Pittsburgh’s always been a beer town. Its brewing heritage started with Pittsburgh Brewing Co. in 1861; today, the region boasts more than 40 craft breweries.
But beer hasn’t always been easy to get ahold of here, or elsewhere in Pennsylvania. For a long time, the state’s strict alcohol laws meant local drinkers could only buy beer at regulated distributors. “It’s always been a pain in the ass to buy beer here,” says beer fan Russ Walton of Cranberry, Pennsylvania, about 15 miles north of Pittsburgh. “You get used to it … but when they loosened the restrictions, you started to see how convenient it was to be able to just stop and grab a six-pack.”
About 10 years ago, Pennsylvania changed the law to allow for beer sales outside of distributors, giving restaurants, bars, grocery stores, and other vendors the chance to get in on the action. The Altoona, Pennsylvania-based convenience store chain Sheetz (Western Pennsylvania’s rival to the Eastern Pennsylvania convenience chain Wawa) was early to take advantage of the change, with 270 of its 300 state outlets opting to sell beer.
But some locations—like the one at 211 Mount Nebo Road in Pittsburgh—went above and beyond, adding their own beer caves: refrigerated spaces filled floor-to-ceiling with domestic, imported, and craft beer. All told, Sheetz dedicated more than 140,000 square feet of its stores to beer sales. “We saw an opportunity to not only take advantage of the new laws, but to make our store a leader in the local beer scene,” says Haydn Hadlet, general manager and beer buyer for the Mount Nebo location.
Sheetz’s company line on beer is clear. “Our mission is to be the ultimate one-stop-shop where customers can get what they want, when they want it, and how they want it,” says Nick Ruffner, the chain’s public relations manager. However, Hadlet says it was his goal to make it an even bigger priority. “I’ve been a craft beer fan for years, so I’ve always kind of had my finger on the pulse of what’s going on in the industry. So I’ve tried to use that to my advantage here at Sheetz.”
The Mount Nebo beer cave has the usual domestic and import staples one would expect at any beer store, as well as harder-to-find releases. Hadlet says one of the newest beers he’s added is Gentlemen’s Agreement, an American IPA from Logyard Brewing, located in Kane, Pennsylvania, in the heart of the Allegheny National Forest. “We’re always on the lookout for new and interesting breweries, he says. “We want to be the first ones with the beers people want.”
But Sheetz doesn’t just sell beer; the chain has even started brewing its own. Since 2020, the Sheetz Beer Project has seen it partner with regional breweries to create beers like Hop Dog, a dry-hopped IPA collaboration with Neshaminy Creek Brewing, and the Vanilla Shteam Machine, a Cream Ale brewed with Evil Genius Beer Co.
Stores like the Mount Nebo location are now local staples for beer lovers, and its prime position—it’s one of the last places to stop on I-279 before entering the city proper—makes it popular among those heading into the city to see a Steelers game or a concert.
“For a place most look at as just a gas station, we’ve got a pretty great location for a beer store,” says Hadlet. “We’re right on the way into the city and we’re just off the freeway. We’re kind of hidden if you don’t know about us, but if you know, you know.”
Words by Mike Larson