The process of restoring the Lebanon Valley Craft Brewery started in 2017 and continues into 2021.
Current owners David Koch, Henry Goodwin, Michael Osborne and Kevin Booth have been working tirelessly for years to see their vision and dream come to life. They are hoping to attract people from far and wide to the brewery once opened to the public.
The brewery is located at 840 North 7th Street in Lebanon.
“We’re going into our fourth year of this project and couldn’t be more excited to bring this brewery back to life,” Kevin Booth, director of technical operations, said. “Aside from the rich historical aspect of our brewery, we strive to create a comfortable pub atmosphere where you can enjoy the finest quality craft beers and great pub fare. We have big plans for events and promotions to make Lebanon Valley Craft Brewery the ‘go to’ place in Central Pennsylvania for anyone who would love to enjoy a great craft beer in an original historic brewery.”
The progress to date with phase one renovations of the brewery includes currently completing equipment installation work in the fermentation area, making glycol line connections to the tanks and digital temperature controls that will enable the brew master to precisely control the fermentation temperature process from the beginning to end of the fermentation. The large walk-in cooler area is in the final stages of renovation where the finished product and certain ingredients will be stored to maintain peak freshness until they are needed. The brewhouse renovations are nearly complete and the equipment is installed and in place for operations.
Bottle labeler, washer, and filler.
Brewing operations are planned to begin in March or April, pending required approvals.
“Our bottling and packaging line is in place and we are in the process of completing all of the utility connections that will make that line operational,” David Koch, president of the brewery, said. “We will be bottling 12-ounce bottles to start with plans to bottle a variety of different sizes in the future. We will be selling our products on a wholesale basis to local distributors and two grocery store chains to start, with the brewpub coming online later this year.”
The standard product line of beer will include brewing styles such as a Dortmunder Style Lager, an American Pale Ale, an Irish Red Ale, an American Style Stout, a Bavarian Style Hefeweizen and a New England India Pale Ale (NEIPA). The brewery will also be making seasonal beers and a “Heritage” series that will be produced from the information gleaned from the old brewery records found from 1955.
For the brewpub and kitchen areas, the plans are to continue renovation work in those areas over the next several months and expect to be ready to be open to the public later this summer or early fall. The pub itself will be able to sit around 100 people.
“Renovations to the old brewery building have been carefully considered in an effort to maintain the old brewery experience while at the same time restoring the building to meet current health, safety, and building code requirements,” Koch said. “On behalf of the owners and staff at Lebanon Valley Craft Brewery, it is our mission to provide our valued patrons with a variety of the finest quality products for their enjoyment, and to experience the rich history of our brewery building and grounds.”
“We have a lot of work to do yet, but we want to be sure we get everything right the first time,” Koch said. “We want our friends and valued customers to be wowed with the overall experience, enjoying our full line of beverages and complimenting pub faire, while experiencing the unique environment of our historic brewery building.”
Follow the Lebanon Valley Craft Brewery on Facebook to stay updated on their restoration progress, beer distribution and anticipated opening dates.
Entrance. Backside of the brewery, across from 7th Street Car Wash.
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