By KEVIN KIRKLAND
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
They opened German-style beer halls in Las Vegas and in Newport, across the Ohio River from Cincinnati. Now Pittsburgh is welcoming Hofbrauhaus.
This re-creation of a 420-year-old Bavarian beer hall, which launched with a "soft" opening earlier this week, serves a Black Angus "Cheeseburgher," fish sandwich and fettucine Alfredo alongside sauerbraten, bratwurst and weiner schnitzel.
You can get a liter stein of light beer or a lager, hefe weizen or dunkel -- all brewed on-site according to the Bavarian beer purity law. And Steve Grkman's accordion cranks out tunes by the Rolling Stones, Van Morrison and Lynyrd Skynyrd along with "Ein Prosit" and the Beer Barrel Polka.
"People don't expect to hear 'Free Bird' from a bunch of guys in lederhosen," jokes Joe Grkman, Steve's brother and fellow member of the Hofbrauhaus house band, Alpen Glow.
Two Kentucky businessmen -- Nick Ellison and Eric Haas -- opened the first American Hofbrauhaus in Newport, just across the Ohio River from Cincinnati, in 2003.
"We didn't know if Americans would share tables and food with perfect strangers," Haas said.
The concept of celebrating Oktoberfest every day was a success and a year later, a group of German investors opened the second American Hofbrauhaus in Las Vegas. Meanwhile, the Kentucky investors were noticing that their business jumped whenever the Cincinnati Reds or Bengals played against teams from certain cities -- Cleveland, Chicago and Pittsburgh.
Pittsburgh is the third American Hofbrauhaus franchised and licensed by the original in Munich, Germany. In 1589, Bavarian Duke Wilhelm V authorized a royal court brewery, but it wasn't until 1610 that King Ludwig I allowed commoners to drink there, too. By 1897, when the Hofbrauhaus was remodeled and the brewery moved elsewhere, it was already the most famous beer hall in the world.
"Pittsburgh is a beer-loving town, with lots of German heritage," Haas said.
But he and Ellison, a real estate developer, had trouble finding a big, old Pittsburgh building like the one they had renovated in Newport: a 1917 Maxwell car dealership that resembled a livery stable. They probably would have moved on to Cleveland or Chicago if they hadn't met up with the Soffer Organization, developers of the SouthSide Works.
"It's the perfect site," Ellison said. "It has higher-end retail and offices. We're in a recognized entertainment district with a river view."
To take advantage of that view, the partners and their architect, Piaskowy and Cooper of Covington, Ky, designed a stone-and-stucco Germanic building with large arched windows at the rear and an awning-covered terrace that seats 156. The terrace, which can be enclosed for almost year-round use, overlooks a riverfront beer garden with room for another 416 patrons.
Brewing their own beer is key for both Pittsburgh and Newport, Haas said. To ensure that their four regular beers and 13 seasonals taste as much as possible like the German brews, they use Hofbrauhaus recipes, $1 million worth of German brewing equipment, and German and Czech barley and hops. German brewmaster Eckhard Kurbjuhn and head brewer Ed Slouffman have been here since January to make sure everything is right.
