A little over a year after opening his doors, Gordy Kauffman III, co-owner of Boal City Brewing, is beaming from ear to ear. With his Specific 7-barrel, 2-vessel system, he and his team have produced over 650 barrels of beer and had a tough time keeping up with the demand.
As a result, they’re expanding their cellar capacity and doing so will please many people from Boalsburg, in Central PA.
Boalsburg lies about four miles from State College, adjacent to the Rothrock State Forest.
Rich with history, reflected by the local architecture, Boalsburg is a small town that’s recently experienced a bit of a renaissance, with new businesses opening and a growth in seasonal tourism thanks to the abundance of natural beauty.
In 2018, Gordy’s dream of opening a community-minded space started to become a reality after he bounced the idea for a brewery off award-winning veteran brewer, Mike Smith.
After assembling the perfect ownership and management team, they found an ideal location in 2020, situated between two trailheads in Centre County, making it quite unique.
On an acre of leased land, they are surrounded by 37 acres of maintained trails and bike paths for kids and beginner bikers, as well as a theatre, a museum and a farmers’ market across the street.
The property had three existing buildings, but they chose to design and build the 2500 square foot taproom and brewhouse.
An effort was made during construction to use as much repurposed material as possible to maintain the look and feel of the original buildings and architecture. Even the new wood used was treated to give an aged appearance.
The outdoor space features fire pits, outdoor picnic tables, plus a large and spacious beer garden. The many large windows flood the inside taproom with natural light. It features a large wall mural of a topographical map of the area.
With so many outdoor biking and hiking trails surrounding the brewery, Boal City Brewing has become a destination for outdoor enthusiasts.
Mike Smith, the head brewer, has a brewing pedigree that is long and distinguished. At Boal City Brewing, he, Gordy and Eric wanted to do things a bit differently from other breweries. They didn’t want to get into flagship beers until both they and their customers were happy with the beer.
That means coming up with new things all the time. There are no “house beers” on the menu, instead, with a whopping 26 line draft system, they have beers listed by style, with info such as the ABV and IBU as well as the brew number. Each style of beer is in a series starting with number one.
They also made the decision not to get into wholesale distribution right away. While some select restaurants and bars receive small kegs, 98% of the beer sales are direct from their taproom.
They feel the exclusive nature of the availability helps solidify the recreation destination vibe.
Open 7 days a week, Gordy and his team have made Boal City Brewing a real source of pride for the people of central Pennsylvania.
Nestled in a picturesque, historic town, providing a warm, relaxed atmosphere, this world-class location and community-minded recreation mecca, is nothing short of their dream come true.
