After plans to open a space in Larimer fell through, Tortured Souls Brewing Co. has found real estate redemption in a vacant church.
With hard work (and divine intervention) Scott and Angela Wyman hope to debut their brick-and-mortar business by January in the former First English Lutheran Church in Sharpsburg.
On Easter Sunday 2021, congregation members participated in their last service at the 135-year-old building located at 125 N. Main St.
Giving former houses of worship new life as restaurants is somewhat of a Pittsburgh tradition, with places such as The Church Brew Works and Mary’s Vine. Tortured Souls is joining other boozy Sharpsburg institutions such as Hitchhiker Brewing Co., Dancing Gnome and 4Four6 Distillery.
The crew will create a Sanctuary Taproom with spacious bar seating and tables for large groups. A VIP area with black velvet couches will be located in the chancel, where the choir used to sing. The first-floor Red Room will accommodate private parties and public events, including live music. Patrons will also be able to enjoy pints of beer or hard seltzer on the patio.
The Wymans are partnering with Community Kitchen Pittsburgh, a Hazelwood-based, nonprofit organization that will use the property’s kitchen as an apprenticeship site for budding chefs.
The O’Hara Township couple, who’ve been homebrewing for more than a decade, recently launched a Kickstarter campaign to raise $10,000 for the project. Although the structure of the building is solid, it must be brought up to code and ADA compliance.
Design students from La Roche University are creating an interior concept that gives the space a cool aesthetic while maintaining the beauty of the original sanctuary. The McCandless-based university created the for-credit course just for the Tortured Souls project.
Customers can join the Mug Club after the brewery opens. Members will receive a couple of extra ounces in each pour, first dibs on special releases and event tickets before the general public, and a 10% discount on brewery merchandise.
Tortured Souls has been hitting the beer fest circuit, pouring samples of their diverse offerings.
Late last year, the Wymans were in talks with Couch Brewery to occupy their former 5,700-square-foot space at 1351 Washington Blvd. after the owners called it quits. That building is now the home of Arboretum Trail Brewing Co., which opens Friday, June 17 from 4 to 9 p.m. Saturday hours are noon to 5 p.m.
Visit a gluten-free zone in Garfield
If you’re gluten-intolerant – or if you simply love beer and pastries – check out a new outdoor spot in Garfield.
Emsworth-based Aurochs Brewing Company and Gluten Free Goat have teamed up to host a Summer Pop-up Series on the bakery’s patio at 4905 Penn Ave. Patrons can enjoy gluten-free beer and bar food in the space from 3 to 8 p.m. on Saturday, June 18 and Saturday, June 25. The collaboration might run longer based on demand.
Strawberry Blonde Ale and Blonde Ale will be available in pints to drink on-site and in to-go cans.
Brew Gentlemen releases Lou, its annual ALS benefit beer
Brew Gentlemen is going to bat again for ALS research with Lou, a double IPA made with a 2022 hop blend.
The beer is named after Lou Gehrig, a baseball legend who had ALS, and is made in honor of the Braddock brewery’s longtime adviser Bob Dax, who lost his battle with ALS in 2017.
This is the brewery’s eighth year participating in the Ales for ALS program, a national fundraising campaign that provides selected breweries with a proprietary (and annually changing) blend of existing and experimental hops with which to make a special beer.
A portion of sales from each beer sold is donated to the ALS Therapy Development Institute to help fund research and treatment. Lou will be available on draft and in to-go cans.