East End Brewing owner Scott Smith will be taking his work home with him when the Mt. Lebanon resident opens a taproom at 651 Washington Road in the heart of the community’s business district.
Scott, who grew up in Pittsburgh’s East End and moved to Mt. Lebanon with his wife and children 16 years ago, says the space is currently empty so the build-out time and investment will be sizable. However, the company will host pop-up events at the site over the next few months, where customers can stop in and check out the progress over a beer or two.
Even after the South Hills location opens, production of beer, cider, hard seltzer and Barmy Soda Company pop and fruited seltzer waters will continue to take place at East End’s 17,000-square-foot headquarters at 147 Julius St. in Larimer.
Visitors to the new spot will be able to sip Pennsylvania spirit-based cocktails, local wines and try brews poured from several guest taps.
In the early days of the pandemic, the company started slinging pizzas to meet the state’s mandatory food requirements. The rustic, thick-cut pies made by Sheryl Johnston were such a hit, the idea blossomed into a full-blown food service entity called East End Chewing. The pizzas — along with an ever-changing menu of soups, sides and beer-friendly snacks — will be served at both locations.
Smith debuted East End Brewing in 2004 after leaving his engineering job to become one of the city’s craft beer trailblazers.
The brewery released more than 50 unique offerings in the past year alone. It’s also been creating canned libations for each of Pittsburgh’s 90 neighborhoods. The You Are Here Neighborhood Beers encourage residents to more deeply engage with their communities and prompt them to explore different ones.
