Join us in congratulating Allegheny City Brewing who is working towards expanding both brewing and taproom operations. The Pittsburgh area brewing company recently announced plans for a new, stand alone taproom and beer garden located just a few steps away from their current facility.
We recently spoke with brewery co-owner Al Grasso to get a better understanding of what this expansion means for the business.
Currently both production and retail operations occur at 507 Foreland Street in Pittsburgh. However Allegheny City is in the process of building a new structure on a plot of land just steps away from their facility. The new space will be a stand alone taproom and beer garden which will convert the original space into 100% beer production. The original location will see the addition of 2 – 3 more fermenting tanks to allow them to increase beer production.
“More tanks will allow us to grow out current distribution footprint. We aren’t looking to expand beyond our current customer base, we just want to be able to support our current distribution partners year round. There are times during the year that we have to say no to certain beer requests because we don’t have the capacity to keep up with demand. This will help fix that” Grasso said about the expanded brewing space.
In addition to keeping up with distribution demand, the increase in brewing size will allow them to feed the new taproom which will see the addition of four more tap lines than currently are being offered. The growth of the space will not only allow for more of their beer but also an expanded drink menu with other brewery guest taps, wine, cocktails, ciders, seltzers and even non alcoholic options.
More beer isn’t the only addition guests can expect in the new taproom. Allegheny City has also made plans to build a kitchen space in the new location. The brewing company does not plan to open with a kitchen immediately, and will still partner with local food trucks. Future plans include partnering with a business owner to offer kitchen service out of the space.
The new stand alone taproom is projected to be 4,800 square feet with half being taproom space and half being an outdoor beer garden. Compare this to the current 600 square feet space now and it is an eight time increase. “We always wanted outdoor space, and we are a bit land locked where we are currently at. This new space will allow us a chance to offer an outdoor space we can be proud of” Grasso said.
The new taproom is described as an indoor/ outdoor space, with an open concept, concrete floors, and a second floor mezzanine built to overlook the city. Nine double wide French glass doors will give it a spacious, outdoor like feeling while still being indoors. The location will be lined with greenery and plants and keep some of the components from the original taproom to complete the look.
Keeping with some of the feel from the original taproom Allegheny City will continue to be dog friendly, even moving their famous “Dog Wall” to the new space (with a special celebration for members with photos up on the wall… more to come on this).
While plans are not confirmed yet, the goal is to offer full day service. Coffee and tea in the morning and a space for telecommuters to work during the day. “We will also be able to start offering the ability to host events that we have not been able to in the past” Grasso went on to say.
In addition to this expansion, the team at Allegheny City has already talked about building a taproom beyond this. While plans are not official Grasso did say the success of this taproom “gives us the opportunity to bring this concept to other parts of the north side.”
As of this writing the brewery only recently just broke ground on the space as they work towards construction. Be sure to follow Allegheny City Brewing on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram to keep up with the latest on when the space expects to open.
