Something has been brewing between a local brewer and a band: Inner Groove Brewing and Gene the Werewolf collaborated on a beer called Raised By Wolves.
The limited-edition Raised By Wolves will be available on tap and in commemorative cans at Inner Groove locations in Verona and Allentown beginning Saturday. Guests can also have access to the beer when the group performs alongside Donnie Iris and the Cruisers for “Yinzerween,” presented by WDVE, at the Roxian Theater in McKees Rocks on Saturday — normally, Inner Groove beer is not available anywhere other than the two tap rooms.
Tickets start at $50 and are available here.
Gene the Werewolf is a Pittsburgh-based band with a new single also called “Raised By Wolves,” which is available on all platforms. Band members include singer and guitarist Jon Belan, guitarists Drew Donegan and Andrew Marks, bass player Chris Serafini, drummer Nick Revak and keyboardist Aaron Mediate.
Inner Groove is known for its music-inspired brews. This one is a limited-release Blood Orange IPA with 6.5% alcohol by volume. It’s hoppy and features “balanced bitterness with sweet blood orange and vibrant citrus notes,” according to Inner Groove Brewing.
This is the fourth such music and beer partnership. The brewery also incorporated the artwork design of the band’s latest album cover on the can.
“We want to do more music collaborations because music is the perfect complement to beer,” said Jen Walzer, who co-owns the brewery with husband Kevin Walzer, and Kelly and Tim Melle.
Seven barrels have been made of Raised By Wolves.
The brewery also recently collaborated with home brewer Bryan Llewellyn on his recipe for You Stole My Marble Rye, a Roggenbier-style beer brewed with marble rye bread. Llewellyn’s beer will be available at both tap rooms on Friday on draft and in cans.
Jen Walzer said during Three Rivers Beer Week in April, local homebrewers were invited to participate in a tasting event and competition called the BrewMaster Challenge. Llewellyn’s beer, Taloo-Rye-Ale, is produced with rye malt and fermented on German yeast, making it a wintry and spicier version of a Dunkelweizen, Jen Walzer said.
Courtesy of Inner Groove Brewing
Inner Groove Brewing’s brewers Kevin Walzer and Tim Melle with home brewer Bryan Llewellyn (center) at Three Rivers Beer Week in April 2024.
It has an alcohol by volume of 5.2%. The name was inspired by the song “Come on Eileen” from Dexys Midnight Runners. Seven barrels have been produced.
Home brewers can enter a recipe on Friday for next year’s BrewMaster Challenge.
“It keeps us passionate about beer,” Jen Walzer said. “And it keeps us connected to home brewers, which is how most of us started.”
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at [email protected].
