Two Frays Brewery, the dream of owners Jen and Mike Onofray, has been a long time coming to fruition. The couple purchased the historic Star Soap building at 5113 Penn Avenue in Pittsburgh’s Garfield neighborhood in late 2019, with the intention of opening a neighborhood brewery and taproom in 2020, but the Covid-19 pandemic had other plans. Now, just over one year after the onset of restrictions and mitigation efforts that have had industry-wide ramifications, Two Frays Brewery is preparing to open their doors this May.
Mike, who is also the head brewer, plans to brew a diverse selection of styles at Two Frays. “Our goals are simple,” says Onofray, when referring to the philosophy behind his beer. “We want to be inviting and brew beer for all of our neighbors’ tastes. We designed our brewery and taproom space with this in mind: be able to offer a spectrum of beers and beverages in order to bring enjoyment to anyone who walks through our doors.”
Their initial offerings will include a Kölsch, Porter, Pale Ale, and two IPAs, which will be available in cans for off-premise consumption beginning Friday, May 28th. The taproom is scheduled to open for in-person service in mid-June and will feature Two Frays Brewery beer as well as a selection of other Pittsburgh-area craft products. There won’t be a kitchen onsite, but guests will be encouraged to order from the surrounding local restaurants and enjoy a meal with their beers either inside the taproom or in their adjacent, dog-friendly patio.
“We’re really excited to be in Garfield,” says Taproom Manager, Andrew Miskowiec. “There’s a beautiful, vibrant business and residential community here and we want to add to that and be supportive of it in any way that we can. The owners’ dedication to being good neighbors and members of this community is the biggest thing that attracted me to Two Frays.”
The brewery, whose motto is “Something For Everyone,” hopes to provide a neighborhood hang out spot where craft beer aficionados can rub elbows with folks newly discovering the trend. Seltzers, non-alcoholic beers, and other beverages could all be making an appearance on draft at Two Frays Brewery in addition to a lineup of craft beers, but the most important thing bubbling up at Pittsburgh’s newest craft brewery is community.
