Aug 25, 2017 4 min read

The city’s first microbrewery will open its taps to the public Sept. 8, the owners said Friday, adding there’s much to do in the days ahead.

Co-owners John and Angela Burgess confirmed that’s the date Washington Brewing Co. will begin serving beer and a full menu of food at 28 E. Maiden St., the site of a former Studebaker dealership that has been undergoing a major transformation since May.

“It’s going to be pretty busy the next week and a half,” John Burgess said, just after showing the progress of the microbrewery’s second batch of Washington Lager, one of a half-dozen brews that also will include IPAs and a brown ale that will be ready for opening day. Eventually, Burgess said, the taps will be serving as many as 10 to 12 different brews at a time.

Washington Brewing is a partnership between the Burgesses, owners of Washington Winery/A&M Wine and Beer Supplies, and John and Michele DeFede, owners of Upper Crust Italian Bistro.

The 6,500-square-foot first floor includes the working brewery, whose fermenting tanks can be seen from the street through the building’s new two-story windows. John Burgess is head brewer, with help from brewer Brandon Kolljeski.

The building also will include the new location of the Upper Crust restaurant, which the DeFedes are relocating from its current site at 201 S. Main St.

While the microbrewery and restaurant, which also will go by its abbreviation of TWBC, will open Sept. 8 on the main floor with seating for 92, Angela Burgess said the building’s basement space will be open at the end of October to provide additional seating for 50 in “Studebaker’s Lounge,” named in recognition of the building’s origin.

On the Upper Crust Italian Bistro Facebook page, the restaurant recently posted the message, “Join us for one more meal at this location on 8/26/17 before the Upper Crust moves on to become TWBC!”

At TWBC, the restaurant will serve lunch, dinner and brunch on Sundays.

While acknowledging that the days before opening will be hectic, John Burgess noted that the project has been on a fast track since spring. On Friday, construction workers were continuing to work on the restaurant.

The partners purchased the building in November and construction began May 9, using mostly local labor.

In addition to offering a full menu of food, as well as eventually ramping up the beer offerings, there will be a selection of Washington Winery’s wines and specialty drinks from downtown distilleries Liberty Pole Spirits and Red Pump Spirits.

Opening weekend hours will be 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Sept. 8 and 9 and 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sept. 10.

Following opening weekend, regular hours will be 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday; 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday, and 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday. The business will be closed on Mondays and Tuesdays.

For more information, visit www.TheWashingtonBrewingCompany.com

The approaching opening for Washington Brewing is the latest news from a rapidly evolving microbrewery scene in Washington County.

Coal Tipple Brewing opened late last year near Burgettstown, followed in mid-June by Rusty Gold in Canonsburg. Four Points Barbeque and Brewing is planning a fall opening in Charleroi.

Last week, Whitehorse Brewing, based in Berlin, Somerset County, said it will open a taproom featuring its brews in the next six to eight weeks in a 1,200-square-foot space at The Street at the Meadows mixed-use development on Racetrack Road in North Strabane Township.