Located in Pittsburgh’s historic St. John the Baptist Church, a deconsecrated but still beautifully ornate building, The Church Brew Works has turned a former holy sanctuary into a hip brewery, only giving shelter to brewdogs.

Originally built in 1902, St. John the Baptist Church had a long and storied history as a house of God. The church was created to minister to the growing population of workers who were flocking to the city looking to fill the industrial jobs that were springing up in the early 20th century. The large church was built with a lovely stained-glass rose window set above the massive chapel. During the Depression the church provided food and shelter to starving families and later on acted as a shelter for victims of a massive flood in the area. Unfortunately as the once booming local economy began to go into decline, the population quickly began to dip as well, leaving the church with fewer and fewer parishioners each year. By 1993, the church was deconsecrated and abandoned.

However the beautiful building did not sit idle for long. In 1996 the Church Works Brewery moved into the space after performing extensive renovations. They turned the cavernous chapel room into a spacious beer hall where customers could line the pews for a few draughts. The brewery eventually grew enough to start selling their grog wholesale and have been voted as one of Pittsburgh’s finest breweries.