Grist House Craft Brewery is expanding with a second tap room.
The Grist House Beer Crib will be located inside the Freedom Farms Farmers Market on Route 8 in Penn Township, Butler County, which also houses the Freedom Farms Farm-to-Fork Kitchen.
“We are so excited for this,” said Christie Massari, marketing specialist for Grist House. “It will be a cool Grist House experience.”
Freedom Farms is a family business that includes farmers, bakers, and chefs who grow a variety of produce and raise livestock. The business was showcased on the Great American Living television show “Farm Kings,” which aired in the early 2010s.
Massari said the plan is to be up and running sometime in early March and be open Wednesday through Sunday.
Production will remain in Millvale until the Collier location is ready sometime later this year, Massari said. In 2019, Grist House announced it had purchased a 55,000-square-foot building in Collier, which once served as the Nike Missile Command Center during the Cold War. It will become a main production facility, featuring a large taproom and retail space along with an extensive barrel aging program.
This second taproom in Butler, a first for the brewery that has been in business for 10 years, is the perfect opportunity because it offers indoor and outdoor spaces.
The outdoor spaces include a fully-functioning greenhouse with seating, a pergola featuring two-person swings and fires as well as two corn cribs and spacious bins used for storing corn.
The Grist House Beer Crib, formerly known as the North Country Brewing Co.’s Corn Crib, will offer an extensive rotating tap list. It will also serve cocktails.
Working with the King Family, owners of Freedom Farms, Grist House co-owner Brian Eaton said in a statement the new location is a unique opportunity and he can’t wait to “put the Grist House touch on this awesome space.”
“While farming continues to be a tradition and profession of the King family, they never fail to innovate and look to the future,” Eaton said.
Tim King, owner and partner of Freedom Farms, said in a statement that in this partnership he sees a lot of similarities between the two businesses.
“At the end of the day, together we serve good food and good beer, and that’s tough to beat,” King said.
The Grist House Beer Crib will be located on Route 8 at 795 Pittsburgh Road, Penn Township, Butler County.
Details: gristhouse.com
JoAnne Klimovich Harrop is a TribLive reporter covering the region’s diverse culinary scene and unique homes. She writes features about interesting people and a weekly column about things to do in Pittsburgh. The Edward R. Murrow award-winning journalist began her career as a sports reporter. She has been with the Trib for 26 years and is the author of “A Daughter’s Promise.” She can be reached at jharrop@triblive.com.