Pennsylvania-made ciders are on tap at State College’s newest bar. See inside
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- The Press Cider and Craft Beverage Tap House opened in downtown State College.
- The craft beverage bar sells Pennsylvania-made drinks using its limited winery license.
- Ownership plans to host research talks, trivia nights and more community events.
Following months of work in a vacant State College property, Kory Blose has finally opened the bar of his dreams.
Blose is one of four co-owners behind The Press Cider and Craft Beverage Tap House, the cider-focused taproom that recently launched with a soft opening at 113 Hiester St. Largely inspired by iconic State College bars like Zeno’s and the former Bar Bleu, The Press hopes to put a more thoughtful spin on the craft beverage bar.
Some guests walking through the doors of the former The Deli Restaurant and Z Bar might be surprised to see walls that aren’t lined with TVs. Though it will use a projector to show Penn State football games, The Press hopes the largely screen-free space will help guests talk, hear and engage with one another without distractions.
“I kind of wanted to make it the bar that I would’ve wanted to go to at any given time,” Blose told the Centre Daily Times. “A place with no cover charge, no blaringly loud music. Not a place where you’d need to scream all night to talk to the person next to you. I woke up too many mornings without a voice after having a night out.”
What The Press does offer, however, is a wide range of Pennsylvania-made ciders, wines, meads and beers, many of which are gluten-free. Most options available on tap are produced by Punxsutawney’s own Punx Cider Worx, whose three owners — Chase Carulli, Andrew Divelbiss and his wife, Morgan — also serve as co-owners for The Press with backgrounds in farming, engineering and nutrition.
Other options available at The Press include beers produced by Clarion River Brewing and Millheim’s own Elk Creek Aleworks. Blose hopes to eventually serve some of his own ciders produced under his in-development brand, BeeCider.
The Press is a liquor board-approved location for Punx Cider Worx, which operates using Pennsylvania’s limited winery license. By law, the taproom must sell Pennsylvania-produced drinks and even ferment its ciders using Pennsylvania products. Blose says this gives The Press a unique opportunity to showcase the best of Pennsylvania’s craft beverages.
“Some people might call it a loophole, but [that restriction] is to motivate people to buy Pennsylvania products to make Pennsylvania products and ultimately sell Pennsylvania products here,” Blose said. “It works out really well for us. We couldn’t do this otherwise in State College without that kind of license allowance, because licenses are pretty expensive around here.”
Patrons are welcome to sample offerings at The Press to try new flavors and expand their palates, especially using flights of four 4-ounce pours.
“I don’t want anyone to feel like they need to blindly go in and commit to a pint of our cider without knowing if they like it or not,” Blose said. “As the saying goes, there’s no perfect pickle, only perfect pickles. Everyone has different tastes. As long as you’re [crafting them] well, you won’t drive somebody away just because they don’t like the flavor.”
Thanks to The Press’ legal carve-out as a winery, families are welcome to bring their kids to the taproom. Well-behaved pups can hang with their owners at The Press’ outdoor patio.
Patrons may also bring their own meals to The Press, which does not have its own kitchen.
“There’s a ton of great restaurants around here,” Blose said. “We’re encouraging people to get their food, come over here and have a drink.”
Readying the downtown State College space
Blose, who graduated from Penn State in 2007, said he had for years envisioned opening a bar inside the space after The Deli Restaurant and Z Bar closed years ago. He recalled passing the location on walks downtown and knew it had strong potential.
“This space seemed like the obvious choice,” Blose said. “Being downtown was key for the long-term success of it. I didn’t necessarily want to be somewhere that everybody had to drive to reach. This space was kind of ‘the one’ that I identified early on. Teaming up with Punx Cider Worx gave me the confidence to go ahead and get started, and spreading the work across four people made it doable.”
Blose and his teammates spent many long weekends and late nights working to clean, organize and restore the vacant property. Many original elements of the space — including some freshly stained wood furnishings — were preserved.
“We wanted to pay homage to what was here before so that people could feel the familiarity when they walked through the door,” Blose said. “Everything came out surprisingly well.”
Bridging gaps between Penn State, State College
The Press will celebrate its official grand opening with a ribbon-cutting ceremony at 4:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 9.
As it moves closer to finding its footing, The Press is already planning to expand its entertainment options and community outreach initiatives.
A core component of the initial pitch for the space included collaborative research talks that would bridge gaps between Penn State and the downtown State College scene. Hosting research talks is a key focus for Blose, an assistant research professor within the university’s Department of Agricultural and Biological Engineering. He said he’s already heard from at least one Penn State department head and a few other local groups hoping to use the space for forums and happy hours.
The Press also plans to eventually host other entertainment options, including trivia nights and live music.
The craft beverage taproom is also expected to roll out a membership program that would give its diehard supporters convenient access to new pours, free drinks, access to tasting events and other opportunities.
For now, The Press is generally open from between 5 and 6 p.m. to around midnight on Thursdays and Fridays. Those hours expand to about noon to midnight on Saturdays and noon to 5 or 6 p.m. on Sundays. The Press is closed on Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.
For the latest updates on The Press, follow its pages on Facebook and Instagram.
%202.JPG)