Partner Profile: Brews and Rooftop Views at Shubrew
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Since 2013, Zach and Erika Shumaker have been bringing innovative bites and brews to Zelienople’s Main Street. Drive by on a sunny day, and you’re sure to spot someone enjoying the view from the rooftop bar of Shubrew: Handcrafted Ales & Food.
From Nintendo-inspired drafts to Detroit-style pizza, there’s something for every type of diner to enjoy at this community-staple spot.
Below is an excerpt of an interview between Zach Shumaker and Experience Butler County’s Casey Hoolahan.
(The following interview has been edited for length and clarity.)
Casey: If you had a career before owning this business, what was it, and could you tell me about it?
Zach: I left college, and I went into the Marine Corps. I was based for four years in San Diego, and I worked for a brewery part-time out there. That was what sparked my whole interest in everything. I moved back home, and that's where I met my wife.
We created a Kickstarter, raised some money, and opened up our original location across the street here.
Casey: And then the name, obviously, is inspired by your last name.
Zach: Right, Shumaker. Honestly, that was kind of another one of my... I don't even want to say Marine Corps tie-ins, but I had a friend from Pittsburgh that I met in the Marine Corps. His name was Mike Miskey, and his email address- this is really dumb- his email was Miskey Whiskey. And I'm like, well, I'm going to be ShuBrew. And when it came down to the brewery, we said, why don't we just go with that? Very unimaginative, but original, and it gets the point across.
Casey: I don't know if you want to talk a little about the menu. I know you try to focus on using local suppliers.
Zach: Ingredients. Right. Yeah, I mean, and that's like our biggest thing is, you know, we will buy local. Like we did a barbecue and pig roast at the brewery over the weekend. And that came from a Saxonburg farm.
We try to involve ourselves in the town at every opportunity that we get, you know, that sort of thing. So we work with other businesses. We do a lot of collaboration beers with other businesses on Main Street. (Loyal customers will be familiar with their annual Mother’s Day collaboration with Eva Bryn Shoetique)
Casey: I know you guys have your own labels. A lot of them are video game inspired.
Zach: We used to have a series called our pixelated IPAs. That came around like 2018, 2017 or so. Where IPAs started to become really popular.
We wanted to do hazy IPAs, but we didn't want to just call it, you know, “New England IPA”. And we had a retro arcade machine over at the brewery. And one of us was sitting there playing and we're like, “Pixelated!”. So then every one of those was branded off of a parody of a famous retro video game.
"We have a ton of support. And, you know, we're back into this phase where we're growing again. "
Casey: What are some obstacles you faced, and how have you overcome them throughout the years of operating?
Zach: To give a different answer, and a much more personal answer, is our business just went through bankruptcy. We went through a Chapter 11 bankruptcy that we filed in March of ‘24. We still have to pay that debt, but we did just get out of bankruptcy, and we are the busiest we've ever been. We've been fortunate to turn everything around with this crowd of people that come in here; it's so supportive.
Casey: Yeah, that's a huge challenge. And I think a lot of people maybe would say, it's easier for me to give up and start over. But I think you have a lot of support.
Zach: We do. We have a ton of support. And, you know, we're back into this phase where we're growing again.
Casey: What are some of your goals for the future, looking ahead now?
Zach: I mean, future goals for us are to stabilize this business even further. We're getting back into (beer) distribution, which is really nice. I've recently taken over the kitchen. My wife, Erica, has recently taken back over sales. So, you know, I think expanding our footprint.
Casey: Is there anything that surprised you about running a brewery?
Zach: Yeah. I think to me, the biggest surprise was just that when we opened up, our intention with the company was that we were going to be a brewery with a restaurant. But that sort of needed to shift. This restaurant is the driving factor. And the beer will be a reason for people to come in and come back. That was the biggest surprise to us, you know, because when we started, we had eight tables and 13 barstools. Now, we have events constantly in the back room and full service on the roof.
Casey: Life would be too boring if things were too easy.
Zach: That's it. You know, no one ever did anything cool by being lazy.
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205 S. Main St. Zelienople, PA 16063 (724) 766-4426 Website