WILLIAMSVILLE, N.Y. (WIVB) – The newest brewery in Williamsville makes plenty of references to its historic past.

BriteSmith Brewing, 5609-5611 Main St., Williamsville, opened last month.

Though it was most recently the Center for Plastic Surgery, the main building was once home to a blacksmith shop, opened by Louis Lorich in 1916.

When the Lorich family heard that a blacksmith-inspired brewery was opening in the space, they donated original artifacts that were once used in the shop, director of operations Nate Root said.

“The tools you see behind me are the actual tools that were in the shop, as well as the anvil and the original sign,” Root said.

The name “BriteSmith” is an actual subset of blacksmith that works with finer metals, Root said.

“We kind of took the word ‘blacksmith’ and then the brite tanks behind the bar, and kind of melded them,” Root added.

BriteSmith has been open for about a month, to a great response.

“The community has been awesome,” Root said. “It’s been busy- if you try to get here on a Saturday, if you don’t get here early enough, it’s kind of tough to get in.”

The brewery is located right on Ellicott Creek, across from Glen Park. Large windows around the building allow for a great view of the water rushing by.

BriteSmith has a full service kitchen, with woodfired Neapolitan pizza, small plates, and sandwiches.

“Our idea behind it was really to take the brewery model that is doing so well right now in Buffalo and kind of take it up to where there’s an emphasis on the hospitality angle of things,” Root said.

BriteSmith’s brewing operation is housed next door to the brewpub. There are currently ten house beers on tap, the most popular of which is the Billie Haze New England IPA (5.5 percent ABV), double dry hopped and brewed with milk sugar and pineapple puree.

The brewery is also putting out offerings like Wills Pils German pilsner (4.2 percent ABV) and Walk the Dog Nitro Stout (4.2 percent ABV).

“We do a little bit of everything,” Root said. “[The brewers] are really great with being innovative but staying within the classics.”

BriteSmith Brewing has a beer garden area between the two buildings which will be open this summer, with music and patio games.

Parking is available across the street at the Center for Plastic Surgery after 5 p.m. Monday through Friday and all day Saturday and Sunday.

The brewery opens at 4 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 11 a.m. Friday through Sunday.

Click here for more information.