Season 4, Episode 32

This week on With Bowl and Spoon, Shelly talks with Marcus Wyatt of Windy Bridges Brew about how a love of beer, community, and learning led him to start brewing his own. Marcus shares how growing up in Chicago and now calling Pittsburgh home inspired the name Windy Bridges, bringing together the Windy City and the City of Bridges. His brewing story began at an after-work happy hour where he was introduced to IPAs, followed by meeting a coworker who brewed mead, which sparked Marcus’s curiosity. His first homebrew was an imperial IPA that “wasn’t great, but it wasn’t bad either” which was enough to keep him brewing.

Marcus talks about learning the craft through a homebrew kit, working and learning at Inner Groove Brewing, connecting with Day Bracey and the Barrel & Flow community, taking part in Point Park’s brewing program, and earning his Level 1 Cicerone certification. Now, he’s putting all of that learning into practice in his two-car garage brewery, supported and encouraged by other brewers along the way and backed fully by his family, including his daughter running social media.

Food and culture are central to Marcus’s brewing vision, with soul food influences like banana pudding, and sweet potato shaping the flavors he’s excited to explore. You won’t find Windy Bridges Brew out in the wild just yet, but batches are brewing, tastings are happening, and conversations are underway about getting beer on tap and in cans. Follow @windybridgesbrew on socials, and keep an ear out... there are whispers of exciting things ahead.

Photo credit for this episode: Lucy Schaly