# Stern Pinball's Brewcade Hopping with Helicon Brewing **Source:** Stern Pinball **Type:** video **Published:** 2022-08-05 **Duration:** 5m 45s **Beat:** Pinball **URL:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=74Ey9_KIi0Q --- ## Analysis Stern Pinball features Helicon Brewing, a Pennsylvania brewery that has grown from 4 pinball machines to 73 machines over 4.5 years, operated by Chris Myers of Starport. The brewery serves as a Stern Army tournament location hosting monthly Strike events and new game launch parties, positioning itself as a hub for competitive and casual pinball play integrated with craft brewing and outdoor recreation. ### Key Claims - [HIGH] Helicon Brewing has grown from 4 pinball machines to 73 machines over approximately 4.5 years — _Chris Brunetti (brewery owner) directly states the machine count progression: 'We started with four pinballs and two arcade games, but very quickly we went to six pinballs, and six became nine, nine became 15, and now I believe we're up to 73.'_ - [HIGH] Helicon Brewing is a Stern Army location hosting monthly Strike tournaments on the third Sunday — _Chris Brunetti: 'Helicon Brewing is a Stern Army location, so we have monthly Strike tournaments or knockout tournaments on the third Sunday of every month.'_ - [HIGH] Helicon Brewing was the first location in Pittsburgh to have Iron Maiden pinball — _Chris Brunetti: 'We had a launch party, and so many people showed up to play the game. We were the first people to have it in Pittsburgh.'_ - [MEDIUM] Pittsburgh is notable for having 'a lot of the top players in the world' — _Chris Brunetti: 'Pittsburgh, I think, is pretty famous for having a lot of the top players in the world.'_ - [HIGH] Stern operates pinball machines in 41 breweries, with Helicon Brewing as the only location with open design showing brewing operations — _Chris Myers (Starport operator): 'We operate games in 41 breweries, and this is the only one that is set up just like this. The open design was important to have a good experience of coming to a brewery and being able to see the tanks.'_ ### Notable Quotes > "We started with four pinballs and two arcade games, but very quickly we went to six pinballs, and six became nine, nine became 15, and now I believe we're up to 73." > — **Chris Brunetti (Helicon Brewing owner)**, early content > _Demonstrates rapid growth of pinball operations at a single venue driven by customer demand and operator expertise._ > "Helicon Brewing is a Stern Army location, so we have monthly Strike tournaments or knockout tournaments on the third Sunday of every month." > — **Chris Brunetti**, mid content > _Confirms venue's formal integration into Stern's tournament infrastructure and consistent competitive play schedule._ > "Pittsburgh, I think, is pretty famous for having a lot of the top players in the world." > — **Chris Brunetti**, late content > _Positions Pittsburgh as a major competitive pinball hub, aligning with broader community knowledge of Pittsburgh's tournament scene._ > "We operate games in 41 breweries, and this is the only one that is set up just like this." > — **Chris Myers (Starport operator)**, mid content > _Indicates scale of Stern's brewery partnerships and unique positioning of Helicon as flagship brewery venue._ > "I don't even know how many games we've had cycle through here, but it's in the hundreds, so I've been told." > — **Chris Brunetti**, late content > _Suggests extensive machine rotation and operator flexibility in venue management._ ### Entities | Name | Type | Context | |------|------|---------| | Helicon Brewing | organization | Craft brewery in Oakdale, Pennsylvania (formerly Mount Helicon land grant, 1792) that has become a major pinball venue with 73 machines, Stern Army tournament location hosting monthly Strike events. | | Chris Brunetti | person | Owner of Helicon Brewing; formerly corporate computer programmer (15 years), homebrewer (15 years); now brewer and brewery owner; pinball enthusiast and collector. | | Chris Myers | person | Pinball operator from Starport who manages all pinball machines at Helicon Brewing; handles machine maintenance and rotation across 41 brewery locations. | | Starport | organization | Pinball operations company owned/operated by Chris Myers; manages pinball machines across 41 brewery locations including Helicon Brewing; handles maintenance and game rotation. | | Pittsburgh | location | Geographic hub known for competitive pinball play with 'a lot of the top players in the world'; location of Helicon Brewing and Stern Army tournaments. | | Stern Pinball | company | Manufacturer hosting this content; operates Stern Army tournament infrastructure; places machines at Helicon Brewing; hosts launch parties for new releases. | | Stern Army | organization | Stern Pinball's tournament network; Helicon Brewing is a Stern Army location hosting monthly Strike tournaments on the third Sunday of each month. | | Iron Maiden | product | Stern Pinball title launched at Helicon Brewing; first location in Pittsburgh to have the machine; generated significant player interest at launch party. | | Iron Man Pinball | product | Pinball machine most frequently played by Chris Brunetti at Helicon Brewing; machine he requested operator preserve in rotation. | | Stern Star Wars | product | Stern Pinball title; second most-played machine by Chris Brunetti at Helicon Brewing; prioritized for preservation in rotation. | ### Topics - **Primary:** Pinball venue operations and growth strategy, Brewery + pinball business model integration, Stern Army tournament infrastructure - **Secondary:** Pittsburgh competitive pinball scene, Operator relationships and machine rotation, New game launch parties and community engagement ### Sentiment **Positive** (0.92) — Content is promotional and celebratory. Both Chris Brunetti and Chris Myers express genuine enthusiasm about the pinball operation, venue growth, community integration, and business model success. Tone is professional but warm, highlighting operational excellence and community cohesion. ### Signals - **[business_signal]** Stern/Starport operating 41 brewery locations with pinball machines, positioning breweries as significant commercial channel for pinball placement and growth. (confidence: high) — Chris Myers: 'We operate games in 41 breweries, and this is the only one that is set up just like this.' Helicon's 73-machine scale demonstrates viability of brewery venue model. - **[community_signal]** Helicon Brewing demonstrates multi-generational pinball appeal with casual players, families, and competitive tournament players coexisting in integrated venue space. (confidence: high) — Chris Brunetti: 'You see all ages walk in here. You see dads teaching their daughters how to play pinball, and then you see the hardcore player, the tournament player, practicing for a tournament on the newest games we have here.' - **[event_signal]** Helicon Brewing hosts monthly Stern Army Strike tournaments and new game launch parties, functioning as formal Stern tournament venue and community gathering point. (confidence: high) — Chris Brunetti: 'Helicon Brewing is a Stern Army location, so we have monthly Strike tournaments or knockout tournaments on the third Sunday of every month. We also host a launch party for each new Stern Pinball that comes out.' - **[community_signal]** Pittsburgh confirmed as significant competitive pinball hub with 'a lot of the top players in the world,' supporting strong Stern Army tournament presence at Helicon Brewing. (confidence: high) — Chris Brunetti: 'Pittsburgh, I think, is pretty famous for having a lot of the top players in the world.' Helicon hosting monthly Stern Army Strike tournaments confirms infrastructure. - **[venue_signal]** Brewery-pinball venue model creates integrated experience combining recreational gaming with craft beverage consumption and food service, differentiating from traditional arcade or bar models. (confidence: high) — Chris Myers: 'The open design was important to have a good experience of coming to a brewery and being able to see the tanks.' Chris Brunetti describes mesh between brewing operations and pinball play as 'you don't see other places.' --- ## Transcript welcome to helicon brewing i was a computer programmer for about 15 years i wanted to get out of corporate america and start a small business and i had been a home brewer for about 15 years at that point so i said uh maybe i'll build a brewery it was a very popular thing to do in uh the 2010s so i basically make the beer i like to drink you know as a home brewer i focused on german lagers and american ales at least half of our beer sales are our american ipa so that could be considered a flagship beer there's also a german lager style called helles it's a nice easy drinking lager beer that people really seem to enjoy so the name helicon brewing comes from the original name of the land the borough of oakdale incorporated in 1882 but in 1792 the very first time the commonwealth of pa gave a land grant the name on the deed was mount helicon helicon brewing is known for mount helicon that's behind us there's a the panhandle trail right here we get a ton of bike riders coming off the trail to have a drink and check out a food truck that we got on the weekends you're like right outside in nature here you look at what i'm looking at right now it's majestic pelicon brewing will be open for six years this november we've had the pinballs for about four and a half of those years i'm a brewer and not a pinball operator my pinball operator is chris myers from starport and he's the guy that makes this all happen when chris approached me about pinballs i was very excited because that is quite different uh than a television bar we started with four pinballs and two arcade games but very quickly we went to six pinballs and six became nine nine became 15 and now i believe we're up to 73. a mutual friend of mine had put me in touch with chris brunetti who owns the brewery they launched iron maiden around that time we had a launch party and so many people showed up to play the game were the first people to have it in pittsburgh and he's seen kind of the cohesion between his regular customers that love the games and new people coming in so it was really a great match all of a sudden be able to have pinballs here and play them was quite fantastic so i never played them in my childhood or my youth but now that i have a business and a few extra dollars in my pocket uh i've enjoyed it quite immensely over the last four years where the games are placed it kind of like gives you an opportunity to see what's going on while you're playing i'm like watching the brewer do his thing and then whenever the game's over i'll go over and ask a question it's a really nice mesh that you don't see other places we operate games in 41 breweries and this is the only one that is set up just like this the open design was important to have a good experience of coming to a brewery and being able to see the tanks i spend a lot of time here just showing people around so chris buys all the games uh he also has quite an extensive collection that he's had for many many years if not decades you know i don't even know uh how many games we've had cycle through here but it's in the hundreds so i've been told that i may be the largest pinball collector in the world i don't know that it doesn't really mean much to me i just like to keep it rolling but rush crested us over 1 600 pinball machines within our grasp so it's a huge collection but it's just been gained and we've added to it over 21 years he handles all the maintenance it works out well for me i don't have to do much except sell some beer and enjoy the games i play iron man pinball the most and second most is the uh stern star wars so chris is free to rotate any games out he wants just please not those two in a site like this we're lucky to have someone like chris brunetti who who owns the brewery but is an enthusiast i would say the majority of our players are regular customers that just are here to drink beer or to eat at the food truck and the pinballs are here so they give it a shot but pittsburgh i think is pretty famous for having a lot of the top players in the world helicon brewing is a stern army location so we have monthly strike tournaments or knockout tournaments on the third sunday of every month we also host a launch party for each new stern pinball that comes out so it's kind of cool to get the games first it's really great too that like John Youssi all ages walk in here John Youssi dad's teaching their daughters how to play pinball and and then John Youssi the the hardcore player the tournament player practicing for a tournament on the newest games we have here so i mean i think it's just incredible so i think most people perceive helicon as a fun relaxing but professional and quality space so we want to have good beers we want to help knowledgeable staff and we want we want to do everything well including goodwill _(Acquisition: youtube_auto_sub, Enrichment: v1)_ --- *Exported from Journalist Tool on 2026-04-13 | Item ID: 6a050412-c73d-4814-98be-8b756df83b7f*