Fermata Brewing is anticipating opening by the end of this year in December, at 918 Merchant Street in Ambridge. Once they open, they will be 1 of 4 craft breweries in Beaver County, contributing to the growing craft beer scene there.

We spoke with the four owners: Jared Tuk, Chris Bendick, Alan Gore, Rob Smoker, to get more details on their history, their space, and what beer fans can expect from them once they open.

Pictures of the space before construction, courtesy of Fermata Brewing.

Read our Q&A with the brewery below:

BIPA: What stage are you currently in?

Fermata: We already have general (zoning) approval from the borough, just waiting for final approval on final construction drawings. Demo/construction will commence immediately thereafter. We have also ordered our brewhouse and that is scheduled for delivery in October.

BIPA: How did you decide on Fermenta as your name?

Fermata: There was some thought about the direction (music), and it was more a brainstorming session of musical terminology or music-related things. Music is definitely something we’ve come to build our business around, and it became such a great fit and extension of who we are. That followed a series of other names considered, but we all felt that Fermata was the one (it clicked).

There are a few explanations that we determined we liked the name for. First, Fermata is Italian, and is a music concept stating “to hold” or “to stay”. It is also a play on fermentation. We like to say, “just like you have to sustain the musical note, you have to sustain good beer”.

While we are designing the space with music as a theme, and while it will be prominent, the main focus is certainly a welcome, community, and cozy vibe. In thinking about the listening lounge, the idea was to have a cozy space that feels like you are in your friend’s living room, and you just so happen to be listening to their records. We will also have subtle references to our love of music, noticeable through the taproom.

BIPA: Who is all involved in the brewery?

Fermata: There are four of us: Jared Tuk, Chris Bendick, Allen Gore, Rob Smoker.

Allen will be head brewer, he has 20 years of homebrewing experience. Allen and Chris work together, and Jared and Rob grew up together. We all became friends after homebrewing and loving craft beer!

BIPA: What styles of beers will you focus on?

Fermata: Initially we will make a mix of beer to gauge what customers want. We would like to be open and make something for everyone. One thing we would like to do is release a new smoked beer on a quarterly basis, one for every season!

In addition to that, we would le to release a different single hop or hazy beer on a quarterly basis too. We love traditional German beer styles, and also make a traditional English pale ale that we will try to have all the time.

Next to us is Merchant Coffee Company. We have several established recipes that we plan to upscale for the 10-bbl system, and we definitely plan to partner with Merchant Coffee. We plan to be a neighborhood team and develop additional styles of coffee beer that reflect how coffee is prepared and consumed around the world. It will be fun to experiment with the different varieties Merchant offers.

In addition, we will have a barrel program for stouts eventually, and also try to put beers such as Tripels, in white wine barrels.

BIPA: Can you describe the space you are opening?

Fermata: We are opening in a 100-year-old building that was various things in the past, including a car dealer and a duck-pin bowling alley. The space inside is 4,500 sq/ft, and we are in the middle space of the building. We will be next to Merchant Coffee Company (which opened in September 2020) and the landlord is currently looking for a restaurant to fill the other side.

We will have a Rocky Mountain Vessels 10 BBL brewery and feed a bar with 12-16 taps. Since we have a G license, we can sell PA wine, liquor, and spirits and will have a little of each to start.

Our taproom will have around 100 seats and space for a little less than 200 people. We will not have a kitchen and will instead use a food truck rotation. We will also look to partner with local restaurants around town.

The taproom will have a warm and cozy welcoming feel, with a modern design, and separate seating areas. There will be a lounge area with couches, and a listening room in the back with a turntable. We will also have a stage in front of the house, and invite local artists to come to play.

BIPA: Will you release crowlers/cans there as well?

Fermata: At some point, we will get a crowler machine, and also utilize a third party canner., We are also looking to get kegs out to restaurants and taprooms. We will be filling growlers until then.

BIPA: What else should people know about Fermata brewing?

Fermata: We really want to support our local community. We will be highlighting different businesses locally while we get started, as well as after we open. We want to lift up the whole area around us. The back of the brewhouse will be made available, and sectioned off, for hyper-local non-profit organizations to use for free as needed.

There will also be a community tap at the brewery. Our goal is to choose a local non-profit organization and rotate monthly. We will talk with them, and for that tap that month, a portion of the proceeds will go to them. The whole month we will post about the charity and try to bring more eyes to their mission.

Make sure to follow Fermata Brewing on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with their progress, and for any announcements, they may have. We will provide updates when they are available.