Back in August 2021, we brought you the news that Lolev Beer would be opening in 2022, at 5247 Butler Street in Pittsburgh.
They have been working very hard on the construction of the space all year, and the time has come for the brewery to have its Grand Opening! The brewery officially opens its new brewery on Friday, December 2nd, in the Lawrenceville neighborhood of Pittsburgh.
To get a full understanding of what guests can expect, we sat down with co-owner Ted Slesinski back in August 2021 to profile the future space. You can read part of that conversation below.
BIPA: How did you become initially interested in craft beer?
Ted: My brother Scott and I have been homebrewing for years, we have made almost every style of beer that exists. That being said, we have been inspired by breweries that have carefully curated and iterated their offerings to make beer more interesting and approachable and this has shaped the way we brew beer.
BIPA: Who will be brewing at Lolev?
Ted: Scott and Derek Gonano are responsible for day-to-day wort production and cellaring activities at Lolev. Scott was most recently at Braeloch Brewing in Kennett Square, PA, and will be joined by Andrew Walker, most recently from Barrier Brewing Co as production manager.
See inside Lolev Brewing below. (Pictures courtesy of Lolev Brewing.)
BIPA: Can you describe the building and the space you are opening?
Ted: The 7,500 sq/ft building spent most of its life as a Ford Dealership and has also existed as a daycare, beer distributor, mechanic, and gym.
We have a cozy 100-seat taproom featuring beautiful concrete countertops, super comfortable seating, and a 30-foot banquette, we have a huge art collection and a plush lounge seating area. Much of the brewery and taproom are funked out with colored accent lighting, it’s a great space to hang out and enjoy beer, food, and art.
The brewery consists of a 20bbl steam brewhouse with 6 20bbl fermenters and 6 20bbl serving tanks. We also have 6 oak foeders and are in the process of barrel selection for our aged-beer program.
BIPA: What styles of beers will you focus on?
Ted: We will focus less on “styles of beer” and more on the representation of styles to make them distinctive and interesting. We hope to offer selections of beer from every style that we can do justice for, as long as we are able to make it our own.
That being said, we have some awesome New England IPAs, some interesting lagered beer, a couple roasty ones like an Imperial Stout and a Baltic Porter, and working on some more funky stuff with mixed cultures.
BIPA: Will you release crowlers/cans there as well?
Ted: We are definitely planning to package beer and will be offering different styles in can and bottle format.
BIPA: Will there be food offered?
Ted: We are working with local food trucks and catering popups to have a rotating food offering at the taproom, currently we have Stuntpig and Haskel’s Delicatessen on our schedule regularly through 2023.
Make sure to give Lolev Beer a follow on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with all the latest beers and news!
