USA, PA: Funk Brewing Co. looks to open Elizabethtown brewpub by the second week of November

In just a few short weeks, Lancaster County, the top county in the commonwealth for brewery licenses, will add another craft beer maker to its tab, Central Penn Business Journal reported on October 30.

Lehigh County-based Funk Brewing Co. will open a brewpub and tasting room in leased spaced at the former Elizabethtown Hotel building at 28 S. Market St. The target is the second week of November.

"Downtown E-town is really cool. I feel it's on the verge of being really awesome," said Jon "Norm" Norman, vice president and partner in the brewery.

Norman, who runs the company with his brother-in-law, Kyle Funk, has lived in Elizabethtown for about seven years. He said he sees momentum building in the downtown with new businesses opening.

He also cited the presence of Moo-Duck Brewery and Cox Brewing Co. of Rheems. Adding a third local brewery should help make Elizabethtown more of a destination, he said.

"It's unfair to say we'll be like Lititz," he said, an example often cited by other regional communities looking to revitalize their downtowns. "A lot of things are moving. I think we're making a little hub here in E-town."

Funk got its start about two years ago. The Emmaus home is mostly a production facility, but it does have a tasting room, Norman said. The company ships its beer, mostly in kegs to restaurants and bars, to 16 counties.

The Elizabethtown location, which will operate in about 1,600 square feet, will seat about 60 people and serve a variety of food — from big salads to paninis and appetizers.

Those offerings will be made from locally sourced ingredients, Norman said.

The taproom will serve six to eight Funk beers, including exclusive small-batch "scratch" creations. Funk has hired eight local employees so far.

"Assuming this does well, I'd love to spread our beer," Norman said of additional locations, which could include expansions in the Lehigh Valley or around Harrisburg or York. "Our biggest goals are to offer more production of canned beers. Today the majority of our beer goes out in kegs."

Funk produces about 1,200 barrels of beer in a year.

04 November, 2015