Road Journal: Steel City Big Pour

Every year, our team is lucky enough to work onsite at one of Pittsburgh’s most highly anticipated beer sampling events, Steel City Big Pour! Steel City Big Pour is held at Construction Junction, a local non-profit warehouse that promotes reuse and supplies surplus construction materials and appliances at a reduced cost, and serves as an annual fundraiser for the facility. Read on for some of our team members’ favorite moments from the event!

Tara Friel – Event Operations Coordinator

This past Saturday, I had the incredible opportunity of leading our team onsite at Steel City Big Pour! This event incorporates all of my favorite things: art, music, beer, and of course food.

ShowClix has been involved with Steel City Big Pour for quite some time now, and it is one of the most anticipated events we participate in! Our onsite team consisted of 25 ShowClix employees and friends/family who scan tickets, put on wristbands, and run the help desk. What I love most about this event is seeing the camaraderie and enthusiasm of my team come to life.  It is always fun to see the rush of 1000 people excitedly flood in when the gates open. With our team’s onsite expertise, we get every single person swiftly through the door without breaking a sweat.

Once the gates calmed down, we all took turns enjoying the event. With over 50 breweries and food at every corner, it’s hard to just choose a few. My personal favorites were the poutine and Southern Tier’s new Cold Press Coffee Pumking. Each room had more breweries and activities than the one before, and the main room was strumming with live music while smoke was sifting up from the Burgatory smoker. All in all, we loved working Steel City Big Pour and look forward to next year!

Clay Stasenko – Client Support Representative

I went with a pretty large group of our crew to work Construction Junction’s yearly Steel City Big Pour event. We’ve been doing this event for years, and it was the first time I was able to join. Myself and another colleague ran the box office, helping people not only with ticket sales, but with locating orders and answering any questions that may have arisen. It’s always a great time to work a local event, and this was no exception. After working a shift in the box office, I got go to into the event and try some of the food. While local staple Kelly’s mac ‘n’ cheese is always an absolute pleasure, it was Tana Ethiopian Cuisine that really took it home for me. That was some of the best lentil I’ve ever had. The beers I sampled were great, too!

Ashley Ranich – Marketing Services Specialist

I spent this past Saturday scanning in beer and reuse enthusiasts at Steel City Big Pour. Attendees walk through a gallery-esque warehouse of unhinged doors, pastel sink tops, Victorian door knobs, and other estranged housing fixtures before reaching the beer and food vendors. After the initial wave of guests were scanned, wrist-banded, and on their way through each brewery’s offering, I walked into the madness for the full experience. I found a few excellent sour beers, watched as a laser engraved custom wooden coasters, and ate a very tasty soft pretzel! All in all, it was one of the most interesting beer festivals I’ve been to.

Jess Ansel – Sales Coordinator

The setting of Big Pour always fills me with amazement. It’s a large, open industrial environment in the warehouse, which makes me think of Pittsburgh’s strong manufacturing history. And yet every item in the warehouse is there to be recycled and get a new life, which also reminds me how Pittsburghers are innovative and find new ways to support each other as times change. I couldn’t help but think about this as I walked through the rooms at Big Pour. I also loved that there was an endless amount of beer to try; a good mix of locally brewed beers, ciders, and beers from other states. I’ve been to beer festivals before, but never anything that reminded me so much why I love Pittsburgh.

Ally Zrowka – Customer Care Representative

I had an awesome time working the entry lines at Steel City Big Pour! Everyone was so excited as they walked in, I knew it was sure to be a great event. My coworker and I tag-teamed a ticket scanning station and provided attendees with the proper wristbands, depending on whether or not they were a designated driver. Having never been to Construction Junction before, I was very impressed with the space and how it was transformed to house so many vendors and attendees! Purchasing a ticket meant you got to eat and drink as much as you wanted, which I thought was a really cool concept, and very worth the price. My favorite samples were definitely the potato pancakes from Sharp Edge, and the burger I sampled from Burgatory.