Downtown State College has its first brewery. What to expect and what’s in the works
State College’s only brewery opened last week, giving a pair of Penn State alumni an opportunity to move their homemade operation from a basement to one of the premier areas in Centre County.
Co-owners Lisa Harpster and John Schaffer opened Antifragile Brewing Co. at 324 E. Calder Way in downtown State College. There are other breweries in Happy Valley, but Antifragile is the only brewery in the borough.
“I am the last person to be overly confident about anything that I set out to do. I think John and I have approached this from a very humble standpoint in that we’re taking a big risk and we’re doing as much as we possibly can to make it a success,” Harpster said. “That said, we never would have even started this if we knew we didn’t have a quality product that stands above a lot, if not most, of the competition.”
The pair have brewed Moody Culture Kombucha for years from Schaffer’s basement that he once rented out as a one-bedroom apartment. They’ve sold the fermented, slightly effervescent tea beverage at more than a dozen businesses in Centre County.
The move to a traditional brick-and-mortar location was more than three years in the making, Harpster said. Opening in Centre County was important to the State College Area High School alumna, whose father taught at Penn State and whose mother was a nurse in State College.
The pair first considered opening in Boalsburg, but those plans stalled as the pandemic unfolded. They then looked at downtown State College and discussed the complaints that frequently come up — there isn’t enough parking; it’s too difficult to navigate, etc.
But Harpster said they wanted to be the latest business to open in recent years that offers a more upscale experience that draws in young professionals and families.
“We just feel like it’s so important for small businesses and craft places to be a part of our community,” Harpster said. “Anything that this town ... (does) to bring in more small business is something that we see a lot of value in. All of the towns that we visit — whether it’s in the U.S. or abroad — that just brings such character to a location. We’re really trying to contribute to that.”
The 1,750-square-foot space can seat about 50 people between an upstairs lounge area and bar seating. Outdoor seating is in the works as well.
Kombucha, beer — including India pale ales, lagers, saisons, porters — and cocktails are all on the menu. Don’t be surprised if hard seltzers make an appearance at some point, too.
The business is scheduled to be open 3 p.m. to midnight Friday, 1 p.m. to midnight Saturday and 1-8 p.m. Sunday. A grand opening has yet to be scheduled.
Harpster said she and Schaffer have been through the gamut of emotions that come with seeing a yearslong project be realized. They’re hoping to bring an “elevated experience” State College, and Schaffer is looking forward to renting out his basement again.
“It’s been thrilling. It’s been filled with fear. It’s been exciting. It’s been sad. It’s been super joyous. I would say probably we’ve covered the range of emotions in opening this location,” Harpster said. “... It’s been an amazing process to see this actually come to fruition and all of these ideas that have been swimming around in my head actually come to a place where the community can come down and enjoy has been one of most rewarding things, for sure, that we’ve ever done.”
This story was originally published April 28, 2022 at 12:22 PM.