E-Malt.com News article: USA, PA: Spoonwood Brewing Co. launching this week in Pittsburg

Spoonwood Brewing Co., the newest addition to Bethel Park and the Pittsburgh brewery boom is expected to open by the end of this week, according to its Facebook page.

The brewery will offer handcrafted beers and a 15-barrel brewing system.

“We’re excited to have them in Bethel Park,” said Connie Ruhl, executive director of the Bethel Park Chamber of Commerce. “I have met the owners (Grant and Mary Lou Scorsone) and they are very community-oriented.”

The Spoonwood name comes from the Native American name for the Mountain Laurel, the Pennsylvania state flower.

In the last two years, several small breweries have opened in the Greater Pittsburgh area. These include Hitchhiker Brewing Co. on Castle Shannon Boulevard in Mt. Lebanon, The Brew Gentlemen in Braddock, Milkmen Brewing Co. in the Strip District, Grist House Brewing in Millvale, and Hop Farm Brewing Co. and Roundabout Brewery, both in Lawrenceville.

Gary Olden, owner of Hitchhiker Brewing, which opened in May, said he has talked with the Scorsones and has offered his assistance.

“I don’t view them as competition,” Olden said. “I can’t wait to drink their beer.”

According to the Brewers Association, a craft brewery trade association based in Colorado, there are now 108 craft breweries in Pennsylvania, ranking it seventh nationally. Based on 2013 statistics, 1.78 million barrels of craft beer were produced in the state, ranking it second in terms of production.

Grant Scorsone said in a previous interview with The Almanac that the brewery will be able to brew 500 gallons per batch and there will be 10 different types of beer on tap. He also hopes to eventually market Spoonwood beer in kegs to other establishments throughout the area.


28 January, 2015