I was super excited to visit Dancing Gnome, as I had heard great things from Sharpsburg people. The space was beautiful and all the patrons were friendly. We stopped in on a Saturday night to sample some beers and tried four different ones, mostly Pale Ales. We had a variety of beer drinkers there that night, so the reactions were mixed. Things were a little too hoppy for me, but others loved it. So it really will depend on your tastes. With three draft sizes it made it nice to be able to try things out before committing to a whole draft. The bar area is decently large and the front space has several tables (all 6-tops, I believe). With a large crowd there when we arrived we lucked out when a group left a table and we were able to join a couple who was at the end of that table. So the communal area worked for us, but with any more people in our party we wouldn't have been able to all sit together. It seems that they have a good variety of food trucks represented in their nightly line up. The people who were running the truck that night (it was cold outside!) were bringing in the orders to customers which seemed like a system that was working. Good job, Sharpsburg! It's a lovely venue! read more

Full disclosure: I'm literally the farthest possible thing from a beer expert. I don't drink much and I can't tell you all the specific details about their brews. However, I CAN tell you is that this place is awesome! To start, it's got an incredible atmosphere. Clean, modern, trendy. Lots of plants. Great music. Nice selection to choose from. I had their Mead on tap and it was delicious (: The people working the bar (Emily and Zach I think..?) were really helpful too. I'm visiting from CA so I probably won't be back anytime soon, but I'd DEFINITELY recommend it to anyone in the area! read more

Dancing Gnome - Breweries Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

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Wonderful staff and amazing selection and quality, especially of IPA's. Lucky to have such a great local brewery. I still have a lot of varieties to try, but so far "Like A Movie" has been my favorite. Definitely give these folks a try. read more

Solid beer. So good that a friend had me pick up a bunch to bring home since I was only in town for a few days. Long line when they opened today but they are super efficient getting everybody taken care of. It wasn't a long wait like I first thought when I saw the line. There was a food truck out front (pizza I think) but I was just grabbing the beer and hitting the road so didn't try. Anyways..great beer and great service here. read more

Dancing Gnome has some of our favorite beer in the city but it seems like everyone has the same idea and the place is becoming overcrowded. We try to avoid going during peak hours or can releases. They typically have five beers on tap at a time most of which are hazy IPAs and at least one dark beer. Although we are a huge fan of IPAs and hazy IPAs, we have a few friends that struggle to find something to drink while visiting. Dancing Gnome always seems to have a food truck on site or you can bring in your own food. read more

Always crowded when I've gone but the beer is delicious. Hazy IPAs is what stands out to me when I think of Dancing Gnome. I hope they can expand one day! Would definitely suggest to a friend looking for an upscale(ish) brewery in Pittsburgh. Make sure you go when there is a food truck! read more

My favorite brews!! Cloudy IPAs with hop Punches to the face read more

More like 2.5 stars. The beers are good, the variety is not. Almost always 90% ipas. The space is clean and inviting but is too small. It's setup for groups as there are several large tables, so if you are a couple, you'll be hard pressed to find space aside from the bar which maybe has 10 seats. Standard rotating food trucks like all the other breweries along rt28, but with a small space you don't have a lot of room to eat. Their can releases are some sort of cult following, yes they are good, but not anything I'd line up for or go out of my way for. read more

One of our top picks to come to. We went last night and they happen to be doing a can release. The spy dolphin is a really good beer, which was their can release also. We also had the better one or two. They are both ipa beer, which are our favorite types. Parking was on the street. Staff was really friendly. It was busy when we went, but we were helped quickly to get beer. After a few minutes of standing, a long table opened up for our group. We went towards the end of their night and were the last ones to leave. They had a food truck outside but it was already closed. We want to come back here! Our friends loved this place as well. read more

Great beers, interesting location. We tried their Underscore Fruitless and Pounce beers. Very packed on a Saturday with a food truck. Could benefit from outside seating. In general, I like the brewery and love the beers. read more

Dancing Gnome - Breweries Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

IF YOU HATE HOPPY BEERS, DON'T COME HERE! I have tried hard to like this place. I am part of a craft beer happy hour group who meets weekly. We have tried hard to patronize this local business, but we are unable to do so. There are NO BEERS that are not hopped/bitter. As a craft beer club, we can't come back here because several members dislike bitter beers. Today 8 craft beer drinkers walked out your door with a bad bitter taste in mouths. The group has boycotted this venue for a meeting. It's REALLY BAD BUSINESS to not offer a wide variety of beers that please the pallets of all beer drinkers. read more

It's been a year now since DG opened...and it just keeps getting better & better. Kudos to Andrew & his crew..., they're killing it in the Pgh craft Beer scene and have garnered a great deal of attention nationwide. I'm so happy this is my neighborhood brewery... I don't agree with those who didn't think the service is good...the beer tenders are super friendly and knowledgeable and I always feel welcome here. I can't say enough about this fine establishment... wait I haven't mentioned the beer! It's well crafted and I've liked all of them... don't get me wrong I've got my favorites like Exquisite Beast, Infinite Highway & Sua Da. I can't wait to see what the next year brings! read more

Dancing Gnome - Breweries Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The beer was okay, but there were not many choices. Staff were polite. The place itself was very busy and there was nowhere to sit. The hours are weird too. On Saturdays they aren't open past 8pm. Overall, not a bad brewery, but not a top choice. read more

The absolute best brewery in Pittsburgh.. Puts 'em all to shame .Can't wait for the can releases this week! read more

Update: bartender treated me like a 3rd tier yokel, did not know any of the hop combinations. Attitude and lack of knowledge is disappointing. Pretty space and a few solid beers on tap. Unfortunately the bartender(s) I have interacted with on my last two visits did not know anything about what was in their beers. My friend and I asked multiple times what hops were in the beer and instead of admitting they did not know, our question was side stepped and they told us what it tastes like instead. It was a little disappointing. Maybe we'll try again in a few months :/ read more

Oh Dancing Gnome pale ales...how i love you!!!! I don't think it is any secret that I love supporting local businesses and love frequenting local breweries! I hate playing favorites...I truly do! However, I am blown away by Dancing Gnome. The beers are so insanely good! There are often a lot of pale ales but they are all so nuanced and unique! Our friends from South Park wanted to go somewhere new in the city and we just so happened to go to Dancing Gnome on their opening evening. I was surprised at how busy they were and assumed it was because of the opening day. But every time I have gone since, the bar is full. But there 100% is good reason for this! Inside, the bar is spotless and pristine looking. The workers are very knowledgeable as well. One time I was in there when a man came in with a growler that was not one of theirs. They explained to him that the lightness of the bottle (I believe it was clear) was not really beneficial to the beer and keeping the same quality. Instead of acting pretentious about it, the bartender was really nice and just gave a growler to the guy. I have no poor remarks about the place! They even have PGH Sandwich Society there, dishing out their quality in-n'-aht burgers. Just a perfect place to go, drink a perfect beer and eat a perfect burger. Simply, perfect!! read more

I will keep this short. If you like NE Style Pales and good beer in general go check out what the folks at Dancing Gnome are doing. Their prices are right, they attract good food trucks, and the bar area is well thought out. I keep coming back and crave their beers when I am in larger cities with "better" beer. read more

Trying to keep an honest review here. Let me start by saying the beers we had were really good! We had the Spy Dolphin and OBB and both were really tasty. My only complaints are the following: - It was very busy which is expected for a brewery/brewpub on a weekend night. However there was no seating available and due to the size of the crowd, it made it hard even being in line to place your order. Even places you could stand were a bit crammed. Not really the brewery's fault, of course, as they do what they can with their space - but, something to consider if you're looking for a place to sit down on the weekend. - It was difficult to see the beer listing on the TV due to the crowd; and, they didn't have any handouts (that we could see), either. This added a few extra minutes to our decisions on what we were going to order. - With the above being said, the guy who waited on us wasn't very friendly and seemed flustered that we hadn't fully decided on what we were ordering (I promise you, we weren't taking THAT long to decide - maybe 2-3 minutes). He could see we were struggling to see the menu and rather than giving some suggestions (or handouts if they had them), he made us feel rushed. Therefore, we just picked whatever to satisfy him and let the people behind us go. I know it's not always easy to keep a smile on your face, especially when you're dealing with a large crowd; however, customer service makes all the impact. The whole time we were there, we felt like we were bothersome to the people behind the counter. Overall, they have some pretty great beers to try and the place is a cool spot! Very modern and clean. read more

Dancing Gnome - Breweries Near Me - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

The aesthetic of this brewery is an Instagram dream: Minimalistic, subway tile, industrial...it's really quite nice. There's lots of room in this brew pub so you don't feel too super cramped. All of the beers I tasted were really great and the service was speedy despite it being pretty busy. They don't serve food, but it seems like there is a regular food truck rotation. Definitely a stop of your Route 28 brew tour! read more

The beer here is very good, and they have a great thing going. I am giving 3 stars because of a few of the employees their put a sour taste in my mouth when I brought my service dog there. It is not dog friendly, but again, she's a service dog and we were treated very poorly for being their with an animal. I don't like sitting in the actual bar to drink because overall, it's a little bit ... "prissy" for my taste. I would recommend the beer for sure though, and it's not all the employees there by any means. I would much rather get some beer to go, and head to another happier brewery. read more

The. Best. My favorite brewery to date. DG boasts a neat, clean establishment with crisp lines and striking color scheme. A well organized layout keeps the bar from becoming too congested to place your order. Incredibly attentive and personable bar tenders that are engaging and charismatic. Every time I have visited DG, I feel welcomed and important. Each time, I wind up striking up conversations with good, solid people. Oh yeah, and their beer is unworldly!!!!! read more

The Beer was spot on and tasted amazing! I had the Pale Ale which had a great citra flavor and was easy to drink.

I'm going with 3 stars here. This review is a bit tainted, however, since I'm not the biggest fan of hazy IPAs (stop shaking your head like I'm out of my mind... :) ). I've actually been dabbling recently in the IPA scene, though, and thought I'd finally be okay making the journey here. My partner and I live on the east side, so this was a special treat. Firstly, I felt the place was a bit pretentious. Mind you, they aren't the only craft brewery I find to be that way in the 'burgh. That scene isn't what I'm most drawn to, however, my partner is more partial, and enjoyed the atmosphere more. The place was definitely hoppin', which I'm glad about. Shout out to local business. The glassware was also nice. I was happy to see they were actually using the glassware that said "Dancing Gnome" on it, vs. plain glassware. For some reason, it bums me out when breweries do that, although I understand the need for cost savings. We were hoping to grab a can or two during our visit. The bartender told us that they usually sell out immediately after release. Okay, great, business is good. However, my perception of how the can sell-out was told to me was, "Oh, why yes. We're SOOO popular. How could you not know?" I don't blame the 'tude on the barhand though. Like I mentioned, the place was really busy, and they were just trying to get through the night. On a VERY positive note, Alberta's Pizza was there that night. It looked FABULOUS! My partner and I were very disappointed we didn't get a pizza while there. If that food truck is a regular at DG, I'll have no problem going back to give them a second chance. read more

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Can't say enough good things about this brewery. Their hazy IPAs are some of the best I've had. My family visits frequently from out of town and we always have to make a trip to Dancing Gnome for some delicious beers. If you love hazy IPAs, you must try!! read more

I am a huge fan of this place and would love to return soon! I dropped in to catch up with some friends in a great environment - clean, spacious, and modern. The bartender was amiable, and although I could not find any dark beers that night (porters, stouts need some lovin' too!) I greatly appreciated that they have only a few on tap. It definitely makes ordering drinks faster and simpler. Unfortunately for that night all of their selections were light beers but they were all very tasty and had their "intended effect" ; ). I also greatly appreciate that they collaborate with local food truck businesses to bring in delicious food! It's a smart business model that makes serving drinks more efficient and thus contributes greatly to the clean and spacious interior. read more

Dancing Gnome has received a considerable amount of hype in recent weeks, and I was eager to try it out. I was pleased with the atmosphere and the beers. The space is inviting and honestly makes me feel like Joanna Gaines had a part in the design and decor. Love the subway tile walls and the industrial shelving. The bar was relatively large, but seating overall in the space was limited. My friend (who actually had a hand in the architecture of the space) and I visited one evening around 9:30pm. To our surprise, we were informed that the space closed in 30 minutes. On a Saturday. I was sort of surprised that they close as early as they do, considering how busy they still were and the amount of foot traffic they receive. We sat at the bar as everywhere else was packed. We got lucky enough that there were two seats on the end of the bar. We each had the time to have one beer, which was pretty good. Their beers are IPAs so if this isn't your cup of beer, it may not be your favorite place. Beer was enjoyable, however I would have like to try more. They charge for each sample so it was tough for us to know which one we would really like. This was kind of a downer for me, as I prefer to know what I am getting before drinking a whole beer. I could have easily paid for a sample, but didn't really want to either. If you like IPAs, check them out. If you really like gnomes and think you will see some here, you won't. They are lacking in gnome decor despite the name. :/ read more

Amazing brewery. The goat! The best IPA's in Pittsburgh. The haze, the stouts and spurs are straight bomb!

If you're going to close two hours early on a Saturday, please update your hours on your website. It's a simple step that would save people hassle and hard feelings. We were in from Michigan, and on a friend's recommendation, planned to stop at DG. Website said they closed at 8p, (which already seemed insanely early for a Saturday), so we made sure to get there early (just before 6p) and then were told they were closing at 6p. I don't care why you closed early - only that you didn't provide one small courtesy to potential customers by posting the early close time. I let my friend know he could save his "recommendations" in the future. Cost me an Uber ride for no reason. read more

In walking distance from another brewery, Hitchhiker Brewing, which was convenient for us. Good IPAs and food truck on site. Staff was very attentive. read more

Nice brewery, decent beers. Loved the Pounce. Family didn't feel welcomed. Bar maid made me feel she was put out because a baby was present. Just because we're parents doesn't mean that we don't enjoy beer or a night out. Sorry we're breeders. We shouldn't be made to feel bad about it. If you want more of us mid range drinkers, we have kids. We can't always get babysitters as it can easily cost us a $100 just to go out for an evening. Maybe some slings or high chairs would make us feel more welcome. Perhaps training your staff to deal with kids or at least people with kids and not make us feel alienated. So much potential for this brewery. Make us feel more welcome is all I'm asking. read more

Great beer. It gets very busy, so be prepared to stand for a bit until a seat opens. I wouldn't go here if you're not a beer drinker - they don't have much for someone without a 'beer palette.' I'm giving it 4 stars because of something that may seem silly but was important to me. With a name like Dancing Gnome, I expected a whimsical atmosphere. Something special with murals or similar. It looks like a normal brewery. Nice, but normal. They need to up the whimsy and magic. read more

Good stuff. I enjoyed it. Hubby did not so much. Nice and new inside. Love the vibe. Not much seating but able to find a spot to stand.

This is a great brewery and they are constantly releasing new beers. Most of the beers are unfiltered and they do a nice variety with flavors and underlying flavor notes. The space itself is clean and modern. There's usually a food truck parked outside in the evenings and on weekends. The only thing that could make this better is outdoor seating but the space doesn't allow for it. It's still very light and open. read more

If I could give them 0 stars, I would. Beer is ok. Service was horrible and very disrespectful. The employees were extremely rude and not helpful. I would go to hitchhiker which is only a couple blocks from them. Would never go to this brewery again. read more

This is officially my favorite brewery in Pittsburgh! I really like the decor and the atmosphere, in addition to their great beers. I also like that you can order a smaller size beer so that you can try more, or won't have to drink an entire pint of a 9% beer. I really enjoyed their New England style IPAs. The decor is fresh, modern, and minimalist. I really didn't love the uncomfortable bar stools, but they do look good and I think that's what they were going for. I also personally love the plants and succulents littered all over the bar. The merch is noticeably pricier than other breweries. They don't serve food, but there was a food truck right outside. During peak hours, it's standing room only because this beer is just great! read more

Love this place. Wish it was a closer drive to me in the city but not terrible AT ALL. Will be back for sure! Hipster ish standing and sitting. All inside. Not the biggest place but that will change. read more

Such a disappointing regular growler customer here. After just learning they are more in the canned beer distribution and sales demographic I was refused a growler refill last night. read more

Awesome atmosphere. The place was packed due to their special release of their DIPA Speedwell. It was standing room only, but well worth it. All of the IPAs I had were phenomenal. read more

We're fairly new to Pittsburgh and having loved Draii Laag and Grist House, we were excited that another brewery was opening up. We went on opening night (mad house!) and again a few days ago. I can't say I was a fan of the stout. Brash and bitter finish. All their IPAs and APAs have been startlingly excellent. It's rare to find a brewery that does these consistently so well. The space is nice and it seems to be dog friendly. They do inexpensive flights so you can taste around before you commit to a drink. No in house food, but both times we've been there, they've had an adjacent pizza stand that has been great. I'm not sure if they rotate food trucks or if that's there semi permanently, but we had a farmer pizza, and the crust was perfect. Definitely a great addition to the beer scene around here! read more

Fun place with great beer. We've been into IPAs and this place has some really good ones. Stained Glass and After Dark are good. We also liked Wishbone which is a pale ale. ha! was so-so for us though as an IPA. read more