Ellicottville Brewing opens Little Valley Pub and Pizzeria

By Rick Miller LITTLE VALLEY

— Ellicottville Brewing Company hosted a ribbon-cutting ceremony

Feb. 17 at its newest location — The Craft Pub and Pizzeria in Little Valley.

The timber-frame pub is located at the rear of Ellicottville Brewing’s brewery and bottling/canning facility at 202 Second St.

The pub, pizzeria and event center had a soft opening in late December, said owner Peter Kreinheder, who started Ellicottville Brewing in 1995. The ribbon-cutting and grand opening was organized to thank local and state public officials, who helped with the challenging opening.

“We all are really happy we finally got this facility open,”

Kreinheder told invited guests prior to Friday’s ribbon-cutting. First a wastewater issue stalled the project. Then, after beer production started at the 75,000-squarefoot production facility in 2017, COVID-19 held up opening of the unique pub. Kreinheder is also proud that it was local trades that built the pub and pizzeria — just like at his other facilities in Ellicottville,

Fredonia and Bemus Point. He said there are 36 to 40 employees at the Little Valley site.

There’s a big patio in front of the facility looking out on a Little Valley hillside. The facility is designed not only for local residents who don’t want to drive to Ellicottville, but is intended to be a destination where visitors can relax for a beer and a craft pizza, he said.

State Sen. George Borrello attended the ribbon-cutting and presented Kreinheder with a proclamation recognizing the investment in the community.

Assemblyman Joseph Giglio also attended, calling the pub and pizzeria a destination. “This is a pathway to a lot of different locations,” he added.

Kreinheder said he thinks people will enjoy the location’s scenery throughout the seasons. He’s planning on a location for outdoor performances and a pump track.

What is a pump track, you ask? It is a circuit of rollers, banked turns and features designed to be ridden completely by riders pumping by generating momentum by up and down body movements, instead of pedaling or pushing.

Kreinheder sees it as a family activity that will draw people from a wide area.

“I want to create a place for people visiting the county to come here to Little Valley to visit,” he said.

Cattaraugus County legislators attending included Chairman Howard VanRensselaer of Randolph, Norman Marsh of Little Valley and Ginger Schroder of Farmersville. Economic Development, Planning and Tourism Director Crystal Abers also attended. The pub and pizzeria is open Thursday through Sunday, noon to 10 p.m.