Country Hammer Moonshine opens in Bethel Park

A moonshine store is open in Bethel Park.

Country Hammer Moonshine, a business that blends corn alcohol with fruit and other flavorings, opened in the fall of 2015 on Cochrans Mill Road in Jefferson Hills near South Park.

Owner Tim Baureis says he’ll keep that warehouse for productionand wholesale distribution, but he’ll sell his 20 or so flavors — everything from ruby red grapefruit to apple pie — from this new retail space at 5846 Library Road. He says it had been a vape shop and, before that, a sportinggoods store.

In addition to offering tastings and selling various size jars of his hand-blended product, which starts out at 190 proof, or 95 percent alcohol by volume, he’ll be selling adult smoothies to go — 12 ounces for $5. “They’re really good,” he says, “and really potent.”

Mr. Baureis says he’s also signed a lease on a property on Route 30 in Irwin where he will open, in October, a similar store that also will have a small food menu -— with some items made with the moonshine — and serve some mixed drinks as well as some local wine and beer to drink there at a small bar.

The Bethel Park store hours are noon to 7 p.m. Thursday, 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday and 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday. A grand opening will be scheduled soon. Country Hammer also is sold at several area bars as well as farmers markets. The Country Hammer smoothies are also to be sold at remaining home Washington Wild Things baseball games.

The website is countryhammermoonshine.com.