A group of friends have created a lot of beer behind one of their homes. That location inspired a business.

Back Alley Brewing Co. is planned to open in late spring/early summer. It will be the first brewery in Dormont.

Four of the five owners live there and a fifth is close by. Patrick McKinley and his wife, Patricia, collaborated with fellow Dormont residents Jacob Maxwell and Lee Sifford on this venture. Their friend, Cody Hoellerman, is from Pittsburgh’s Brookline neighborhood.

“The back alley is our test kitchen,” said Hoellerman. “That’s where we come up with new recipes. We are doing what we love to do. That is the key. Do what you love.”

Courtesy of Brian Michael Schuler Friends (from front left) Lee Sifford, Cody Hoellerman, Jacob Maxwell and Patrick and Patricia McKinley sit on the steps of their business venture, Back Alley Brewing Co. in Dormont.  

They need some help to do what they love, though.

The group realized there wasn’t a brewery in the area, so this was a perfect location. They started planning for the work that needs to be done and the equipment that needs to be bought.

They applied for money last February and March but no banks would give them a loan.

They found another way to raise some cash. Through Honeycomb Credit, a company founded in Pittsburgh in 2017 through AlphaLab, businesses such as Back Alley can set up a campaign to raise money.

People can give any amount and will be paid back with interest over 60 months. The interest rate is 9.75%.

The goal for Back Alley Brewing is $200,000. As of Tuesday evening, they’ve raised $139,400.

There are 15 days remaining for the fundraiser.

They’ve raised enough to pay their lease on the former Dormont Borough Building. The other money will be used to prepare the space in the back, which at one time housed fire trucks, for brewing beer.

The front area will be transformed into a tap room, based on the coronavirus rules for bars and restaurants, Hoellerman said. They want to have a full kitchen eventually. There are two large rooms upstairs that can be used as private event spaces.

Courtesy of Brian Michael Schuler Cody Hoellerman of Brookline poses inside one of the jail cells at the former Dormont Borough Building which will eventually become the home of Back Alley Brewing Co.  

A vault and a few jail cells add a unique touch.

“Having those is what adds to the charm of the building,” which was built in 1919, Hoellerman said. “It is perfect for what we want. It has high ceilings and lots of natural light. And plenty of room.”

Patrick McKinley said the plan is to have six to 12 ales, lagers and ciders — some on tap for growlers and others canned in six-packs. The number will be determined based on what happens because of the pandemic, Hoellerman said.

He said there is plenty of room inside to socially distance and they hope to use part of the space for live music in a few years.

The brewery will be equipped with its own canning line for the six-packs.

“We have been brewing beer behind my house for a long time,” said Patrick McKinley. “So this will be nice to have a dedicated space to brew.”

He and Sifford met in college and brewed beer there. The engineering majors also started the first Triangle fraternity at Penn State Behrend.

The owners found out about Honeycomb when Lee, a musician, posted on Facebook that he was looking for a drummer. A drummer named Chip Homer saw the post and contacted Lee. The two started talking and collaborating on music.

Lee told Homer about the brewery and the need for startup money. Homer, as it happens, is director of growth for Honeycomb, and he pitched its services.

Honeycomb makes money on what’s called a success fee, a percentage of the deal. The money is repaid to investors quarterly.

“So I connected them with the right people,” Homer said. “They were a really good fit for Honeycomb and their campaign is doing well.

”They’ve seen through social media that people really want a brewery in Dormont. It’s a walkable neighborhood. And the support is a validation for them. People love that they can walk to grab a beer.”

From the back alley.

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