Velum Fermentation is now open in Pittsburgh, as the brewery recently announced its grand opening for April 12th, 2023. By opening, Velum brings a return to brewing back to the corner of Mary and 21st Streets in the South Side Flats of Pittsburgh; the former home of Duquesne Brewing.
The new brewery is located at 2120 Jane Street, and is the brainchild of Nate McLaughlin who has an extensive background in the brewing industry. Jenna McLaughlin (Nate’s sister-in-law) also joins the project as General Manager as they both share a passion for all things fermentation. The pair originally started homebrewing together when they lived in Bellingham, Washington.
As we have profiled in the past, Nate’s background in brewing begins with how many of us would dream. In 2010 he quit his job with the goal to pursue a career in craft beer. Originally from Franklin, PA he enrolled in a six-month brewing certificate course at UC Davis and flew off to California to pursue his dream.
He took an internship with Deschutes Brewing (Bend, OR) and was eventually hired full-time at the brewery spending a few years honing his craft. He has spent the past 12 years at a variety of different brewing locations across the country to continue to get to where he is today. Most notably working in Pennsylvania at Victory Beer and more recently being a part of the team that helped launch Pitt Street Brewing in Greenville, NC.
Jenna has earned a certificate in Brewing Technology through the Siebel Institute. She has combined her expertise in biology with an emerging interest in the brewing industry by implementing quality control measures and supporting barrel projects. Her official capacity with the brewery will be responsible for all managerial and operational needs as the General Manager. Consumers should also look forward to the level of brewing quality she will provide to Velum through her professional past.
The brewery will operate off of a 30 barrel brew system. Nate’s background has touched such a wide variety that he would like to brew almost every style imaginable. The plan is for Velum, in addition to a variety of craft beer styles, to also offer non-alcoholic, gluten-free, low ABV, and kombucha options as well.
As for the space, the duo shared that they intend to build a community center, focused on arts and the wide variety of individuals that make up the craft beer scene. The building they will operate within is over 35,000 square feet. They plan to fill the space with arcade games, bocce ball, and more. As Nate informed us, “we want to fill the space with a lot of entertainment. I like to have fun things to do while having a beer, and want my customers to have that as well.” The space intends to be family-friendly, offering a variety of activities beyond just beer.
They do not plan to offer their own food to start. The current goal is to offer food trucks. As Nate shared, “Pittsburgh has an amazing food truck scene, so we are excited to work with as many as possible.”
Keep up with their growth by following them on Instagram and Facebook. And be sure to visit them at 2120 Jane Street.
