Lower Burrell native finds success with Dancing Gnome brewery, expanded in Sharpsburg

Two windowless steel warehouses in the heart of Sharpsburg have been transformed into a chic, industrial taproom with outdoor seating.

Dancing Gnome brewery, founded in 2016, has more than doubled its footprint with a 10,000-square-foot, open-air layout to accommodate revelers flocking to try its hop-centric suds.

“Our old place was truly like a sardine can on a busy day,” said owner Andrew Witchey, a Lower Burrell native. “We needed a bigger space and we needed to brew more beer, but we couldn’t do one without the other.”

The new space is at 1025 Main St., just a block from the original location, which is now the brewery’s administrative hub.

A former art major with a film degree from Emerson College in Boston, Witchey left a corporate job in 2014 to tend to his burgeoning beer passion. He attended the American Brewers Guild in Vermont and never looked back.

“I love the industry and as a young drinker, gravitated toward craft beers,” he said. “I really liked the creative aspect.”

Just two years after opening the doors, Witchey started to scout a larger location to host growing crowds. In 2019, he purchased the warehouse space, which had sat unused for many years.

Margittai Architects, based in Pittsburgh’s South Side, was charged with transforming the space with natural light and an inviting entrance while maintaining a nod to the region’s history.

“One of the biggest challenges was to make it inviting while ensuring that the functionality of the brewhouse was state-of-the-art,” said Peter Margittai, the firm’s principal.

He hung his hat on historic maps and old aerial photos of the site, which illustrate the former Pennsylvania Canal flowing through the property.

“That became an organizing element,” he said. “You’ll notice when you walk in, everything is at an angle. That is the direction the canal would’ve flowed through.”

Imbuing the space with history became critical for the designers. “We really tried to celebrate what the building was originally,” Margittai said. A. Martini & Co. of Verona served as the general contractor.

Cutting away at the building to expose long spans created a stylish look. Accenting the beams with orange paint and LED lighting made the design even more eye-catching.

The construction captured Witchey’s vision to create a relaxed space that even on busy days still feels manageable.

Sparsely scattered high-top tables seat about 80. Wide aisles and a 23-foot ceiling help achieve the goal of comfort.

Metal garage doors open to patio seating with wooden picnic tables and, often, a food truck in the parking lot. A rotating list includes Pittsburgh Tortas, Blue Sparrow and Alberta’s Pizza.

Witchey was able to double his draft lines in the new space, offering hop-forward IPAs and some traditional styles as well. Witchey calls those brews “beer that tastes like beer” for the less adventurous.

There are typically 16 beers on tap. Most requested is the Lustra, a pale ale that the bar has become known for.

A collaboration with Upstream Pittsburgh, a Wilkinsburg nonprofit that advocates for healthy watersheds, has produced two beers popular with patrons – the Appalachian and the Common Merganser.

Dancing Gnome beers are also available at restaurants, bars and shops in the region, as well as in cans directly from the brewery.

Witchey attributes the success of the brewery to timing, location and ethos.

His bar filled a void in the immediate area and the proximity of Dancing Gnome to the city’s East End neighborhoods is fortuitous – people are comfortable zipping across the Highland Park Bridge to grab a drink, he said.

“This space fit us. We work hard and play hard,” he said. “We’re hardworking blue-collar people who have a passion. But when we’re off the clock, we’re off the clock.”