Then we had an idea to share our hobby with others. Why not, right? People are enjoying craft beers at a rate never seen before, and someone is bound to open some sort of brew pub in the area eventually. Sure, there are plenty of local watering holes, but none have the vibe, the family-friendly atmosphere, or the overall ambiance that exists in the brew pub scene in the larger cities. But the real
story begins around twenty years ago when I brewed my first batch of ale in the basement of our house. The kids wondered why the house smelled so weird. The wife proclaimed the typical guidelines of "you make a mess, you clean it up". Now, anyone who has brewed at home knows that these are both fair and reasonable reactions. And like most first batches of beer, it didn't turn out all that bad. Let's be honest...this wasn't a ground-breaking concoction. However, it was enough to make me understand that there was something special about the art, and science, of brewing. It wasn't long before I started scavenging parts for building my first basement brewery. And it wasn't long before my wife set forth the anticipated guidelines of "don't do anything that's going to blow the house up". Again, this was a fair and reasonable reaction. Fast forward to 2015. I stumbled across a large, institutional kitchen kettle for an intriguing price on eBay. Due to my online auction addiction, I put a ridiculously low bid on the item figuring that, if anything, the scrap value alone would make this a lucrative transaction. But I never really expected to win the item. A couple of weeks later when we damn near killed ourselves lowering this thing down the basement steps using less-than-substantial tools and safety measures, I received the fair and reasonable question from a certain someone of "what are you going to do with this thing?" To be quite honest, I hadn't thought that far in advance and could offer no good response. But it didn't take long until I once again started scavenging parts. It was time to scale up the brewery. Fast forward to one year later. The basement had now become overrun with kettles, fermenters, and other random, hand-crafted equipment making it challenging to navigate at times without stubbing a toe on something made of stainless steel. I had fabricated an exhaust hood to effectively control the steam and natural gas fumes that the Boil Kettle produced. I had woven an elegant web of heavy gage extension cords and hoses that provided power and water to the controllers, pumps, and heating elements of the Hot Liquor Tank and the Mash Tun. Bordering on the edge of ridiculousness, it was at this time that I expected another fair and reasonable critique of the electro-mechanical sculpture that I had erected. But this time would be different. Now, I'm not saying that there wasn't some eye-rolling and muttering regarding my full-blown occupancy of the basement, but eventually the ice broke. I started casually dropping hints of the possibility of how we should maybe consider the likelihood that a brewery could open up in the area and how just maybe we could be the ones to do it. Much to my surprise, the idea was not shut down. Instead, I received an "I think we should do it". And so our search for a building began. Fast forward to 2017. After months of frustration and concern that we may never find the right building for our endeavor , we finally stumbled across the perfect spot (or perhaps it stumbled across us) in a 100+ year old building located in the Ford City Business District. It's cozy, charming, and full of aesthetic potential. From the turn of the century twelve-foot tin ceilings and hanging globe lights that were eloquently hiding above the late-70's drop ceiling, to the perfectly worn wooden slat floor and its collection of unique scars from decades of foot traffic, we simply couldn't say no to the opportunity of joining the ranks of those small businesses who once sold their wares within the confines of that space. And oh the stories that I'm certain those walls could tell. With any luck, those same walls will someday tell our story as well. In the meantime, it's time to stop wasting time typing and start spending time bringing this venture to life. We will keep you posted as we hit major milestones in this journey and creep ever closer to opening the doors to the public. We appreciate your patience and hope to have a beer with you soon...Cheers!
Price Range: $$
