A former Cold War missile defense site is back on duty as Grist House Command, the region's newest brewery.

The big picture: Millvale-based Grist House Craft Brewery opened its long-awaited Collier Township brewpub Saturday to a packed house.

• The 55,000-square-foot former Nike missile command center is reimagined with multiple bars and elevated outdoor decks framed by views of the South Hills.
• Owners Brian Eaton and Kyle Mientkiewicz are leaning into the site's past to carve out more space in Pittsburgh's craft beer scene, hoping to become one of Western Pennsylvania's "destination breweries."

What they're saying: "Out east you have places like Tröegs and Victory Brewing that people travel to for a unique experience, and there's not as much of that out here," Eaton tells Axios.

Zoom in: Grist House Command has four bars with two dozen taps each, offering its signature craft beer, cider, seltzer and nonalcoholic suds.

• There's a full kitchen and indoor-outdoor seating for up to about 400 guests, with three outdoor patios, including one 1,000-square-foot terrace, overlooking the hillsides.

The intrigue: The U.S. government built the Nike missile command center in the late 1950s to defend Pittsburgh's industrial core during the Cold War, Eaton says.

• From the deck, visitors will see the site's towering white radar dome, another Cold War relic still used by the Federal Aviation Administration, Eaton says.

Flashback: The military auctioned the property in 2014, and Grist House bought it in 2018.

The vibe: Restored military signage, floor plans and historic photos line the walls, and an old water tank — once intended to wash away radioactive material in the event of a nuclear attack — still anchors the parking lot.

• Industrial modern decor and a flood of natural light turn the concrete fortress into an inviting gathering place.

Dig in: Much of the menu is designed as a "vehicle" for an inventive sauce bar: Hot dogs, burgers, pretzels, fries, and other bar classics that nod to the Millvale location's original lineup.

The bottom line: Grist House will shift brewing from its flagship site in Millvale to the new facility, at least temporarily, while keeping the Millvale taproom open.

• The move will boost the company's production capacity from 2,500 barrels a year to as many as 30,000, Eaton says.

If you go: Grist House Command is at 301 Sgt Messerschmidt Road, Collier Township, near Oakdale and Carnegie. Full info here.

Go deeper

One of Pittsburgh's most stressful and traffic-filled interchanges is getting an upgrade.

Why it matters: More than 100,000 vehicles drive through the interchange in front of the Squirrel Hill Tunnel each day. Drivers have to suffer through on- and off-ramps close to the tunnel entrance causing panic-inducing lane switching and crashes.

🚘 Driving the news: PennDOT announced this week the preferred redesign for the Parkway East (I-376) interchange, which will take three years to complete once started.

• Construction is not slated to start until 2029.

The details: The eastbound on-ramp will be moved back, providing more room to merge prior to the tunnel.

• The eastbound off-ramp weave will be eliminated because the ramp will be extended, starting west of the Greenfield Bridge, passing under the new eastbound on-ramp, and ending at a traffic light at Beechwood Boulevard.
• The westbound off-ramp exit will be moved farther from the end of the tunnel and will have a new bridge built over the Parkway.

🚲 Beechwood Boulevard will get a separate local lane for nearby residences (with a new bike path) and a roundabout will be added to the Monitor Street-Beechwood intersection.

• A new bike/pedestrian shared path will replace the sidewalk along Forward Avenue and extend to a connecting path to Saline Street.

What they're saying: "The improvements included in the project aim to provide safer pedestrian crossings and safer access to proposed shared use paths," according to a press release. "They also result in more reliable travel times through the roadway network."

What's next

🚊 Pittsburgh Regional Transit will ask PennDOT to raid its own capital funds to pay for operating costs as a state budget stalemate has endangered public transit service in the region, per a letter from state Senate Minority Leader Jay Costa (D-Forrest Hills). (X)

🌐 Popular streamer "IShowSpeed" stopped by PNC Park this weekend on his "Speed Does America" tour. (Sports Illustrated)

🚦Pittsburgh's automated red-light camera program will launch citywide by early 2026. (WESA)

💰 Nippon Steel has settled all legal disputes with the United Steelworkers union and steelmaker Cleveland-Cliffs over its $14.9 billion U.S. Steel acquisition, which closed in June. (Reuters)

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Nebby rolled out for a late-summer stroll and landed somewhere a little spooky.

Do you know where our plucky plush pierogi is today? Here's a clue:

• You won't find names like Carnegie or Frick here — only a private home filled with curiosities.

Hit reply to send your guesses!

Today marks 31 years since USAir Flight 427 crashed in Hopewell Township, Beaver County.

The big picture: The crash killed all 132 people on board — the deadliest airline disaster in Pennsylvania history. More than half the victims were from the Pittsburgh area.

Flashback: The flight from Chicago O'Hare to Palm Beach was scheduled to stop at Pittsburgh International Airport, then a USAir hub.

• Inspectors said the aircraft's rudder malfunctioned, sending the aircraft into a stall and causing it to hit the ground about 10 miles from the Pittsburgh airport.