How Boal City Brewing has become a hub for Centre County’s outdoor recreation boom
AI-generated summary reviewed by our newsroom.
- Boal City Brewing attracts outdoor groups through strategic location near Rothrock State Forest.
- Local clubs use the brewery for community runs, walks and cycling meetups.
- State, local groups promote Boal City via trail maps and cycling brochures.
Outdoor recreation has steadily gained popularity in Centre County over the past five years, and Boal City Brewing in Boalsburg has become a hub for the growing community.
The brewery, located at 281 Old Boalsburg Road, opened in April 2023 and features a taproom and spacious outdoor beer garden. Founder Gordy Kauffman is an avid cyclist who was intentional about opening his location near Rothrock State Forest’s trailheads, hoping it could attract fellow outdoor enthusiasts by serving as a natural meeting place.
“When people are here too, whether it’s after a run or after a ride, we have loads of outdoor seating, like the beer garden and views of the forest,” Kauffman said. “It’s just a really accommodative and nice place to hang out.”
Shortly after the brewery opened, Trails and Ales running club was founded by Molly Love and her husband. Love, a doctor at Nittany Valley Chiropractic, said she based the club at Boal City because of it’s large, exercise-inclusive space.
The club, which meets at 6 p.m. on Tuesdays, draws as many as 40 runners during peak season. A walking group that meets at 7 p.m. was introduced this summer, which has brought more people into the community.
“I think Central PA is just such a bubble — there’s so much accessibility to such beautiful outdoor things like having Rothrock in our backyard and these trails that we run on in Boal City,” Love said. “There just are so many little hidden gems to get into nature while still being so close to State College.”
Penns Valley Pedals and Pints, a local cycling club that meets at 6 p.m. on Thursdays, has also partnered up with the brewery for sponsored rides. Founder Roy Rupert said the club averages about 95 riders a week, making Boal City’s large space a great place for members to meet before and after rides. Not to mention, “biking and beer seem to go together,” according to Rupert.
“[The reason] I think it works so well is just location and destination,” Rupert explained. “I think the Penns Valley area is just beautiful to ride in.”
Kauffman has been invested in outdoor recreation, sponsoring a Purple Lizard trail map in Rothrock and fundraising for the 50-mile trail project that aims to connect Centre and Huntingdon counties. At the same time, other groups are touting the work of Boal City Brewing.
In 2024, the Happy Valley Adventure Bureau (HVAB) partnered with the Pennsylvania Environmental Council (PEC) to create cycling route brochures for State College. The “Bikes ‘N’ Bevs” guide features Boal City and five other breweries, plus locally owned coffee shops, wineries and distilleries in the community.
PEC program manager Helena Kotala said the council wanted to map out routes that featured bike-friendly businesses to “connect a variety of different points of interests” for locals and visitors alike.
“The region has really embraced outdoor recreation as one of the reasons to visit, because we really do have some amazing outdoor recreational opportunities,” Kotala said. “So this kind of merges that, while also highlighting the culture and businesses in town. It encourages people to visit local businesses because we have these stops along the way.”
The PEC was also involved in the latest milestone for Centre County — the launch of the Happy Valley Gravel Adventure Field Guide. The Gravel Guides are a series of trail guides that highlight areas around the country. The Happy Valley edition is the first Gravel Guide based in Pennsylvania and the 21st overall.
The community gathered at Boal City Brewing on Aug. 7 to celebrate the release of the guide, which is expected to generate additional traffic from outdoor enthusiasts across Pennsylvania and from neighboring states.
“It’s really nice to see the area kind of lean into [outdoor recreation] in terms of how they are marketing and what types of people they want to draw and realizing the amazing assets that we have in the region,” Kotala said.
When Kauffman opened Boal City Brewing, his goal was “to make great beer and build community.” In just two years, his brewery has cemented itself as an outdoors hub in Centre County.
