Update: The restaurant ended up doing a surprise opening on the day we published this article. Their hours can be found on the Snitz Creek website.

LebTown dropped in last week at what will soon be the third location of Snitz Creek Brewery.

The bar and restaurant located at 2701 Horseshoe Pike (Route 322), at Leed’s Corner on the east end of Campbelltown, once housed the Mount Gretna Craft Brewery, which closed in February.

The Funck family, proprietors of 11 other Central Pennsylvania drinking and dining establishments, purchased the building along with the brewing equipment. 

Members of the Funck family pause for a photo during a recent visit by LebTown. From left to right, Hayden Funck, Alan Funck, Victoria Funck, and Vanessa Funck. (Will Trostel)

Co-owner Alan Funck said he and his team hope to open before year’s end.

Funck and a dozen or so employees and contractors were busy putting finishing touches on interior renovations and furnishings when we stopped by.

The main dining area at the new Snitz Creek Brewery in Campbelltown is currently under construction. (Will Trostel)

No major changes to the interior layout are anticipated, Funck said, although the large corner fireplace will be fully functional.

The fireplace, located in the main dining area, is currently being worked on. The fireplace was installed when the building was home to Mount Gretna Brewing Company. (Will Trostel)

The Palmyra Brewery, as Snitz Creek’s web page describes it, will brew beer on site, the same as the original Snitz location in downtown Lebanon. Funck said it has slightly more brewing capacity than the Lebanon location.

Funck said that initially the same crew of brewers will make beer at Lebanon and Palmyra.

A brew system previously used by Mount Gretna Craft Brewery will now be used by Snitz Creek Brewery. Brewing is expected to begin again at the site in the very near future. (Will Trostel)

Beer is not brewed at Snitz’s Fort Indiantown Gap outpost, but trucked in from Lebanon.

Brewing is expected to start at the new Snitz Creek Brewery in Campbelltown as early as this month, according to owner Alan Funck. (Will Trostel)

Funck said Snitz Palmyra will feature pizzas, “something we don’t do at our other restaurants.” The 15 or so beer offerings will initially be the same as at the other locations, but “will be adjusted based on customer tastes.”

The Funck family’s business can be traced to 1969, when Alan’s parents, Ray and Ruth Ann, opened a Tastee Freeze on West Main Street in Palmyra. It is now the site of the original Funck’s Restaurant.

According to Funck, the 12 restaurants under the Funck umbrella employ about 500 year-round employees, and the labor force swells to about 700 during the summer. 

A coming soon sign is posted at the new Snitz Creek Brewery in Campblletown. Also located at the “corner” are Leed’s Cyclery and Ancestor Coffeehouse & Creperie. (Will Trostel)
The tap system at the new Snitz Creek location in Campbelltown. Owner Alan Funck said that around 15 beers are expected to be on tap. (Will Trostel)
The front entrance to Snitz Creek Brewery. The brewing area can be seen towards the right of the building in the barn-like structure. (Will Trostel)
The main dining room also features a small extension room which will hold additional seating. (Will Trostel)
Alternative shot of the main dining room and the extension room to the right. The restaurant was still a hive of activity during LebTown’s visit earlier this month, with doors expected to open to the public by the end of the year. (Will Trostel)
The kitchen is still somewhat in the construction stage, but kitchen staff has already begun to prepare the space for an opening later this month. (Will Trostel)
Ancestor Coffeehouse, which is located in the same building as Snitz Creek and currently leases space from the restaurant, prepares coffee in house. Here a staff member is pouring coffee beans from the roaster drum into agitator to cool them down. (Will Trostel)
Ancestor Coffeehouse employees Rylee Armstrong, left, and Katie Hartman pose for a photo. Ancestor is located upon entering the building to the left, entrance for Snitz is straight ahead. (Will Trostel)

UPDATE: Dec. 21, 11:05 a.m.: Several Campbelltown readers took issue with our describing the new Snitz Creek Brewery as being “just east of Campbelltown.” We have updated our story to say “at Leeds Corner on the east end of Campbelltown.”

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Chris Coyle writes primarily on government, the courts, and business. He retired as an attorney at the end of 2018, after concentrating for nearly four decades on civil and criminal litigation and trials. A career highlight was successfully defending a retired Pennsylvania state trooper who was accused,...

William Trostel is a full-time freelance photographer/videographer based out of Lebanon City. Beginning his career as a hobbyist trying to film his friends skateboarding, his camera quickly turned into a passion. Within two years of being a hobbyist, William began to book portrait sessions and commercial...

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