Opening in what was previously the Blawnox Post Office will be the future home of Old Thunder Brewing at 340 Freeport Road in Pittsburgh; a project that has been years in the making.
We recently spoke with one of the individuals behind the project, Rob Dillman (who is also joined in the venture by Zach Gordon and Josh Taylor) on what locals can come to expect once the brewery is operational.
While Old Thunder may be the first time the trio has ventured into craft brewery ownership, they are not new to this industry by any means. Gordon and Dillman worked together at Braddock, PA’s very own Brew Gentlemen. Taylor had originally met the duo during their time at the brewery.
As you’ll see below, the story behind the brewery involves not only each of the trio’s journies but some left-behinds discovered in the brewery. See part of their story from their blog;
“When we created Old Thunder, we were influenced by our three different journeys and the force that was generated when those paths united. Our name draws inspiration from stories and characters, music, old recipes and past lives. The day we moved into 340 Freeport Road, we found a dusty old sledgehammer behind a stack of books in the basement closet and it became a symbol for the thing we were trying to build (we named this hammer Old Thunder, and we later named its counterpart, a crowbar, Old Lightning).”
The Pittsburgh area brewery will be housed in a 3,000-square-foot space with a 15-barrel brewhouse; which will include four 15-barrel fermenters as well. Unlike many other breweries we have profiled in the past, Old Thunder will waste no time getting their product in cans. In fact, it was confirmed with us that a bulk of the beers produced will go right to cans thanks to the brewery’s in-house canning line. Something that takes most breweries years to get to.
As Rob told us, one of the main goals for Old Thunder is to operate a brewery that is “more efficient while getting more beer out to our audience.” The brewery intends to offer more traditional beers such as lagers and ales, while also producing stronger beers and mixed fermentation recipes. An IPA and a Munich Helles lager will be year-round staples offered at the location.
The robust drink menu will be rounded out with a barrel-aging and saison program that will include foeders, wine barrels and many other offerings. Once open for onsite consumption the brewery will work with local food trucks to provide a complete dining experience for guests to enjoy.
As Rob shared they are targetting this coming Winter for brewery can release sales to begin while they continue construction towards completing the taproom. Cans will be put up for sale on their online portal for customers to reserve for pickup at the brewery ahead of time. Check back for more confirmed details soon.
For more information on Old Thunder Brewing, and to keep up with their eventual can sales, check out their website and also their Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter social media pages.
