Wye Beer Company will be opening on January 29th, 2024 in Trafford PA.
Located just Southeast of Pittsburgh, the new brewery will be opening at 3 Forbes Road in Trafford, PA.
We recently spoke with co-owner Chris Juricich to learn more about the new brewery, and what beer fans can expect when they open. Below is our conversation.
We first asked, what’s in the name “Wye Beer Co”? Chris explained that they’re named after the location. About 125 years ago the space was the Blackburn WYE, a train junction. Trains would come from Pittsburgh to Trafford, and use that WYE to return back to Pittsburgh.
BIPA: What stage are you currently in?
Chris: We are ready to open! Our soft opening is January 24th and we open to the public on Monday, January 29th. We will be open 6 days a week, Monday, Weds and Thurs 4-9PM, Friday/Sat 12-10PM, and Sun 12-8PM.
BIPA: How did you become initially interested in craft beer? Who is involved in the brewery?
Chris: There are a few of us involved in the brewery, myself and my two brothers – Mike and Nick.
We have been in the restaurant business for a long time, and are fourth-generation restauranteurs. We own Ginny’s, a local pizza joint and restaurant, and have been raised in the bar and food scene. We had a space we were renting and it became available for lease.
Having been a craft beer fan for so long, we wanted to get into the brewery scene and felt like this was the perfect opportunity. The building is on a busy corner next to a bike trail and is about 15 minutes from our restaurant Ginny’s.
For brewing, I took two different brewing programs: Point Park University Brewing Science 1 & 2, and also Cornell’s Brewing Science Program. Our head brewer is known well in the Pittsburgh area, Todd Bowers. Todd brewed at Penn Brewery, Hop Farm, and most recently was at Brew Gentlemen. He has also brewed in the Pacific Northwest at Groundbreaker Brewing.
BIPA: What styles of beers will you focus on?
Chris: We want to have a nice variety at all times so that there is something for everyone who comes in. We will eventually hit almost all styles. Our opening 10 beer lineup is as follows: American IPA, Amber Ale, Blonde, Berry Sour, New England IPA, Imperial New England IPA, Pale Ale, Witbier, Oatmeal Stout, and Mocha Milk Stout on Nitro
BIPA: Can you describe the space you are opening?
Chris: Our building is 5,000 sq/ft, with about 1,000 sq/ft used for beer production. The space used to be occupied by Telephonix, a telecommunications company. It was all office space and cubicles, so we did a complete demo and built it up.
We have the main dining room with space for about 50 people, another room that can be used as a private event space for 25 people, and an outside patio area that seats about 25. Our bar can seat about 20.
We will be operating a 10 BBL brewhouse feeding 16 taps at the bar. 10 will be filled right away for opening day and over the next 3-4 weeks fill out the final 6.
Besides our beer, everything at the bar will be canned right now. We will offer canned wine (Chardonnay, Rose), canned cider from Threadbare, and some canned cocktails.
BIPA: Will you release crowlers/cans there as well?
Chris: Yes, we will be canning on-site right away, and we will have 4 packs of 16oz cans to go. No crowlers, just cans.
BIPA: Will there be food offered?
Chris: Yes we will have a full kitchen onsite ready to go. The main items are flatbreads which are on a traditional Italian flatbread pizza crust, and we will have about 6 rotating varieties. The menu will also have a selection of sharables – loaded chicken tortilla chips, bavarian pretzels, wings, and a charcuterie board.
BIPA: Anything else our readers should know about the WYE Brewery?
Chris: We also have 12 Pinball machines and a couple of standup vintage arcade games in the taproom as well. We’ll be hosting our own pinball nights and pinball leagues, and when it’s nice out we will have live music outside on the patio.
We are also located directly on the Westmoreland Heritage Trail, a popular bike and walking trail.
Make sure to follow Wye Beer Company on Facebook and Instagram, and stay tuned for more information on the latest brewery to come to Western PA.
