As I mentioned in my last report, Pittsburgh is the East Coast capital of pinball. There’s so many amazing locations there. Unfortunately, I didn’t have time to hit them all. Our second and last stop in Pittsburgh was the legendary Helicon Brewing.
The boys were taking a rest that night, so we headed to Helicon after dinner with one of my wife’s college friends. We pulled up, not knowing what to expect. I was very pleasantly surprised to see a big building with garage doors open to let in the pleasant night air. We were there mid-week yet the bar area was hoppin’ with people having fun playing a big trivia game. The atmosphere was very festive.
Beyond the bar there was huge brewing tanks and TONS of pinball machines. The lineup at Helicon is super strong. They had several games that you’ll only see at a handful of locations in the world, such as the Spooky Pinball-manufactured The Jetsons and Heighway Pinball’s Full Throttle. They also not only had one of the newest pinball machines out there, Stern Pinball’s Mandalorian, but TWO! Both the Pro version AND the Limited Edition with its fancy Beskar Armor, mirrored backglass and tilting upper playfield. This would be a good place for someone who was considering buying a Mando to compare the two models.
Helicon was also the first place that I was able to play Jersey Jack’s newest game Guns N Roses. Beyond that, it had a fantastic mix of new and old games, from EMs to solid states to DMD games like Champion Pub and Mustang to newer Sterns and JJPs.
My wife and I enjoyed the beverages there. I had a great beer on tap and she tried the mead. The ability to see the inner workings of a brewery like this was a real treat. Helicon is a true gem of the Pittsburgh pinball scene.
Thus concluded the Pittsburgh portion of the road trip. Great city. I hope to head back there in the fall. After Pitt, we headed South…with a strategically placed pit stop at another heavy hitter arcade. Talk to you soon. Thanks for reading!
