Back Alley Brewing Company has been releasing cans since March 2022, and is finally ready to open its taproom!
The brewery is located at the former Dormont Municipal Building, at 2975 W Liberty Ave, where they have been hard at work transforming the space into a taproom and brewery. The time had come for the brewery to hold its grand opening on March 16th at 4 PM.
We recently spoke with co-owner Cody Hoellerman to learn more about Back Alley Brewing and the new brewery. Below is our conversation!
BIPA: How did you become initially interested in craft beer?
Cody: We started brewing as a hobby back in college and continued to allow that hobby until it became much more than that. There are four owners — Cody Hoellerman, Lee Sifford, Pat McKinley, and Patty McKinley. We’ve known each other since college, or in Cody and Lee’s case, since elementary school. Pat and Patty are married.
BIPA: What styles of beers will you focus on?
Cody: Our goal is to make sure that we have something for everyone – from experimental recipes to classic styles and everything in between. Our flagship beer is an American IPA, Back Alley IPA but some of our other popular styles include Brewed Awakening (Blonde Coffee Stout) Fluffernut (Imperial Butternut Squash Ale) Mountain of Gold (Pittsburgh Style Lager), and Through the Fog (New England IPA)
BIPA: Can you describe the space you are opening?
Cody: The building is a staple in Dormont as it was built in the early 1900s and served as the Dormont Borough Building, at times housing the fire department, police station, and administrative offices.
We want to embrace the history of the building while making some modern upgrades to the look and feel of the space. The taproom has tall arched windows and high ceilings and some quirky elements including a vault and jail cells from its days as the borough building and police station.
We have about 6,000 sq. ft. in the entire building, with the taproom on the first floor occupying about 1,500 sq. ft. of that space. We brew on a 7 BBL brewhouse and we have 12 taps, which will primarily feature our own beers with occasional guest selections from other local breweries as well as ciders, seltzers, and other NA and non-beer options.
Our taproom currently has seating for 100, but we have plans to expand outside and to the second floor in the coming years.
BIPA: Will you release crowlers/cans?
Cody: Not crowlers, but we will have cans – we have actually been selling cans since last April and continue to offer cans to go out of the taproom.
BIPA: Will there be food offered?
Cody: We won’t have a kitchen to start, but will be featuring food trucks and guest food as well as encouraging our customers to bring/order food from other local restaurants.
BIPA: Anything else our readers should know about Back Alley Brewing Company?
Cody: We are a passionate group that loves our community, and are so proud to finally make this dream a reality. We have had a blast hosting and attending various events in and around Dormont over the past year and couldn’t be more excited to open our taproom and serve as a destination for our neighborhood.
Make sure you follow Back Alley Brewing Company on Instagram and Facebook for the latest beers and news!
