Plans To Build National Beer Museum In Pittsburgh Moving Forward
PITTSBURGH (KDKA) -- Something pretty cool is brewing in Pittsburgh and you can help make it a reality.
Plans to build a beer museum in the city are moving forward.
Where it will be located is a question that cannot be answered just yet, but the team behind the concept has been checking out several spots.
As the beer was being poured, ideas were flowing at the James Street Gastropub on the North Side on Wednesday.
About 100 folks gathered together in support of "Brew: The Museum of Beer." The event kicked off a campaign that will last through Thanksgiving.
"The goal is to get the word out to Pittsburghers, to Americans, to folks all across the globe to demonstrate as much support as we possibly can for 'Brew: The Museum of Beer,'" said Matt Sherwin, the museum's director of business development.
A crowdfunding campaign kicked off Wednesday, and the goal is to raise at least $50,000. But the team behind this idea hopes to raise more. Visit brewmuseum.com for more information on the campaign.
"We're looking for something different. We want to do the story of beer. That whole 10,000 years, from the origin of civilization to the modern craft beer movement and the Renaissance and the local breweries," said Joe McAllister, the museum's founder. "That's the story we want to tell."
As for a location, the guys won't say where they're looking just yet.
"We've looked at a solid eight or 10 sites that we think have a lot to be said for them, and the goal is to have the museum of beer be located in an iconic location of Pittsburgh," said Sherwin.
"I have to say, as a fan, not as a councilman, not my district, but nothing sounds better to me than the old Iron City Brewery. I just think it's a great space to have a beer museum," said City Councilman Daniel Gilman.
Join The Conversation On The KDKA Facebook Page
Stay Up To Date, Follow KDKA On Twitter
The goal is to attract people nationally and globally, and they say Pittsburgh is the prime spot to do that.
"We have a real robust economy for tourism and to have a national beer museum here would further bring in people from outside," says VisitPittsburgh's Craig Davis.
The team behind the museum says a few potential investors have already reached out to them, but they want to wait and see how much money they raise through the crowdfunding campaign before they decide who they want to potentially work with.
