PSL registration for the summer season starts Monday and we’ve got to know…who’s playing what? Most importantly, anyone looking to fill 2 spots on their softball team? Open dates are as follows…
Monday May 20 – Basketball, Broomball, Bowling
Tuesday May 21 – Dek Hockey, Dodgeball, Soccer, Tennis Clinic
Wednesday May 22 – Kickball
Thursday May 23 – Softball
Friday May 24 – Cornhole, Darts, Pinball, Ultimate, Volleyball
Hear ye, hear ye! The great* Lou Krouek has committed himself to the Pittsburgh Steak Company’s Three Pound Burger Challenge and is looking for contenders to (m)eat with!
Have you been scheming for months in an effort to outdo or anger Lou? Have you often longed for the chance to put your God-given meat eating ability in the spotlight? Do you need a new T-shirt? If you answered ‘yes’ to any one of those three questions then this is the eat-off for you.
Pertinent details: The show down goes down THURSDAY 5.23 at the PITTSBURGH STEAK COMPANY on Carson Street. All entrants must be registered by Wednesday, 5.22 in order to give the kitchen staff ample time to slaughter all the “cows” they need to assemble your beastly burger. Challenge starts at 7pm shart (typo and I’m keeping it) and all entrants will have one hour to finish their burger in its entirety. All entrants must pay to play. $34.95 covers the cost of your burger, unless you show that thing whose boss and FINISH IT LIKE THE CHAMPION YOU ARE. In that case, Pittsburgh Steak Company will not only cover the cost of your decimated burger, but they’ll throw in a free t-shirt AND add your name to their illustrious Wall of Fame. Additionally, Unlock Pittsburgh and Pittsburgh Happy Hour are putting together some serious swag in the form of a prize pack for the winning carnivore! Whoever finishes their beef behemoth first gets a pair of tickets to either O.A.R., Summerland (Live & Everclear) or Under The Sun (Smash Mouth & Sugar Ray) at Stage AE. They will also be treated to dinner with the one and only Lou Kroeck at Brewskis on the South Side on the date of their choosing. Dinner includes 2 drink tickets and a chaperone.
There’s good news for all the drinkers too! Get a buck off all drinks, mutha truckas!
So who’s in? Holler at unlockpittsburgh@gmail.com for more info or to sign up!
*debatable
The 5th annual season of Car Free Fridays kicks off this Friday as Pittsburgh rallies for National Bike to Work Day. Bike Pittsburgh is again backing the cause with 12 hydration stations set up throughout the city. Swing by on your commute to chat with fellow cyclists and pick up some sweet bike swag. And don’t forget to log your miles for the National Bike Challenge while you’re at it!
There is no simpler way to describe the kind of “restaurant” The Beer Market promises to be. As their tagline indicates, the ONLY thing on the menu at this joint (with the exception of a few select wines) is beer. What makes them unique (to Pittsburgh) and kiiiiinda the most perfect bar ever is…they’re BYOF. F as in food.
Founded in suburban Chicago, The Beer Market settled in locations across Illinois and Ohio before deciding on Pittsburgh’s North Shore. Located conveniently next to PNC Park, the beer bar will have a soft opening this weekend, before a grand opening in June. With over 500 beers to choose from, 50-60 on draft, The Beer Market furthers their appeal by offering open seating and at least 4 nights of live music each week.
Now, you can wait until you get there to decide what you might want to grub on, they offer up all you need to know about restaurants in the area that deliver, but what we’re most excited about is that you can brownbag it too. If you’ve ever ordered Jimmy Johns to a beer festival like we have (Michigan Beer Fest – June, 2012), The Beer Market is a dream come true.
This coming Sunday’s Pittsburgh Marathon may be the most talked about running race of the summer, But Big Dick’s isn’t the only game in town. There are a boatload of 5k/10k/trail events to keep you fat fit & happy every weekend now through like, next Christmas. You can find a complete listing here, but we’ve highlighted a few of the runs & races we’re most stoked for below. Don’t stop reading ’til you get to the beer.
Run to and through some of Pittsburgh’s most scenic vistas in the Emerald of Mount Washington 5k and Festival on May 11th. The course is designed to feature the Emerald View & Grandview Park systems and is scheduled to coincide with Mt. Washington’s annual PopUp! Pittsburgh Festival and registration is open now.
Race For The Cure on Mother’s Day, May 12th with the Susan G. Komen Foundation. Now in its 21st year, the race raises funds for and awareness of breast cancer and also celebrates survivors. Whether you walk, run, volunteer or spectate, just make sure you’re reppin’ that pink.
Obscure Games, an organization that aims to bring people together through play, hosts the 4th annual City Spree on May 19th. You’ll want to hit that link for in-depth deets but basically it works like this…you start in the MIDDLE of a “race course” and are given a map of checkpoints throughout the city. You pick your route and boost your score by making it to as many checkpoints as possible before finishing right where you started. Pretty cool, right? Keep tabs on Obscure Games events in “The City of Play” on Facebook & Twitter.
If you’re into the scavenger hunt meets running race vibe, you might also want to check out the Urban Dare on June 8th. The 3-4 hour race encourages use of cell phones AND public transportation as you make your way to the finish line while collecting photos and trivia assigned at various checkpoints. Register here.
Wanna get CRAZY? The Glo Run on June 8th promises a “SENSORY OVERLOAD” as you complete the after hours 5k. Race starts at 9:30pm (the DJ doesn’t start “bustin’ jams” until 9:50) on the North Shore and as if lights and music weren’t enough, there’ll be a costume contest at the finish line, too.
Take your running off road with Pittsburgh 5k Foam Fest & Mud Run on June 18th. This thing is part race, part obstacle course, part foam party, part INFLATABLE WATER SLIDE. Team registration/spirit for this event is highly encouraged. If you’re running solo, make sure you sign up before the price jumps on May 15th.
Challenge yourself to cover some serious ground and get in on the 17th annual Rachel Carson Trail Challenge on June 22nd. Go for the gold (a metaphor, as this event is about ‘enduring’ rather than ‘winning’) and complete all 34 miles with a sunrise (5:50am) start at North Park and sunset (8:54pm) deadline to finish in Harrison Hills Park. You can also get involved with a more modest 17 mile hike beginning in Homestead, or the humble 7 mile challenge beginning in Tarentum. All courses end at the same place.
Register now for August‘s Tough Mudder. The 10-12 mile race features over 20 military-style obstacles & grueling challenges along the course. You can climb walls, crawl under barbed wire and run through live wires all for the bargain price of $125 if you register by the end of May. Price includes a sweatband and beer.
Dudes have you SEEN the weather forecast for this weekend? Outrageous perfection. Especially that bit about it being 70 and sunny on Saturday. You thinking bike ride? Yeah, we are too. Good news! There are still spots open to register for the one and only Pedal Pale Ale Keg Ride so you can roll deep with a crew of dedicated beer enthusiasts to tap the first keg of East End’s legendary seasonal pale ale.
The festivities kick off between 9:30 and 10:30am at the brewery in Larimar. Sign in and fuel up with the Pittsburgh Taco Truck before getting moving promptly at 11am for a leisurely ride to the secret destination where the first keg of Pedal Pale will be tapped. Ride should be an hour or so long, and the $20 entry fee gets you a free pint in addition to a spot on the route. There are 650 spots available but there are only a handful left and no day-of drop-ins allowed, so get after that registration! 
Disclaimer : There are samplings out the wazoo this weekend for the culmination of Pittsburgh Craft Beer Week. We’ve listed a few bigger events that are on our list of ride-bys, but for the full listing and detailed info on tastings you’ll want to check out the PCBW calendar.
THURSDAY
The 2nd annual PGHTEE T-Shirt Art Show is operating in conjunction with craft beer week this year. The art show and local beer tasting is as free as they come and starts at 6pm at 2315 Wharton Street on the South Side.
While you’re making your way to/from Carson Street, you should maybe swing by the good old Rowdy Buck and do some drinking with and for your dawgs. The Pittsburgh Aviation Animal Rescue Team is hosting a fundraiser from 6-9pm complete with food, prizes, silent auction, a chance to win a private flight around the city and more, if you can believe it. Just ten bucks at the door to help keep your beloved pup friends off the streets and out of danger.
Listen, we all know Lou “I don’t go to bars to drink with babies” Kroeck doesn’t NEED craft beer week to have a good time. But that doesn’t mean he’ll miss the opportunity to co-mingle his ever-deepening crew with the Oakland college crowd in the name of a free beer sampling. Tomorrow’s Pittsburgh Happy Hour begins with a 6pm Great Lakes Brewery sampling at Fuel & Fuddle before moving to Hemingway’s (or “Hemmy’s”…for the bros) for cheaper beers and all the fish bowls you can possibly handle.
An option for the IPA drinker is Caliente Pizza Bar in Bloomfield. Aside from having a sexy-ass name, Caliente earns man-points by hosting an Extreme IPA Tap Takeover. Come taste and vote on 20 of the hoppiest mo-fos out there.
FRIDAY
The monthly Gallery Crawl is on from 5:30-9pm in the Cultural District downtown. Check out the Cultural Trust to get the full list of participating venues. Don’t miss the Pierogie Making Class offered by Braddock’s American Brasserie chef Brian Volmrich at the Renaissance Pittsburgh Hotel on 6th Ave.
Night Market IV is popping up on Friday in conjunction with the Gallery Crawl at the corner of 8th Street and Penn. Stop by from 6-11pm for craft arts, food and music from DJ Soy Sos. Get the full list of vendors (so many! BRGR to Zekes and everything in between) right HERE.
Editor’s Note: If you were lucky enough to contribute to the great Commonwealth Press server crash and land a ticket for the Beer Barge, make sure you show up by 6 as the boat ship sets sail promptly at 6:30. We’ll be all aboard, fa sho.
SATURDAY
Start your Saturday off right by running for free beer. Seriously. Meet up with the Pittsburgh Hash House Harriers – the Steel City’s premier group of running drinkers – at Hough’s in Greenfield for a 1:00 trail run and you’ll earn yourself two free Harpoon drafts. As a bonus, get there at noon and take part in the Harpoon Brewery sampling to get a little boost before your work out. (No joke dudes, fitness pros endorse a good beer run.)
Art All Night is back for its Sweet Sixteen! Same location (97 40th Street in the Lawrenceville), same time (4pm Saturday – 2pm Sunday) and featuring the same amazing assortment of local artisans and community supporters getting together in the name of all things artsy fartsy. Free and open to the public, no reason NOT to swing by. The space is awesome and (generally) the people involved are even awesomer. AwesomEST? Yours truly will be tending bar between 8 and 10pm. Stop by for a high five and a beer, or to congratulate me on finally moving out of my mom’s house.
As always, the last Saturday of the month means Down & Derby at Belvedere’s. April’s theme is “Gleaming The Cube”. If anyone out there knows what this means…I mean…???
SUNDAY
Stop back at Hough’s again at noon on Sunday and help them set a world record for the largest beer tasting…ever. Tickets are $20 and buy you 4 pints of Flying Dog beer in addition to sampling notes and a chance to make history.
