintage truck that he converted to a beer truck.
Sousa will whip up the food under the banner of a potential new venture, Arlington Beverage Club, providing two to four different menu items each week. The Winter Pop-Up will operate every Saturday from noon to 8 p.m. until the end of March.
“If I didn’t think it was a good idea I wouldn’t be doing it,” said Sousa. “I have been doing pop-ups since so long ago that they weren’t even called pop-ups. They were called guerrilla dinners, like guerrilla-style marketing. It’s a cool space. Hitchhiker has a following, I have a following. It’s right up my alley. It’ll be fun.”
Hitchhiker’s head brewer Andy Kwiatkowski said there are only four taps on the truck, so the draft selection will be a little bit limited in comparison to the usual number of offerings they have in Sharpsburg and Mt. Lebanon.
“Mainly newer beers are going to be what we tap [in Allentown], typically the releases that we have that week,” said Kwiatkowski. “You have an amazing space compared to the other offerings that we have and a world-class food experience with what Kevin brings to the table in alignment with the beer. So, it should be a great time all around.”
Sousa said the menu will rotate from week to week.
“There will always be a vegetarian, vegan, gluten-free item,” Sousa said. “And there will be one or two items of a more omnivorous nature. There will be hand-held things that go well with beer. Gary just released four new beers so we’ll be doing some food that we think will be fun to eat with his beers.”
With the Winter Pop-Up Taproom, Kwiatkowski said, “We’re just looking to bring the same experience that we have in Sharpsburg and Mt. Lebanon to Allentown.”