Acrospire Brewing will let the ale and stout flow starting Saturday in Shaler
Acrospire Brewing Co. is a baby. Not only is it just coming into the world this Saturday, but it’s also tiny and, well, cute.
The brewery, just off Route 8 in Shaler, is the baby of three guys who embarked on its creation more than two years ago. They built the two-level, 800-square-foot space inside a vast warehouse also occupied by Kellner Stair and Rail, which is owned by partner Ron D’Alessandro, who lives in Morningside. He’ll tell you the trio started out as a bunch of choir boys.
That is, Mr. D’Alessandro sang in the choir at nearby Bethlehem Lutheran Church. He “twisted the arm” of Fox Chapel’s Greg Long into joining the choir and was glad he did, because Mr. Long brought to the choir socials his homebrewed beer. It was really good. So agreed fellow church member Eric Truscott of Shaler, who had a little homebrewing experience, too. He told Mr. Long he was all-in if he wanted to go pro. Mr. D’Alessandro told them that he had a building.
And the rest starts from 2 to 10 p.m. Saturday, when they open the steel door — look for the logo on it — to the public. They’re only offering tastes and growlers to go — no beers to drink there, no food. Customers will walk in and pretty much be standing at the four taps, where the guys dispense the beer from behind a counter Mr. D’Alessandro crafted from what once was a bowling alley. Right behind them is the brewhouse.
They know it’s tight in there and different, but as Mr. Truscott, an account manager, said more than a year ago, the simple setup also “allows us options for growth.”
Mr. D’Alessandro says, “I call it the incubator.”
The name acrospire, which Mr. Long hatched, is the term for “the plumule or shoot of a grain of barley or other cereal used in malting.”
Mr. Long is, appropriately, a chemist who has been brewing since he was an undergraduate at Penn State University. He has made and can make, on their new 1½-barrel system, just about everything, but says, “I’m a little more interested in traditional styles and tastes . ... I don’t want to jump on the bandwagon” of the next trend or gimmick.
They’ll start out with amber ale (5.8% alcohol by volume), oatmeal stout (6.1% ABV), Serendipity IPA (7.2% ABV) and a first-timebrewed oat honey ale (6.1% ABV) that was the surprise hit of this past Saturday’s soft opening for family and friends. Fills are starting out at $15 for 64 ounces; their growlers sell for $5 in amber glass and $40 for insulated stainless steel.
They’ll find their niche, but Mr. D’Alessandro, a relatively recent convert to craft beer, says they’re going to make a name for themselves on quality. “It’s really good beer!”
The address is 1650 Butler Plank Road, Shaler (15116).
It’ll be open only on Saturday afternoons to start, but hours will ramp up, as will their activity on social media. They’re looking forward to Acrospire growing up and joining the Pittsburgh Brewers Guild and other aspects of the local and regional beer scene.
But for now, baby steps.
For more information, visit www.acrospirebrewingco.com.
Explore the region’s breweries on the Post-Gazette’s interactive drinks map at: https://newsinteractive.post-gazette.com/drink-map.