Welcome to our “Meet The Brewer” series! Where we interview brewers in Pennsylvania, from breweries small to large. Let us know if you know anyone who should be featured, email us at info@breweriesinpa.com.

Lincoln Avenue Brewery opened in July 2019 in Bellevue, PA. They are Bellevue’s first brewery and make beer on 2 barrel brewhouse, with 12 taps at the bar. Grant Saylor is the owner and head brewer at Lincoln Avenue Brewery. Read more to find out his introduction to beer, where he sees the craft beer industry heading, and more!

What was your introduction to craft beer?

Started out like most Pittsburghers, drinking iron city and whatever cheap beer we could find. The first “craft” beer for me would have been probably Sam Adams. I followed the wave throughout the 90s with places like Sierra Nevada, Stone, Dogfish Head, and Magic Hat standing out as putting out some pretty crazy and different beers.

How did you get started as a brewer?

I was always in the food business – much of the time as a chef or kitchen manager and later in multi-unit management. I decided that I wanted to give brewing a try 15 years ago or so and my wife bought me a kit. I did maybe 2 pre-made kits before I jumped in and went all-grain. From there I kept expanding my equipment and started to design my own recipes and profiles.

What style allows you to be the most creative, and why?

I am partial to big West Coast IPAs. I love to play around with different hop combinations to create big bold dank IPAs that have a noticeable piney note and finish clean. Just recently started making Goses and have been having a blast creating different varieties. The other style I’m partial to and love to experiment with, are lagers and pilsners.

What was the first beer you ever brewed, and what did you learn from it?

The first beer I ever brewed was a Dry Irish Stout – one thing I learned from it was that I didn’t want to continue to do kits and that I wanted to do all-grain. It was a 5-gallon batch and it had about 12 ounces of “specialty” grains that I soaked in water for 30-45 minutes and then added a couple of cans of syrupy goo and some hops. I did it on the kitchen stove which taught me the biggest lesson of all – MY WIFE HATED THE SMELL OF BREWING BEER!

Where do you see the craft beer industry heading in the next few years?

I see the craft beer industry continuing to chip away at big beer market share. I think we are still in the infancy of craft beer. As people continue to innovate I think that more and more people will find themselves in the craft beer arena. Craft beer has become a social event and carries with it a social conscience. People are supporting local, recycling, sharing, collaborating, connecting, and generally making the world a better place through craft beer. I don’t see that going anywhere.

Describe what it’s like to be a brewer in Pennsylvania.

It is amazing. I have not run into a brewer/brewery that was not supportive. I’ve lent to and borrowed from many breweries. Everyone is there to support each other. By helping each other out – “all boats rise”, and the craft beer scene is a force to be reckoned with. Groups like Brewers of PA, the Pittsburgh Brewers Guild, and the Brewers Association all advocate for craft beer at a local, state, and federal level.

What is the inspiration behind your beer names?

It’s all over the place – the best one is 511 which is my most popular beer – it’s a 6.2% Hazy NEIPA. My oldest daughter and son-in-law have loved that beer for quite a while. They wanted to serve it at their wedding on May 11, 2019. I told them they had to come to brew it with me. We brewed 10 gallons of it on my back porch and my daughter dubbed it “Hoppily Ever After” for the wedding. At that time it didn’t have a name and she wanted me to keep it that when the brewery opened. My response was a strong “HELL NO” and we settled on 511 for the date. Other names come from various references to either Bellevue, prohibition which Bellevue was in until 2015, or other things of interest. I actually named a beer after a customer who loved a new beer I made.

What is your favorite beer to drink right now?

I’m on a Lager / Pilsner kick right now – low ABV easy drinking. I have coming out in the upcoming weeks a Mexican Lager as well as a Bohemian Pilsner.

What is the most important lesson you learned in the beer industry so far?

Don’t serve bad beer! It really hurts to dump a beer down the drain, but it doesn’t hurt as bad as having a customer get a bad beer, and think that is what you make. I have also learned that you can’t be everything to everybody. Sometimes you aren’t going to have a beer that a person is looking for. It’s OK. It’s OK to be out of a beer or to be down a beer or two in your rotation. Its Craft Beer. Some people brew on small systems. We’re all out here doing the best we can to get great beer into your hands.

Thank you to Grant for talking with us! Make sure you visit Lincoln Avenue Brewery for all the latest beers, news, information, and special events. And also follow Lincoln Avenue on Facebook and Instagram.