Stop if you’ve heard us say this before, but another brewery in Pennsylvania is expanding! The Pittsburgh craft beer scene continues to grow at a great pace, and joining in that growth is Sly Fox Brewery as they plan to open in the steel city!
The iconic Pennsylvania brand is planning on opening not one but TWO new locations to bring you the delicious Sly Fox craft beer you’ve come to know and love. The first location will be a 6,000 square feet full brewing facility located in the old Terminal Building off of Carson street in the South Side neighborhood. The building dates back to 1907 and was originally conceived as a central point of connection between road, river, and rail transport. The facility was in active use for warehouse and transportation until 1963.
The second location will be at 300 Liberty Ave at the bottom of River Vue apartment complex. This space will be a 1,700 square foot location that will allow Sly Fox to expand their tap room presence while not taking away from the brewery space in the Terminal Building.
We recently sat down with Founder and Managing Partner Pete Giannopoulos, and his son, Director of Sales, Peter Giannopoulos to discuss more details about the expansion and what customers in Pittsburgh can expect out of the expansion.
Below is our discussion with the two:
BIPA: What made you consider Pittsburgh as the next expansion site?
Pete: My close friend from Penn State University lives in Pittsburgh and we have been talking for a while between us about the city, sports teams, and the been scene. Pittsburgh is very similar to Phoenixville (steel towns) and there is a connection there, so it is logical for us to start production there.
Peter: Pittsburgh is an awesome beer market, and there is such a great history of the industry in the city with Penn Brewery and Iron City. People in Pittsburgh appreciate their beer, and we have seen lots of growth in the market and our distribution as well.
BIPA: Can you describe the PA craft beer scene, as well as the Pittsburgh beer scene?
Peter: Philly definitely has a mature and eclectic beer market. Pittsburgh will catch up quickly as it grows. Demographics will grow and the beer market will change, as well as beer choices. There is limited shelf space and tap space now. You see more breweries doing local releases, and not many breweries trying to become regional packaging facilities.
Pete: The greatest portion of the craft beer growth in this state has already occurred. Some breweries will close, but we are right at the bubble.
BIPA: Do you anticipate any changes in Pittsburgh versus being in the Philly area?
Peter: The beer that is brewed in Pittsburgh will be unique to the 2 locations. We will have a few core brands and major releases from them as well. There won’t be any canning right away, but things can change quickly.
Pete: We will use this location to help make pilot brews, if they are well received, you may see those brews renamed and also produced out of the Pottstown on a larger scale. We will have food at each location as well, similar to the menu you see at our Pottstown location currently.
BIPA: What size is the new brew system? How big are each of the two new locations?
BIPA: How many people can fit at each location?
BIPA: Are there plans for events and other live entertainment at these new taprooms?
Both Peter and Pete left us with the following quotes to discuss this expansion:
“What we really love about what we do, is we consider our industry to be a competitive fraternity of like-minded people. Our main focus is on good old American tradition.”
– Pete Giannopoulos, Founder and Managing Partner
“We are excited to ingratiate ourselves in Pittsburgh and the beer community there. The industry is growing and we hope to create more partnerships. Our sales have been up 50% in Western PA since last year. This is one of the major things that led us to expand into Pittsburgh, people are liking the brand.”
– Peter Giannopoulos, Director of Sales at Sly Fox Brewing
