There’s more room to roam for customers at Dancing Gnome Brewery with the expansion of a new specialty cocktail bar located a block away from the well-established brewery in Sharpsburg.
925 opened on Oct. 17 in the original Dancing Gnome location at 925 Main St., serving Pennsylvania-produced wines, liquors, Dancing Gnome brews and non-alcoholic mocktails.
Dancing Gnome/925 owner and Lower Burrell native Andrew Witchey closed the original Main Street location in 2021 and opened a 10,000-plus-square-foot new industrial-style taproom complete with outdoor seating in November that same year.
It’s full circle for Witchey as he now offers two different drinking/dining options for his customers.
He drew upon the ever-popular “9 to 5” made famous by Dolly Parton in the film of the same name to create a work-themed spot that’s slightly upscale and casually comfortable at the same time.
“It was time. We had this space and we still brew in the back. It was time to open under a little bit different concept,” Witchey said. “It didn’t make sense to have two brewery taprooms a block apart. And our license allows us to sell anything that’s bottled or produced in Pennsylvania.”
A glowing framed photo of Dolly sits behind the bar, revamped to provide more seating and handled expertly by bartender JJ Rosemeyer of Lawrenceville.
“We’re making it more of a cocktail-forward concept,” Witchey said. “Dancing Gnome has been around nine years, and we have a decent following.”
Brett Herron of Morgantown, W.Va., handles brew operations. He said the space harkens back to the coziness of the original Dancing Gnome.
“This is new and different for us and we’re hoping to bridge the gap between the two spaces,” Herron said. “This space for me is like a grown-up tree house of things I enjoyed as a kid.”
Rosemeyer brings a decade of mixology to 925.
“I hope people come out for cocktails that are reasonably priced. We try to keep a casual vibe that is friendly and welcoming,” Rosemeyer said. “We’re also open later than most breweries and that is unique for this part of town.”
The 925 cocktail menu names are a playful nod to the corporate work world, with Smokebreak ($11) made with mezcal, smoked lavender, grapefruit, hibiscus, agave and salt.
Other cocktails include the Workhorse ($11), made with rye, ginger, brandy, house amaro, saffron and fernet; and the Paid Holiday ($10), crafted with botanical rum, pineapple, stappi aperitivo and lemon preserves.
925 is for the 21 and older crowd, but families are welcome in the taproom at Dancing Gnome.
Renovations included a total paint job, new wallpaper and art, and revamping the bar to accommodate a wide variety of specialty drinks alongside Dancing Gnome beer.
Witchey always loved beer and began brewing at home. He later attended the American Brewers Guild in Vermont.
“This is a great, fun and casual spot and the price points are great. That was really important to us,” he said.
Resident Dancing Gnome food partner Blue Sparrow, which operates out of a former 1964 Greyhound bus, helped to create a small-bites menu that includes sandwiches and homemade soups.
Food choices include the Cubano sando ($12) made with provolone, mozzarella, lonzetta soppressata parma, and house pickles served with a roasted garlic dijon aioli; a grilled Kim-cheese sando ($9); and the bacon pickle boi sando ($9).
“It’s an elevated grilled-cheese menu. This is more like a snack spot, not a dinner spot — you won’t be hungry,” Witchey said. “Good, shareable foods.”
Blue Sparrow owner/chef Luke Cypher prepares global street food.
“Sandwiches, tacos, burritos, rice bowls, you name it,” said Cypher of Avalon. “We created bar food for 925, but better.”
925 features different food options than what is available at Dancing Gnome, so customers are invited to walk back and forth and mingle between the two spots.
