Wayland’s Opening Day: Sunday April 30
When Brad Rowell and Caryn Dujanovich announced they would be opening a brewery and event space in Orchard Park, we knew it would be good, but really, the new Wayland Brewing is as good as it gets.
Large with multiple spaces for multiple uses, Wayland feels like a culmination of sorts for Brad and Caryn. The partners made a name for themselves with The Grange in Hamburg, and after opening West Rose in Ellicottville and The Grange Outpost café Orchard Park, they’re both pursuing an unfulfilled ambition and applying lessons learned.
“I think we’ve always been interested in opening brewing and also had quite of bit of experience doing events,” Brad says. “So, we thought that those two things would meld together really well.”
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As a new brewery, restaurant and event space, Wayland Brewing might be a next-level project for its owners, but that doesn’t mean it’s less approachable, or more exclusive than The Grange or West Rose. In fact, it’s meant to be just the opposite.
“We really created this space to be approachable, comfortable and family-friendly. You can come after a soccer game or on a date night,” Brad says. “You can come alone. It really doesn’t matter. We just want to create an inclusive environment where people can kick back for an hour or two and let us take care of them.”
People who are into craft beer often daydream about starting their own brewery. But learning how to brew good beer takes time, and we all have lots of stuff that prevents us from achieving brewmaster status. In trying to open Wayland, Brad and Caryn had this same issue. Ultimately, they turned to PJ Dunn, who had been making beer with Thin Man Brewery. The two had known each other since Brad’s days at Elm Street Bakery in East Aurora, and they’d often bonded over the latest craft beer trends and releases.
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Brad’s time Out West has informed a lot of his menus and the theme continues at Wayland. At a recent sneak peek, we tried grilled hangar steak tacos, tuna tostada and a smoked brisket torta. But we were probably most impressed by the vegan and vegetarian options. The cashew queso was light, bright and shockingly good. The smoked carrot taco was so flavorful, we didn’t miss the typical taco meat filling. As usual, Brad has deftly balanced flavors in these dishes to create a tantalizing opening menu.
As for the beers, we found everything from the Pub Ale to the House Lager to the Super Deluxe IPA to be well-balanced and flavorful. The beer menu descriptions were helpful and on-point. If you’re not a big craft beer drinker, these really let you know what you’re ordering.
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Between bites of food and sips of beer, we also snapped a few pics on our visit. But to be honest, the photos don’t do justice to the work Caryn and her team have done, creating immaculate and irresistible spaces. The modern tap room and beer hall are welcoming and playful, with boatloads of natural light that give an indoor-outdoor vibe. There’s also a massive beer garden and a bocce court that will open once the cold weather breaks.
Another key feature at Wayland is the large event space that’s perfect for weddings and other celebrations. Even though the brewery is just opening now and the event space hasn’t really been marketed, Caryn says the volume of inquiries has been overwhelming.
“People are definitely excited and looking forward to seeing our venue,” she says. “We’d gotten a lot of people wanting to host events at The Grange mostly because they like how minimal it is. With the new taproom and event space, we’re just trying to keep in mind the idea that less is more.”
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If you live in or near Orchard Park, you’ll feel like you’ve hit the lottery with the new Wayland Brewing. It’s the perfect spot for both major life events and everyday life.
“This is definitely an all-day, all-night hangout place,” Brad says. “You could be driving by and just decide to pull in for a short stop. Or you could come celebrate with a big group. We think of it as a space for everybody.”
Wayland will officially mark its opening on Sunday, April 30.
Hours at time of publishing (Subject to change): Monday, Wednesday, Thursday 11:30 a.m. – 10 p.m., Friday and Saturday 11 a.m. – 11 p.m., Sunday 11 a.m. – 9 p.m., Tuesday CLOSED
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