Food has earned its rightful place in numerous American museums — Julia Child’s kitchen is enshrined in the Smithsonian, for instance — but what about beer? That’s the idea behind Brew, a museum devoted entirely to the Western world’s favorite grain-based beverage that’s slated to open in Pittsburgh come 2018.
According to a press release, Brew will be designed in collaboration with beer and food experts and feature interactive exhibits and activities — including, yes, drinking.
"America has large-scale museums dedicated to so many important aspects of human culture but, surprisingly, no epic museum dedicated to beer — until now,” says Brew co-founder Matt Sherwin. He added that he wants the museum to be used “to understand all aspects of what it means to be human — our sociology, our anthropology, our history, our economics, our politics.”
In addition to beer artifacts and exhibits, the 50,000 square-foot complex will include a 300-seat brewpub, gift shop, a “Beer Hall of Fame,” and a Brewers Wall set to showcase information on all 4,800 breweries currently operating in the U.S. According to a museum spokesperson, the size and scope of Brew will be comparable to Cleveland's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.
The founders anticipate a Spring 2018 opening, though they haven’t yet pinned down an exact location for the project.
Meanwhile, another beer museum is in the works further west: A museum-cum-brewpub aptly named the Brewseum is currently being planned for Chicago, though it’s still in the early funding stages.
• How Food Earned Its Place in American Museums [E]
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