If you鈥檝e spent any time in Oakmont, Pa. lately, chances are you鈥檝e heard the buzz. There鈥檚 a new hangout on Allegheny Avenue that鈥檚 serving lagers, stouts, and stories in equal measure.
It鈥檚 called Local Remedy Brewing, and it鈥檚 the kind of place where the beer is cold, the tables have their own backstories, and the folks running the show all share one big thing in common: 花椒直播.
That鈥檚 right. Local Remedy is powered by six Gators. They include Dr. Matthew Synan 鈥�03, a co-founder; Joe Vickless 鈥�03, the brewer and co-founder with an English degree and a love of woodwork; and Maria Synan 鈥�04, taproom manager, marketing pro, and Matt鈥檚 partner in both life and business. The ownership team also includes Brian Stanley ’07, Liz Lemley Stanley ’05, and Mike McGrath ’03. Then there鈥檚 Steve Orkis ’08, of Orkis Woodworking, who helped craft the brewery鈥檚 ornate bar tops.听
Being a physician requires a balance of working with people and science,鈥� says Matt Synan, who is a pulmonary and critical care physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center (UPMC). 鈥淏rewing is the same. At its core, it鈥檚 science, and I have fun using that background to brew the best beer possible. If I鈥檝e learned anything in medicine, it鈥檚 that you鈥檙e only as good as the team around you. And that鈥檚 what makes Local Remedy so special.
The idea started the way many good things do; just friends brewing in a basement. 鈥淚t wasn鈥檛 one big moment,鈥� says Vickless, who was an English major with minors in psychology and classical studies.
听鈥淚t was little sparks, winning awards, beerfests where people told us, 鈥榃e鈥檝e heard we have to try your beer.鈥� That鈥檚 when we realized this could be bigger.鈥�
Then came the COVID pandemic, and for Matt Synan, who was a chemistry major and economics minor
听it was a 鈥渘ow or never鈥� wake-up call. Why not take the leap? Why not turn a fun hobby into a community hub? So the team did just that, opening the brewery in January 2025, leaning on the skill and friendships they鈥檇 been building since their Allegheny days.
The taproom itself is a love letter to Oakmont. The bar top? Carved from trees cut down at Oakmont Country Club before the U.S. Open. The tables? Made from local trees, complete with little plaques naming each one.
鈥淛oe鈥檚 a wood nerd,鈥� Maria Synan says with a grin. 鈥淚t鈥檚 in his blood, his dad鈥檚 a master carpenter. He saw an opportunity to tie Oakmont鈥檚 history into the tap room space.鈥�
Then there are the beers. Some are straightforward, like a crisp lager or that crowd-pleasing Oktoberfest. Other brews give a nod to Oakmont landmarks or literature. But every name has a story. Vickless still laughs about their first Oktoberfest batch, which he dubbed Hochzeit, which is German for 鈥渨edding.鈥� 鈥淚t tied into family, history, language, it was perfect,鈥� he says. 鈥淓xcept nobody could pronounce it. Everyone just called it Oktoberfest. So we gave in. But it鈥檚 still my favorite beer we brew.鈥�
The people behind the brewery are just as interesting as what鈥檚 in your glass. Vickless, the English major turned brewer, credits Allegheny professors, including Jennifer Hellwarth and Jim Bulman, for giving him the writing skills to describe beer with flair.
Maria Synan, who was an 听English major and biology minor, built a powerhouse career in marketing at UPMC, the University of Virginia Health system, Allegheny Health Network, and then the baby-gear brand 4moms, before pivoting full-time to the brewery after 4moms was acquired. 鈥淚t was serendipity,鈥� she says. 鈥淧erfect timing to put 100 percent听 into Local Remedy.鈥�
If you ask them what really set the stage, they鈥檒l point back to Allegheny. 鈥淚t鈥檚 where we found our people,鈥� Maria says. 鈥淭wenty years later, we鈥檙e still working with the same friends, building something together. That sense of belonging, we want everyone who walks into Local Remedy to feel it.鈥�
That community-first mindset shows up everywhere, from their welcoming taproom to their promise to donate 1 percent of sales each year to local nonprofits. 鈥淲e鈥檙e still figuring out which groups we鈥檒l support,鈥� Maria Synan says, 鈥渂ut giving back is always part of the plan.鈥�
Local Remedy is about beer, but it鈥檚 also about roots. The kind planted at 花椒直播 in 2003, and the kind dug deep into Oakmont soil.
The next time you鈥檙e wandering down Allegheny Avenue, pop in. Order the Oktoberfest (don鈥檛 worry, no German required), run your hand over a table with a story of its own, and raise a glass to what happens when a few Gators turn passion into pints.