Two Frays Brewery opens in Garfield with a mission: to be a community hub that serves great beer.
From 12:00 pm to 8:00 pm, May 28-30, Mike and Jen Onofray will begin selling four-packs from their location at 5113 Penn Ave. Customers can pre-order or buy cans online.
Until mid-June, guests can enjoy drafts, tastings, and flights in the tap room and dog-friendly patio (where you’ll likely see the owners’ French bulldogs, Zeus, and Iris).
Brewery dogs Zeus and Iris building the taproom. Photo by Kristy Locklin.
Mike Onofray is currently brewing the seven-barrel setup, which includes a reverse osmosis and filtration system. Good beer, he says, starts with good water.
Two Frays will be releasing between three and five beers for their debut, including a Kolsch, a Porter and a Pale Ale. It will eventually deliver hard seltzer and soft drinks as well. Right now there is an IPA in the tank on the west coast, which bubbles and burps while fermenting and fills the 900 square meter room with sweet and malty scents.
The couple bought the 100-year-old building in October 2019, which housed everything from a bakery to a VFW post to an auto parts store and hair salon. Covid delayed the opening several times but did not shake her determination.
“We’re sticking to our vision and making sure the community knows this is their place,” says Jen Onofray. “Give us a little time and we’ll get there.”
The taproom has large windows and garage doors that bathe the room in natural light. The color scheme is bold and light. There’s no kitchen, but guests can order food at nearby restaurants like Spak Bros, Soju, and People’s Indian Restaurant. On the patio, they can sit at a picnic table, relax in a rocking chair, or put a blanket on the grass and relax with their pooch.
The Two Frays team (clockwise from top left): Mike Onofray, Drew Miskowiec and Jen Onofray.
Mike Onofray has been making beer since 2002 when his wife bought him a homebrewing kit. Both engineers by profession liked the logistics behind the hobby. In 2015, Mike quit General Motors to fuel his passion for brewing. He earned a certificate in brewing science and soon got a job running Little Harpeth Brewing in Nashville. This beer baptism gave him insight into running his own business.
Garfield, they say, is the perfect place for Two Frays.
It’s a community full of creative guys. The property itself is an artistic landmark; On the side of the building is an old hand-painted Star Soap billboard and a mosaic masterpiece by ceramicist Laura Jean McLaughlin, who is also working on a patio mural.
People walking down Penn Avenue regularly stop to peek through the windows. The Onofrays often invite them to talk about beer while petting the Frenchies featured on the company’s beer can labels.
Taproom manager Drew Miskowiec, a veteran of the craft beer scene in Pittsburgh, plans to give brewery tours, collaborate with other beer makers, and host meet-the-brewer days to educate people about the drink, as well a science is like it is an art form.
“We give people a place that is open and receptive to the needs of the community and where they can meet their neighbors over a cold beer.”
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