Word broke earlier this week that the much-anticipated Sterling Pig Brewery, Media restaurateur Loic Barnieu’s newest endeavor, has found a home on State Street at Baltimore Pike. We had lots of questions (and we know you do, too!). Read on for our exclusive interview, and be sure to follow Sterling Pig on Facebook for all the up-to-the-minute info.
Media Dish: Sterling Pig is an interesting name. Is there any significance behind it?
Loic Barnieu: I like pigs, I like the way they look, everything is good in a pig. So I was brainstorming about pigs and other unusual associations, and sterling came in my mind!
With Mediterranean [Picasso Restaurant & Bar], French [La Belle Epoque] and Mexican [Diego’s Cantina & Tequila Bar] restaurants under your belt, why a brewpub this time around?
I had wanted to do a microbrewery almost four years ago, and I had the Mexican restaurant in mind as well at the time. Diego’s came first. I love microbrews, but it is a very expensive start-up, so it took me more time to gather the investments for the microbrewery and to find the right location.
Tell us about the location, 609 W. State Street.
We had a different location we were working on at first but could not come to terms with the owner. As a last resort we looked at this location because we wanted to have exposure on Baltimore Pike, and we fell in love with it immediately.
Why have you chosen Media in particular as the home of your ever-growing restaurant empire?
I know Media very well. Media has been good to me, and I think I have been good to Media. I know you are not supposed to put all your eggs in the same basket, but I only see Media going to be even better in the future, so I follow my gut. This time around I am working on the exposure of Baltimore Pike, which I think is going to change a lot in the next 10 years. The funny thing here is that Sterling Pig will have exposure on Baltimore Pike, but our physical address is State Street!
What will the square footage of the new space be? How many people do you think you’ll be able to seat in the dining room and at the bar? Will there be an outdoor space?
The square footage is around 5,500 square feet. There will be about 100 seats in the dining room and 30 at the bar and bar area. We have a plan for rooftop dining, but that will probably be a phase 2 project.
How many beers will you have on tap? Will they all be Sterling Pig brews, or will other breweries have a home at the brewpub, too?
We will have about eight beers on tap. The beer will be classic styles crafted with the best ingredients, with balance as the primary objective—and some experimentation, of course, as a brewer has to have some fun. We will welcome partnerships with other microbreweries, so yes, we will have a guest beer from a local brewery from time to time.
Do you have a favorite style of beer?
I do love IPA—it sounds almost boring to say that nowadays. I am a big fan of Victory Brewing Company; their HopDevil is one of my favorites.
Any ideas about who the brewmaster will be?
Yes, he is a partner, lives in Media and has been working in the industry for 15 years. That is all I can say at the time …
What type of menu will you be serving?
We will be a gastropub, which in my mind means pub fare done fresh! We will also have wood-oven pizza.
Tell us about plans for the decor.
The building was the old Media municipal laundry, a post-and-beam building with a high ceiling. The decor will be mid-century industrial style with exposed ceilings and beams, concrete countertops and an open kitchen.
The question everyone seems to be asking is, will there be parking?
Sure, there is parking in the back. It may be a little tight during the day with the doctor’s office being there, but most of our business will be at night and during the weekend. There is also parking on State Street at Glen Providence Park. Finally, we have an event in Media [Dining Under the Stars] where State Street is closed and 3,000 people are able to find parking. As they say, “Build it and they will come.”
What are you looking for in terms of “vibe”: family friendly, happy hour-focused, late-night drinkers, date nights?
We would love to be a little bit of everything. The bar area is somewhat separate from the dining area, which will help both families and bar patrons feel comfortable. Our main goal is to develop the distribution of our beer, so we hope to attract craft beer lovers as our core. I see our place as a tasting room.
We can’t wait! Give us your best guess on an opening date.
We are hoping for a late spring 2015 opening.
Stay tuned to MediaDish.com for even more details on the opening of Sterling Pig Brewery.
Photo credit: Sterling Pig Brewery. Logo by Watertable Creative.
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