For his first official pour, Lancaster city Mayor Rick Gray overflowed his pint glass with the creamy froth of a Pig Iron Porter.

His second "first pour," reprised for television news cameras, was perfect.

Gray was behind the bar of Iron Hill Brewery & Restaurant Wednesday to toast the grand opening of the brew pub in the city's thriving northwest.

Iron Hill opened at 5 p.m. Wednesday in College Row, the new $30 million student housing and retail complex along Harrisburg Pike at Franklin & Marshall College.

Joining Gray for the inaugural toast were F&M administrator Keith Orris and Marshall Snively, deputy director of James Street Improvement District. Chamber of Commerce president Tom Baldrige shamed them all, however, by executing a perfect pour, right to the brim and without a single drop spilled.

"I'd like an application, please," he told brewery president Kevin Finn.

But Baldrige relinquished tap duty to Paul Rutherford, introduced by Finn as "the man you really want to get to know" because he's "the man who makes the beer."

Rutherford, an award-winning brewer, served pints of Vienna Red Lager to executive chef Mark Supplee, general manager Clint Wagner and co-owner/director of brewery operations Mark Edelson before tapping one for himself for the opening toast.

"Ah, that's good," Finn said, after taking a sip. "Now let's open the doors and let the paying customers in."

After the toast, Gray lauded the group for providing a new business anchor in the city's northwest.

"We want to welcome you to Lancaster," he said. "I can't say how delighted we are to have you as a member of our community."

Finn replied that Lancaster "is going through a great revitalization, and we're really proud to be a part of that revitalization."

Iron Hill, based in Wilmington, Del., operates half a dozen brew pubs in Pennsylvania and Delaware.

The $2.8-million, 280-seat restaurant at 781 Harrisburg Pike expects to brew about 37,200 gallons of beer on site each year.

The six house brands presently on tap are Iron Hill Light Lager, Abbey Dubbel, Vienna Red Lager, Ironbound Ale, Pig Iron Porter and Raspberry Wheat. Seasonal beer varieties will be available.

The premises are cozy, with arching corrugated-steel ceiling installations and copper-mesh chandeliers overlooking rooms dominated by russet-hued wood trim and furnishings.

By the door, cases display Iron Hill T-shirts, pint glasses and, of course, growlers for take-home beer.

Edelson, who oversaw construction, said there will be no smoking at the bar or in dining rooms. The full-service bar will sell only Iron Hill beers.

Iron Hill opened its first brewery in 1996 in Newark, Del. Its other locations are Wilmington, Del., and Media, North Wales, Phoenixville and West Chester in Pennsylvania.

Edelson said he and partners Finn and Kevin Davies had been looking at locations for a brewery in Lancaster for a few years before selecting the College Row site.

"We looked at every tobacco warehouse that's available," he said. "But this location is on the right side of town — a lot is going on, and it's a good market."

E-mail: tknapp@lnpnews.com