A century later, a brewery is brewing in Greene
Greene County had been without a brewery for 114 years – since Waynesburg Brewing made its last call in 1911.
That is no longer the case, following the Oct. 25 opening of DilliGAF Brewing in Dilliner, where beer is flowing as freely as the nearby waters of the Monongahela River.
Spouses Dave and Cheryl Browne, the owners, hopped to it and created a brewery and bar that ended a century-plus drought of locally produced brew.
Their marriage has resulted in a perfect marriage of professional aspirations. “I always wanted to own a bar,” Cheryl said. “When Dave and I met in 2015, he wanted to own a brewery. Together, we made DilliGAF.”
The couple repurposed a 32-year-old building at 940 Bald Hill Church Road, which previously housed Bobtown Market. “I saw this for sale and took the jump,” Dave said.
Transforming the interior was a formidable task, though. “We had to put in a handicapped ramp, an extra door, two bathrooms, new plumbing and had to build a bar,” Dave said Wednesday, during a telephone interview with the couple.
The foot rail at the bar was a train rail manufactured in 1926. The rail had been on a bridge at the bottom of the hill below the brewery, near a mine. “We want to pay homage to the town,” said Dave, who took a brewing course early in the process.
He also saluted a worker who carried the rail into the brewery, after the man was cut on a hand that required three stitches.
Now Cheryl and Dave, who reside two miles from the brewery, are business owners for the first time.
They opened on a warm day, about a week before Halloween, and received a warm reception. “It was 65 degrees and people enjoyed sitting outside,” Dave said.
The Brownes have had several events since opening, including a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 6. The Greene County Chamber of Commerce participated in that ceremonial event, which featured speakers Eric Cowden of state Sen. Camera Bartolotta’s office, and county commissioners Jared Edgreen (chair), Betsy McClure and Blair Zimmerman, and community member Laura Sarapa.
On Veterans Day, DilliGAF saluted veterans for free. Ten vets were on hand.
The brewery does not yet serve food, but has had food trucks on site three times. “Once we get to spring, we’ll have more food trucks,” Dave said. “Eventually, we’ll serve food.”
The Brownes have five of their own beers on tap, and will have a sixth around Christmas.
“We’re trying to make it so all eight of our taps are providing our beers and have cans for a backup plan,” Cheryl said.
DilliGAF also offers cocktails, mocktails and a selection of wines. Dave said his wife is an outstanding mixologist. “She is a rock star behind the bar,” he said.
Cheryl, who grew up in the Carrick neighborhood in Pittsburgh, has had a lot of practice. She started to tend bar at a young age and continued to do so there for 27 years. “Then I moved and have tended bar here as well.”
Dave likewise was raised in Allegheny County, in White Oak. He was involved with bridge inspection for 30 years before retiring in 2024. All along, he continued to harbor that dream of owning a brewery.
Both of the Brownes have a sense of humor, which is reflected in the names of the fermenters inside their establishment. They are named after the traditional Three Stooges – Curly, Larry and Moe.
The Brownes did not forget Shemp, the lesser-acclaimed fourth Stooge. “Our Brite Tank is Shemp,” Dave said of the device that clarifies beer and brightens it. “We could have called them FV 1 or 2 or 3,” but he and Cheryl thought those were dull designations.
They are planning to develop a courtyard on one side of the brewery, which, during warmer weather, could accommodate cornhole games, a firepit, lights and perhaps other activities. Dave describes this as “a work in progress.”
Cheryl and Dave pointed out that ample parking is available nearby, and that the Mt. Morris exit along Interstate 79 is a mere six miles from their location.
They are pleased with where they are with the brewery and bar and are optimistic about what may be ahead – for them and the local area.
“The overall response is that people are happy about the brewery,” Dave said. “Bobtown needed this.”