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Pittsburgh Gearing Up For Craft Beer Week

PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- A brewery boom taking Pittsburgh by storm will be celebrated during the annual Craft Beer week, which is actually a 10-day booze filled marathon.

"We're becoming a great brewing city,"

Monday, at Penn Brewery, many of the local craft breweries got together to showcase and sample their collaborations.

"The big thing is just quality, people aren't settling for the simple basic food anymore," said Brian Meyer.

Craft brews give drinkers a chance to experience hundreds of different styles and a broader flavor profile.

"There's a collaboration beer that's in the flavor of smores so there's notes of marshmallow, chocolate, graham cracker," said Andy Kwiatkowski with Pittsburgh Craft Beer Alliance.

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Why not stick with the big name beers? It's all about staying local.

"Wherever you're at, whether its in Morningside, or way out in the North Hills, there's going to be a brewery opening up near you or is already in plans to open up near you," Kwiatkowski said.

In the five years since craft beer week began, the Pittsburgh area has gone from having less than 10 craft beer breweries to nearly 40 and the trend is far from over.

"Roughly 10 breweries opening in the next year alone, its staggering the support for the brewing industry that Pittsburgh has," Meyer said.

Last year, the more than 300 events that make up craft beer week brought in $2.4 million for the local economy.

It's a good trend, bringing more people into the city, its making us look like a more attractive tourist destination.

New for 2016 is a beer week app. Consider it your guide to events like Name-That-Beer, Build-A-Brew workshops, Beer Olympics, and Tap Takeovers.

"Craft beer is a love of mine and a love of Pittsburgh's," said brewer Dave Cerminara. "We are an industrial city and its an industrial process."

Craft beer week runs from Apr. 15-24.

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