I love coming to this local brewery, especially on a nice night when they have both a food truck and a live band. One of their flagship beers, the raspberry wheat, is my favorite. It's always slightly tart and refreshing. It's perfect for the summertime, but I drink it all year round! The rotating food trucks are a much appreciated addition, as the brewery doesn't serve their own food. When the weather is cooperating, they seasonally have bands later in the week. The website is always up to date with events! The bartenders are very friendly and do their best to work through the lines as quickly as possible. They do have bathrooms and they're definitely outdated, but clean. read more

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Stopped to try their beer on a recent trip to Pittsburgh, as my husband and I enjoy finding local craft brews when we travel. For a weekend afternoon I anticipated it would be a bit busier. Two (2) bartenders were working-male was very accommodating but the female seemed annoyed to wait on anyone who wasn't a "regular". Had the kids with us and they really enjoyed the pinball machines, but most are $1.00 a play, so we blew through $ in no time read more

Helicon Brewing - Pin Ball - Breweries Near Me - Oakdale, Pennsylvania

Great place to drink and enjoy some pinball! Been here many time and the craft beer is delicious! I like the Mead from APIS Meadery that they have also!!! Service if fast and friendly! read more

Helicon Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Oakdale, Pennsylvania

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We visited helicon for the first time. It is such a fun little neighborhood place. We recently moved just over the hill from there and it will quickly become a frequently visited place. The service was great. We loved the beer that we had and they have food trucks since they don't actually have a food menu. I read that they also let you get food from local spots, but I'm not sure on that. There are good places right across the street from them. They have a ton of pinball machines, which are so much fun and bring back the nostalgia of the video arcades from back in the day. The crowd seemed to be a local crew, but very friendly. We are definitely gonna be back. read more

Helicon Brewing is brewery #234 for me. Helicon is in a big industrial building with a large dedicated parking lot, which is always nice. It's not much to look at on the outside. Inside the taproom is big! They have a pretty cool bar area that is kind of S-shaped. The area behind the bar area has individual tables and a whole bunch of pinball machines and video games. No, pinball machines are not video games. No food onsite but they did have a food truck that pulled in after I arrived. The place was starting to fill up pretty good, which isn't surprising on a Friday night. No flights here but they do have 5 ounce samplers so I built my own. Hey, I make shit happen in the face of beer adversity! The Vienna lager had a nice toasty aroma and flavor. Nice traditional beer which I approve of. The Schwarzbier lager is dark in color of course with a bitter chocolate flavor at the end. Nicely dry. The American IPL is described on the menu as having notes of "smooth peach". It's definitely there in both the aroma and flavor. Nice beer! I decided to add on the American IPA before moving on. This one has a bit more hip flavor and bitterness than the IPL did but not overpoweringly so. Moon Breaker DIPA was up next. Why is this the only named beer? Is it that special? This was a good DIPA. I could drink a few of these really easily. It was a good beer but I'm still wondering why it alone earned a name. The oatmeal stout was pretty decent. I'm a bit jaded by nostalgia on oatmeal stouts though. You know what they say about you never forget your first and always use that as a comparison? Yes, it applies to beers too. That said, this was eminently drinkable. Honestly all of the beers I had were well done. Just solid, well executed beers with no fluff. I appreciate that and the brewer here knows his/her/their/theiyr're business. (Yeah, that last one was to piss off the grammar and gender nazis.) If anyone is a glutton for punishment, please, follow my brewery, and distillery, reviews from across the U.S. and beyond! https://www.yelp.com/collection/-8iscFkpiiCI563-FDfwGg and if anyone is wondering who SWPFTD is you will have to check out my review of Black Market Brewing Co in Temecula, CA to understand. Yes, you will need to read into it a little to get the joke but I have confidence in you! read more

Helicon Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Oakdale, Pennsylvania

NOTE: I posted this review of the new McDonald Helicon location, but Yelp, in their infinite wisdom, decided to move it (and photos from the McDonald location) over here to this page . . . -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "Brand NEW Second location for Helicon Brewing in McDonald, PA, located in the old Grand Movie Theater. Two bars on two levels, air conditioned, pinball, pool tables, dart boards, amusement games, and of course beer, wine, cider, mead and craft cocktails. Much smaller, and more intimate than the original location in Oakdale (and not as many pinball machines as Oakdale) ... Cheers!" read more

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COVID-19 Review The space is unique - large warehouse with many antique, and new pin ball machines. During this crazy time surrounding COVID, they have large tents placed outside with tables and chairs. Which I was happy about. I felt much more comfortable being outside, than I would have indoors. Although the space is huge, there are not many sit down tables - and the bar is relatively small for the size of the establishment. We have been here twice now, both times were for the food truck that was there. This time, during the pandemic - I was surprised that the bartenders were not wearing masks. To be honest it freaked me out. Looking back on both times, I have tried both their beer and wine selection. Neither were "great" for me. Based on other reviews, it seems as though you love, or hate Helicon Brewing. If you are in the area, I would recommend stopping by when they have a food truck, and sitting outside. I am really looking forward to not having to include if staff wore masks in my reviews. Unfortunately, this is the world we live in right now. read more

This is a fun brewery with an interesting twist. They not only have in-house brewed beer, but also a room filled with pinball machines. It gives off a fun atmosphere and an activity to do whether you are there alone or with friends. I was surprised that many of the games were $1 to play. Seems pretty high from other pinball bars I've visited. The pinball room takes up most of the indoor space, but there is a small bar with some seating available. Most space is outside, where there are picnic and high top tables. People also brought lawn chairs so they could relax outside. There are only a few in-house beers, but they all sound delicious and I ordered the raspberry wheat ale. It was a nice mix of sweet and bitter, while also mainly tasting like a refreshing beer. They don't have a kitchen, but they do bring in food trucks regularly if you get hungry. I liked it and hought it was a nice place to enjoy nice weather and relax. read more

Helicon Brewing - Raspberry Wheat Ale - Breweries Near Me - Oakdale, Pennsylvania

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Beer is good Service is hit and miss. Some of the bartenders are great, others not so much. Owner of the brewery is a drunk. read more

I stopped by here a couple of Fridays ago for drinks with some coworkers. I had been wanting to head to Helicon Brewing since it had opened but this was my first real opportunity to. The inside of this place consisted of a bar with some seating, a couple of small tables and then a ton of pinball machines! They also had outdoor seating which was being reserved for a bridal shower on this day and then a bike rack since they are on the Panhandle Trial. While they don't have a sampler here, you can order any of their beers in a sample size and so I decided to go with all 6 of them because I could. On this day they were offering a Helles lager, saison, oatmeal stout, raspberry wheat ale, hazy ipa and American IPA. I first started out with the Helles lager which was an easy sipper that was smooth and yeasty. Up second was the Saison which was only a little funky and thus a mostly tame saison. Third was the oatmeal stout which was smooth and caramelly with a nice mellow finish. Fourth was the raspberry wheat which had a beat of tartness which I enjoyed. Fifth was the hazy IPA which was actually disappointing as it was watery and not too hoppy. Last but certainly not least was the American ipa which started off hoppy and that continued throughout. Out of the bunch, the oatmeal stout was easily my favorite and it's what I ended up ordering a pint of. The bottom line for me is that I might stop by here again in the future. I loved the location and vibe of this place, especially with the pinball machines, i only wish that I enjoyed the beers a lot more than I did. read more

Helicon Brewing - Beer menu - Breweries Near Me - Oakdale, Pennsylvania

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We were waiting for a to-go order from Lowkey Tacos in the area, so decided to stop by Helicon Brewing to get some beer. This was our first time here, so we didn't know they had food trucks there, too (great to know for next time)! The staff was very friendly inside, and they had an extensive many of a wide variety of beer options. We decided to get a growler of the New England IPA. They have more than just beer, though, so it's great for both beer and non-beer lovers alike. We opened the growler as soon as we got home and were so pleased with our choice. I'm not even a huge IPA fan (this was the fiancé's choice) but even I loved it. We can't wait to go back in the summertime to take advantage of the outdoor seating areas and enjoy some beer onsite. read more

Helicon Brewing - Inside the brewery - Breweries Near Me - Oakdale, Pennsylvania

Helicon is huge! But very awkwardly laid out. There is ample field parking (seemed a bit chaotic) where people sit outside in their own chairs with coolers. Even though signs say no outside drink, we saw a handful of people bring their own. Not enough tables for the amount of people either. The beers were all good - I liked the raspberry wheat and the addition of food trucks is smart. read more

Great atmosphere, great outdoor are for the nice weather. Beer and alcohol choices good. Depends on trucks there that day for food. Enjoyable read more

Great place to chill and play pinball! Other games are also welcome here and they have Dungeons N Drafts once per month!

I will preface by saying that my normal NEIPA style wasn't being served, so I tried some others. I had a stout, a regular IPA and a cream ale. Place was absolutely packed when I arrived. Only my second time here and wasn't sure what to expect. Lots of pinball games for those wishing to play. A food truck outside, numerous benches outside. They had a walk up window open and bar service. Staff was super friendly. Beers were decent. What impressed me most was a Sunday half price happy hour. read more

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Eh. I'm not impressed with their pours. I've had far better. The place is crowded but I'm guessing it's because this is all people really have out there in terms of breweries, with the exception of Insurrection in Heidelberg which is also blah. Residents will be in for a shock and treat once Grist takes over the old Nike site. The set up of Helicon is weird and awkward. It's spacious yet difficult to navigate and the actual bar is weird and not comfortable. Nothing about the location is welcoming not even the pinball machine. Staff doesn't seem to know what's going on or how to handle crowds if they get a little busy. read more

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Beer & Pinball? Be still my heart. Really awesome place. Their beer styles were interesting and allowed for many different beer drinkers to be happy. The staff was knowledgeable and very helpful. The brown ale was a hit as well as the lighter IPA they had on draft. I didn't see any sours (one of my favorite styles) which is a bit sad. Hopefully over time they will expand on styles a bit more for the adventurous palette. Our friends live nearby so I'm sure we will be returning many more times. They also have many different pinball machines ranging from older classics to brand new machines. I wish more places had a few machines! My only criticism is I wish they have more cup holders around the games, my wife and I had to take turns holding our beers while the other played. read more

Cool spot in Oakdale! Brewery with pin ball!!! Looking for a fun night out? Check out Helicon. They've got great beers on tap and rotating food trucks! read more

Helicon Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Oakdale, Pennsylvania

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Absolutely giving Helicon a 5-star review for the fun atmosphere! I've never been to a brewery (and I've been to a lot...) where the adults can relax and enjoy a good time themselves at the bar, while the kids can be entertained by endless pinball games! The beer was good, and the place very chill. Only downside is that you can't order food, but they don't mind you bringing in your own food -- so it's still a win/win. I definitely look forward to visiting here again! read more

I was impressed by their beer, their friendly and helpful staff, and the very cool space. I had no idea the amount of pinball machines they had. It was impressive! I was also very encouraged by their Black Is Beautiful beer where 100% of proceeds will go towards a local foundation supporting reform. read more

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What a fabulous happy hour! I mean it's basically buy one get one. We accidentally got lucky and stopped in during the happy hour which is 4:30-6:30 Tuesday through Friday. They even have a weekend happy hour. We initially were planning on being here earlier but a series of random events took over postponing our arrival to the exact time happy hour started, how freaking fortunate is that?! The Brewery is a little off the beaten path. In general it was a hike for us but that's ok, we were determined to give it a try. The building is large with an eclectic atmosphere of pinball machines and brewery equipment. The service was good, and that particular day Gaucho's food truck was setting up outside. Now they offer a select list of their own beer along with some other local breweries beers, meads, and wines. I really liked my IPA, and my husband was enjoying his Pale Ale just as much. Though it won't be a regular stop due to its proximity to us, we will definitely take advantage of this happy hour again when back in the area. read more

Helicon Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Oakdale, Pennsylvania

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Good beer and good pinball and good food trucks. What else can you ask for. Read Troy's review about the pinball, as I just play once in a while to satisfy my old teen years. We stop by after biking on the Panhandle trail. read more

Helicon Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Oakdale, Pennsylvania

Tried it several times, tried different beers but never could find anything special. Outside area looks like fun but inside isn't much.

So this turned to be plan B after picking up a piping hot pizza from Dons down the hilly road. I pulled up and there was alot of cars here and I could see inside somewhat of plenty of professional looking folks inside. Wasn't expecting that but I was there right at knock off time. I sat in the car and enjoyed the cooled off pizza. I ravaged it. After I felt like I had enough grease on my shirt and pants, and food to soak up the beer I was about to enjoy, I went inside. First impression was wow its bright in here. Huge space. Interesting horseshoe bar set up. There was space at the bar that I bellied up to and was greeted by a nice lady. Started a tab and got to drinking. After I polished off the first one I got another and headed towards the pins. Man that was cool. Its obvious that the owner is using this brewery as a "front" to collect these very rare pins without trouble from his significant other ;-) I kid. I appreciate the collection!! Had a few mechanicals in there. Saw a few off o the side for maintenance I guess. A really huge collection with some new new Jersey Jack pins mixed in. I wish there was a brewery back home (NOLA for me) that had a arcade enthusiast as a owner. There is one or two games for my local, but just the crown pleasers ya know. Not a real collectors choice. Oh right, this is a brewery. Back on track. I enjoyed the brews. Had 4. I am an IPA guy. Hazy to be exact. Everything I had was good. According to my Untappd app ( Crabby_Brau), I really enjoyed the double IPA version available as of this date and the Helles Lager. Both I would get again in a sec. Im looking forward to future work trips this way and plan on hitting Helicon again as well as trying others. And try and hit the happy hour too. Missed it by a few mins. read more

Helicon Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Oakdale, Pennsylvania

I live very close to Helicon and try and indulge in some of their happy hours or have a growler filled. They often have food trucks present (especially in the summer) but they seem to have the same 4-5 food trucks present. There are no food options in the bar so you can have food delivered or bring in from other establishments. The beer here is good. I'm an IPA guy but my wife isn't. We are both able to find options we both enjoy. There is a very detailed beer menu outlining the available brews. All employees I've encountered are super friendly, attentive, and helpful. Price point is equally fair as you are having a freshly brewed beer. The pinball machines are a nice touch. Highly recommend Helicon. You won't be disappointed. read more

They don't serve food they have food trucks every day that come for a certain time. The bar service is just regular nothing too special. The place is nice they have lots of ping ball tables which are good for kids. The inside is a medium size but is nice to hangout there. read more

This place seemed cool, but on two separate occasions on the weekend there were multiple people roaming around playing pinball without masks on. It also seemed like staff didn't tell them to wear one or they didn't have a problem with it. I talked to the owner via email and he said that they take it seriously, but based on two separate outings they do not take it seriously. Go at your own risk read more

We have been to a lot of breweries in the Pittsburgh area and I have to say we left impressed with Helicon. We don't live close to this brewery so we made a special trip to come out here. It wasn't' the easiest to find for us but we did find the brewery and I can't believe we drove right past it because it's so big! They have their own private parking lot here so we parked and when we walked in through the front doors the bar is right in front of you. We found a seat and sat down. This brewery is in one big room/warehouse. You can see everything which I like about breweries. One neat thing in one part of the brewery they have about 20 pinball machines if you like arcades. It was very popular when we were here. The biggest thing here that we stumbled upon was their Happy Hour. We got here around 430 and their happy hour is Tuesday - Friday 430 to 630 pm and 1230 - 230pm on the weekends. All drafts are half off! This is the best Happy hour I've seen at a brewery and it was great! I really couldn't believe it but we were very happy about this. It was a Happy few hours! We were hungry and they usually have a food truck in their lot and this day they had Asado here. We ordered some food and drank some beers and had a really nice time. As for the beer I think it was really good craft beer. I got their Pale Ale and I enjoyed it. My wife liked her beer too. I give them a sold 4 stars because of the good atmosphere at this brewery, very good beer, and their Happy Hour! read more

I like this place because they do offer more than just beer. My sister and I did try their raspberry wheat one and it was good but to us it tasted warm, my husband had an IPA and he too said it was warm. It was a really hot day and we wanted something to quench our thirst and the beers were not doing it, even with the ice we had the bartender add to it. So we switched to wine. The wine was sweet but quenched our thirst and was cold, also the bottle wasn't too expense. Another reason I do like this place is because dogs are welcomed in the outside area. We were visiting from California and our dog literally goes everywhere with us so we find it to be a culture shock that dogs aren't allowed anywhere in Pittsburgh. We were happy to sit outside with her. She is honestly more well behaved then most people in Pgh! read more

My husband and I went on a bike ride with another couple on a Saturday afternoon and made a stop at Helicon on our way back. I used to run on the Panhandle all the time and have passed it many times but never stopped. There was a food truck available if you wanted to purchase food or they had a very small snack menu and hot dogs for sale. The outdoor seating was fairly limited which surprised me being that this brewery is located right next to the trail. They also had a limited amount of seating under tents, and it was quite toasty the day we were there! Fortunately we were able to snag a covered table. I did not purchase a beer myself, but my husband had the Cream Ale and I had a taste of it. I was not a fan at all. I did have some of the Peach Apricot Mead from Apis and even that did not taste quite as good as I remember when having it at the meadery itself. For craft beer and local mead/wine/cider options, the prices were pretty reasonable and it would be worth trying other beers on the menu. Overall, this is a decent stop especially after a day of riding. We do hope make it down to the trail more often and will take advantage of Helicon's location especially if they have a food truck on site! read more

Good: pinball machines Great: stouts year round Meh: no food made at the brewery with mediocre food trucks. read more

I do have a soft spot for this place. Fantastic stop on the Panhandle Trail and looks like the locals have really taken to it as you hope they would. Beers are good. Nothing to write home about but all good. The space is great and especially good with nice weather. The pinball machine bonanza is next level too read more

One of my fave breweries around the Pittsburgh area. The beer is tasty and staff is more than personable and friendly. Perfect location on the panhandle trail so ideal for that post run or bike rehydrating adult beverage. Be sure to check out their awesome happy hour special. read more

Helicon Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Oakdale, Pennsylvania

Great location and for the area. Some of the beers are much better than others but there are always great food trucks, amazing pinball selection! read more

Really cool space with a TON of great pinball machines. Unfortunately they don't seem to have much of a mask mandate so we ended up leaving after about an hour when we saw a man roaming around the machines without one. Can never be too safe. Sadly didn't get a chance to try any of the beers before we split, but would possibly come back again to give it another shot. read more

We were at PK Winery, and they recommended this place. We decided to try it out. Thank God we did. The beer that we tried was good. I had the IPA and the ALE. They were both good. The IPA is usually really noticeable. However, the IPA here was light and fruity. I recommend stopping here. This place had a food truck when we pulled up. read more

Helicon Brewing - Breweries Near Me - Oakdale, Pennsylvania

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We made an impromptu stop here about 2 months ago. We were pleased to find out they regularly have food trucks outside plus some snacks for purchase inside. They also have takeout menus available for local restaurants that deliver or are a quick drive for you to pick up. They have a very impressive beer selection and we enjoyed every beer we tried. One of the most notable parts of this brewery is their pinball machine collection. It was very busy in that area and it seemed like everyone was having a great time. read more

My friend was in town for a few days and we stopped by Helicon. I heard good things about it and I've been wanting to check it out. What a great place! The staff is super attentive, the beers are reasonably priced, and there are a bunch of great pinball machines to play while you're hanging out! I had the raspberry wheat ale and it was great, especially for someone who doesn't really drink beer. My friend on the other hand does love beer and said the English porter was excellent. I'll definitely be back, especially since it's fairly close by. read more

There are so many reasons that I love Pittsburgh, and Helicon is one of my newest additions to that list. The place is great. This place is no thrills in the best way possible. You come in, seating is available but limited, and you are INSIDE the brewery. Like- no windows to peek in, no grand tour, just sitting at the bar watching the employees milling around making some fantastic beer. As noted in other posts, I LOVE collaboration. Helicon frequently has food trucks on the premises and they do a great job of keeping their Facebook page up to date with the latest offerings. They also allowed us to bring in pizza from the shop down the road when there was no truck there. This year I spent a lot of time training on the panhandle trail, and would often enjoy a beverage after a long run. As far as I know Helicon appreciates the "trail people" coming in for a brew and have never given any grief about the excessive use of their parking lot. read more

I can't believe it's taken me this long to get to Helicon Brewing. Luckily they were able to open due to the outdoor seating and access so my friends and I visited this past Saturday. The weather was perfect! We arrived around 7pm (they stay open till 10pm) via Uber and it was packed! People had brought folding chairs and were sitting on the back of their pick up trucks in the large grass parking lot. They had Cousin's Maine Lobster food truck this particular night and the line was long but it flowed. They also had two lines for ordering drinks, which from what I'm told has expanded from just beer to include wine and meads. I chose a German Pale Ale and it was so delicious I had 3! The bartenders were friendly while wearing masks as did us patrons and it was a lovely evening. If you're into Pinball machines, they have I bet 20+ machines inside next to the bar. They have a few picnic tables out front and 3 or 4 tables in the back, but not a lot is seating so I guess it's BYOC (bring your own chair?). I'd like to see them add more seating/picnic tables all around the outer part of the brewery and in the grassy areas. I'd also like to see them have more beer options than 5 as that seemed a bit limited. All in all, a chill place with good beer and rotating food trucks. And you can access from the Panhandle Trail. read more

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