A friend of mine who is a beer geek extraordinaire once mused that India Pale Ales, the formerly obscure, slightly hoppy and traditionally English ale that has in the last decade become America’s favorite craft beer style, are like smart phones — every time you think they can’t possibly come up with a new one, they do.
Imperial, West Coast, New England-Style, Wet Hopped, Dry Hopped, Juicebombs, Fruity, Session and Black IPAs — the more bitter and tastebud scorching, the better. Keeping up with them is futile. The same can be said for the booze-heavy Imperial Stout, whether they are bourbon or wine barrel aged, with Mexican chocolate, vanilla beans or hot pepper-infused. The varieties are endless.
But as with everything, there is a backlash, regression to the norm, or simply a return to beloved basics. To that end, the European pilsner and lager-laden list at Lorelei in East Liberty is a refreshing — literally — change of pace.
Named for the mythical siren perched high on a jagged, jutting cliff along the Rhine river shoreline, Lorelei is billed as a “modern German beer hall.” It is the third collaboration from Adam Henry and brothers Pete and Matt Kurzweg (of Squirrel Hill’s Hidden Harbor and Independent Brewing Co. fame), and it is a terrific use the stately Werner Building at the corner of South Highland Avenue and Baum Boulevard in East Liberty.
It’s a gorgeous, bright space with high ceilings, large windows, stained-glass transoms, hexagonal tile and mostly original fixtures updated with cooling green tones, an elegant goldleafed logo on the window, and a mural in the back room based on a 1935 Rhine River travel poster.
Lizzie Fistel comes over from the Independent to be Lorelei’s head beer wrangler, and she’s put together a thoughtful list of primarily German and Czech beers that recently included the banana-cloved German classic Schneider Weisse and Tipo Pils, a mildly hoppy and lip-smackingly crisp Italian pilsner. (And they do have IPAs, too.)
This is to say nothing of the stunning cocktails by Cecil Usher, which incorporate German liqueurs, and an interesting and west-central European wine list compiled by certified sommelier Max Stein.
Renowned Pittsburgh chef Jamilka Borges and pastry chef Dianne DeStefano have designed dishes and snacks to soak up the suds, and they do so quite well.
The Butter Crackers ($7) are an absolute revelation — as if you have never actually eaten a cracker before. These are more like savory cookies, thick and a perfect delivery device with which to scrape up a straight-up addictive pimento cheese spread and pepper jelly.
Likewise, the signature Lorelei Pretzel ($7) is baked fresh daily and will make you question every lousy soft pretzel you’ve ever had previously. It’s served with a mustard sabayon and a bacon-sauerkraut cheese spread that could require a 12-step program to wean off of.
Savory pies are a nod to the empanadas of Ms. Borges’ youth and are like the most excellent gourmet Hot Pockets you can imagine. A Tomato Pie ($10) was flaky and flavorful, filled with Beemster cheese and broccoli and topped with beautiful rust-hued heirloom tomatoes. The Lamb Pie with mint chutney, chickpea and tamarind was equally crisp and tasty, albeit a bit dry.
The Spaetzle ($15) is an Oktoberfest special that should be added to the regular menu, posthaste. The doughy, al dente noodles are filling and the sauerkraut is as good as you’ll have anywhere, and it pops with a pleasingly pungent and tangy funk that’s complemented by a silky sour cream and kielbasa.
We sat in the back beer “hall” area, with communal seating, which I always enjoy. It was loud as a train station, but that’s fine — it is a beer hall after all. However, it was entirely too dark. Most people, myself included, eschew well-lit bars, but this isn’t a bar, per se, and the gorgeous space should be enjoyed.
There are no servers in the rear area, and while Munch and Company hardly expected an army of St. Pauli Girls or Lederhosen Fritzes to wait on us hand und fuss we were there to spend time with friends and family — not waiting in a deep line to get curt service from a frazzled lone bartender, as was the case on a crowded Friday evening. This isn’t a deli counter.
Given the track record of all involved with Lorelei, that’s a hiccup that’ll be worked out in what is an otherwise completely unique new eating and drinking experience in Pittsburgh.
German isn’t exactly a lyrical language. The Saxons don’t have a well-known phrase for the sweet life — la dolce vita — like the Italians. But, if they did (das susse leben?), Lorelei would be close to that concept.
Lorelei: 124 S. Highland Ave., East Liberty; https://www.loreleipgh.com.
First Published: September 20, 2018, 1:00 p.m.
