Penfield's soon-to-openWhichCraft Brews is a bit different from any brewery in the Rochester region.

The brewery, located in the drastically renovated and reimagined BayTowne Plaza, aims to offer the "total craft beer experience," co-owner/brewer Chris Prince said.

The operation combines a restaurant, tavern, brewery, and a to-go selection of craft beers under one roof.

And that's not even considering the custom-made, locally constructed food truck inside the 4,623-square-foot space that will serve as the restaurant's kitchen. (The truck's motor has been removed and is now the condiment station.)

"We love the atmosphere of some breweries, where you can relax, get dinner from a food truck, and then take some beer home," Prince said of WCB which opens on Saturday, July 8. "We wanted to bring that experience here."

WhichCraft, 1900 Empire Blvd., is the shared vision of a family. Prince co-owns the business with his stepfather John Moscato. Moscato also owns Brockport's 585 Rochester Beer, one of the west side's best craft beer bottle shops. Moscato's sister, Lori Weber, is a silent partner and her husband, Scott Baxter, is the fourth owner. Baxter, who just retired from a 25-year career at Paychex, will oversee day-to-day operations.

“We’re really trying to keep this local, Rochester, and New York thing going in everything we do,” Moscato said.

Frequent family trips to Vermont, home to some of the best breweries in the world, served as a bit of inspiration for WhichCraft, Moscato and Prince said.

"We just fell in love with craft beer, the whole industry, the people, and what it's all about," Prince said. "We love Brockport, but we feel like Penfield is going to provide us with a new opportunity to share our love of beer and put it front of more people."

WhichCraft will have 55 draft beer options, including five house-brewed ones. There will be four nitro lines with one devoted to cold brew coffee. WCB will also have two draft wine options. There will also be a Crowler machine.

Prince, who manages 585 Rochester Beer, will brew with two of his close friends, Brendan Kewin and Kurt Wielgosz. Kewin will be head brewer. WCB features a second-floor 3-barrel brewhouse with room to expand and experiment. WhichCraft will operate under the state's farm brewery license.

WCB will open with a stout, a Scotch ale, a Hefeweizen (a German-style wheat beer), and two India pale ales.

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"We want to be able to make as many people happy as we can," Prince said. "We have fun brewing different styles, and we think people appreciate us being able to serve different styles."

State licensing will allow WhichCraft to sell New York state spirits, specifically those from Southern Tier Distilling (the same company as Southern Tier Brewing). WCB can sell those by the bottle, too. There will be about nine craft cocktails that feature Southern Tier, Moscato said.

"We want to be a craft beverage bar," Moscato said.

Local firm M Design Vehicles, which has constructed and outfitted many local food trucks, built WCB's kitchen on wheels. The boldly painted food truck serves as a striking sight as customers enter the business. The food prep area is located just outside the food truck.

The full menu is accessible online and will feature “unique sandwiches,” Prince said. Or in this case, “whiches.” That includes a Cuban-style sandwich with chorizo or Rochester nachos, which WBC has christened “rochos.” The nachos will have kettle-cooked potato chips, topped with barbecue pulled pork, queso sauce, sliced green onions, and ranch dressing (with pickled jalapeños by request).

WBC is teaming with Webster’s Costanza’s Sausages for seasonal, beer-infused sausages. The first one will be an IPA sausage.

The Penfield/Webster area has quickly turned into a craft beer destination. Knucklehead Craft Brewing is on Ridge Road in Webster. Stoneyard's second location, American Beer Hall & Grill, opened in 2016 on Empire Boulevard. MacGregor's, the original craft beer bar in Rochester, has a Penfield location on Irondequoit Bay. Murphy's Law opened a second location on Empire.

Stoneyard is still working to install a small brewery inside the Empire location. And later this year, K2 Brewing is slated to open in the former All That Jazz antique store on Empire in Penfield.

WCB will be powered by popular beer rating/logging app Untappd. All of the draft lines will be updated to Untappd, so customers can get a real-time view of the options. Many popular local establishments are utilizing Untappd.

The to-go side of the business will feature an application which is now being developed, Moscato said. Customers will be able to look at the brewery’s inventory while they are having a beer. The order can be placed, sent to the WCB retail counter, and the order will be delivered to the customer.

That app will stay in-house initially, but there are plans to expand its reach outside the walls of the business. You’ll also be able to order food through the WhichCraft app.

WhichCraft sits in the heart of the redesigned BayTowne Plaza. The business is in the space once occupied by a Tops supermarket. The supermarket was taken down and a road was built right in the middle of where part of the building once was. Stringed lights crisscross the new road, creating a sense of place not seen in the old plaza.

Since WhichCraft sits on the corner of the new road, it will have the ability to close down the street and host events, such as car shows or live music. WCB provides a business template that could be franchised or recreated down the road.

"This was definitely a group effort," Moscato said. "Each one of us has had some great ideas. We stood around, sample a few beers, and talk about things. What do you think about this? What do you think about that? It's all collaborative.

"What you see here is pretty much what we all envisioned. Hopefully people love it."

WCLEVELAND@Gannett.com

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