Brew Gentlemen expanding with outdoor space for summer

Brew Gentlemen is looking to stretch out with an outdoor summer space in time for the local craft brewer’s weeklong fifth anniversary bash starting May 20.

Additionally, the Braddock business plans to renovate its the 28,000-square-foot warehouse behind its Braddock Avenue taproom to create a full-scale production brewhouse and canning operation.

Owners Matt Katase and Asa Foster announced the expansion on the brewery’s blog, saying the next phase is all about the more: more beer, more people, more convenience.

“Through all of these new developments, we’re proud to be able to double down on investing in Braddock,” they wrote in the blog. “We want to be good neighbors, build something special and continue to reinvest in the historic town that’s become our company’s home.”

The outdoor space, called BG Open Air, is being constructed in the courtyard next to the Braddock brewery’s warehouse and will boast a capacity for 150 craft aficionados with shaded seating and an outdoor bar open Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays.

Katase and Foster – who envisioned opening a local brewery while still juniors at Carnegie Mellon University – have tapped into a brewing business.

With 2.9 breweries for every 100,000 adults 21 and older, Pennsylvania’s craft beer industry ranks 19th in the United States, according to the Brewers Association, an trade group based in Boulder, Colo. The state’s 3.7 million barrels of craft beer in 2017 made Pennsylvania No. 1 in production.

Brew Gentlemen first opened its doors at 512 Braddock Ave. in 2014, after an 18-month renovation project to convert an old electrical supply store into a taproom. The duo’s no-gimmick approach to brewing unique blends earned it a spot last year on Thrillist’s best brewery in PA.

For more on Brew Gentlemen and the expansion, click here.