PITTSBURGH, PA — A former printing plant in Hazelwood is being transformed from an abandoned Irvine Street property into a new brewery.

Steve and Barbara Hartman, along with partner Larry Adams, hope to open the Hazel Grove Brewery this spring.

“We’re probably looking at late April or early May,” Barbara Hartman told Patch.

The Hartmans see the brewery not just as a place for people to drink and eat, but also as an eventual important stitch in Hazelwood’s social fabric.

“I want to know people’s names when they walk in the door,” Barbara Hartman told Patch.

The Hartmans are veteran homebrewers and have won numerous awards for their different beers at competitions across the country.

As they developed a business plan and started to scout potential locations, they began investigating Hazelwood. They met with local business owners and community organizations to see if they felt a brewery would be a good addition to the neighborhood.

The couple plans to have local artists paint murals and there will be an outdoor courtyard for people to gather and play games when the weather permits. The taproom initially will be about 2,500 square feet, leaving plenty of room for potential future expansion in the 6,500 square-foot building.

Although Steve Hartman specializes in brewing Belgian beer, Hazel Grove also will have light beers, stouts, IPAs and non-alcoholic beer.

As for food, the Hartmans will turn to Hazelwood’s Community Kitchen Pittsburgh, an organization that provides free culinary training and assists people in finding food service industry jobs. The couple is partnering with Community Kitchen Pittsburgh on a food truck that will be in the brewery’s parking lot.

“We can’t wait to get going,” Barbara Hartman said.