The bad news is that we’ve lost a few good breweries this year: Necromancer abruptly closed its North Hills brewery in February. Bridgeville’s Insurrection Ale Works, one of the first local craft breweries, shut down in May. And Cellar Works Brewing in Sarver closed this past weekend.Their fans mourn, but there’s good news: 2024 has brought us Headley’s, Squatch, Wye, Tortured Souls, CoStar, Hazel Grove, Abstract Realm, New France and Chimera breweries. Craft beer is still a very big thing in Pittsburgh. There’s more to come. Before the end of the year, at least one new brewery will open, and two established ones will add second locations.Oakmont is brewing a Local RemedyFor Matt Synan and his partners, it’s all about location. They all grew up in or near Oakmont and are committed to their community. They’re award-winning home brewers: Their bourbon barrel stout was named the best in the Pittsburgh region at the 2023 Pennsylvania Homebrew Invitational. Most are medical professionals; Synan is a pulmonary and critical care physician at UPMC Passavant. For them, opening a brewery in Oakmont was a no-brainer. Some of the Local Remedy owners, including, from left, Brian Swartzlander, Matt Synan, Sean Williamson, Joe Vickless and Dan Silianoff, celebrate progress in brewery construction. Photo courtesy of Ryan Witt.“We wanted to fill that niche,” Synan says. But Local Remedy goes beyond bringing craft lagers and IPAs to Oakmont. They’ve pledged to donate 1 percent of their annual gross sales to community groups in the Oakmont area.Local Remedy will open by early December, with up to six taps of their hop-forward beers, along with ciders and seltzers. They have a canning line and will eventually distribute some of their brews. Maria Synan, Matt’s wife and the brewery manager, says guests can order food from Pittsburgh Taco Boys, Pickles and Pancetta or one of the local pizza shops, “and we’ll go get it for you,” Maria Synan says. It’s a brewery with a mission, and Matt Synan lays it out: “We started brewing as a way to bring friends together through a shared love of beer. Now by opening the taproom, it’s about bringing our community together, not only as a place to gather but also as a vehicle for doing good.”They’ll be filling the Local Remedy calendar with community events like a book club, guest bartenders and various speakers. Keeping with the local theme, they’ll soon introduce the Oakmont Beer Series: Hulton American Lager, in honor of the infamous one-lane purple bridge across the Allegheny that was demolished in 2016; 1889 Helles, commemorating the year Oakmont was incorporated, and 7th Street IPA.More Mondays coming soonMondays Brewing is expanding northward from McMurray and finally giving new life to Hough’s in Greenfield. Hough’s brief flirtation with Necromancer, which had announced a second location there, ended when the brewery closed in February. But Sam Fee, Mondays’ owner, is making it happen at Hough’s.“Greenfield has been incredibly welcoming,” Fee says. He loves the space, especially the large U-shaped bar. Fee, who teaches computing and web development at Washington & Jefferson College, says he pictures lively, multigenerational cross talk at the bar, “like a graduate seminar.The interior of Mondays Brewing in Greenfield. Photo courtesy of Mondays Brewing.“Half our staff is teachers,” he adds. Most of the 20 taps will pour Mondays beer, which leans mostly toward traditional lagers and IPAs. “But the (beer) menu won’t be the same in both locations,” Fee says. “We’ll see what styles this community wants.” They’ll offer Apis Mead and cider from Greenhouse Co-op, another Greenfield Avenue business. Washington’s Liberty Pole Spirits and Maggie’s Farm Rum will be available. Fee says he may bring up some Washington County wine too.Fee has already introduced himself to the area by collaborating with Altered Genius on a raspberry sour and Hazel Grove on a Czech amber lager. “I want to do lots of collaborations with other brewers,” he says.As for food, Fee says, they’re working to find a partner to work out of the former Hough’s kitchen. There’s no timetable for that, at this point.   Mondays Greenfield should be open by the end of November. Overall, Fee says, his goals are to create a welcoming space for neighbors and others who love craft beer. “And to make sure everybody feels safe.”Aadam Soorma, head of marketing and guest experience at Trace Brewing, enjoys a drink at the new location, Trace Echo. Photo courtesy of Ryan Neeven.Trace goes UptownBloomfield’s Trace Brewing has expanded to Uptown to open Trace Echo, though it’s more of an alternative than an echo. It’s a small and light-filled space, unlike Bloomfield Trace, with its dark, cavernous nighttime vibe. Both locations offer Ghost Coffee Collab, but Echo feels more like a place to start the day. (Bloomfield has the edge for dance parties, though.)“We wanted to stay in a dense, walkable neighborhood,” says Aadam Soorma, Trace’s head of marketing. “And we wanted to put ourselves somewhere that’s growing.” Which it is. Phoenix on Forbes, a 211-unit mixed-income apartment complex, is under construction. Duquesne University and its 13,000 students and staff are a few blocks away. Work on the protected bike lane from Downtown to Oakland continues. UPMC Mercy Hospital, its nursing school and physician offices are within a half mile of Trace Echo.Trace Echo in Uptown sells Ghost Coffee Collab in the mornings and Trace Brewing beers after 3 pm. Photo courtesy of Ryan Neeven.Then there are the Penguins and concerts at PPG Paints Arena, about a 15-minute walk from Trace Echo. Soorma says they had a full house before a recent game.Coffee service ends at 3 p.m., then it’s beer time. In addition to Trace brews, Goodlander Cocktails and A Few Bad Apples cider are on tap. Two Frays NA and selections from The Original Pittsburgh Winery are also available.By January, Sahar’s Food Lab will be set up full time at Trace. Until then, there are charcuterie boxes from chef Jackie Page, occasional food trucks and BYOF from local spots, including Uptown Kitchen next door.There’s outdoor seating while good weather lasts. By spring, they’ll have a fire pit. (There’s a temporary one now.) Noting that the 25-seat space “would be a great spot for a small holiday party,” Soorma says that otherwise, they’re taking things slow and getting to know their neighbors.In other beer news … Bonafide Beer Company has pulled out of its deal to open a second location at the Hazelwood Brew House. Co-owner Christian Simmons said Bonafide couldn’t get the necessary final funding to open. Bonafide continues to operate in the Strip District. David Kahley, head of the Progress Fund, which owns the Brew House, said he’s looking for a new tenant to join Abstract Realm and New France.East End Brewing’s final “You Are Here” beer is called the Central Business District, a Golden Imperial Pilsner. Photo courtesy of East End Brewing Co.After more than five years and 89 different beers celebrating Pittsburgh’s neighborhoods, owner Scott Smith and East End Brewing are releasing the final entry in the “You Are Here” series. It’s the Central Business District Golden Imperial Pilsner, a style they made up. Appropriately, they’re celebrating with a party Downtown at the Arcade Comedy Theater on Sunday, Nov. 3. Get tickets here. MORE BREWERIES Pumpkin beer, Oktoberfest and fall ales you’ve got to try in Pittsburgh September 19, 2024September 18, 2024 4 breweries and wineries worth the road trip from Pittsburgh July 11, 2024July 9, 2024 Hazelwood’s long-awaited breweries are ready to go, and more beer news June 10, 2024June 12, 2024 The post Pittsburgh craft beer is still thriving: New breweries rise as others close appeared first on NEXTpittsburgh.