It would appear that the folks at Highway Manor Brewing are taking a temporary hiatus. No announcement was made by the brewery but a report from Penn Live noted that the brewery has been listed as closed with confirmation from ownership.
Brewery owner Johnnie Compton told the media outlet “I was too busy,” and noted a rise in other brewery closures/ struggle for business. The piece went on to say that Compton is focusing his efforts in supporting his family’s business, Miracle Steel in Mechanicsburg.
According to search on the PLCB website the Highway Manor license has been expired since December of 2022. Compton noted that he plans to renew Highway Manor’s license in January of 2024 to continue business.
The brewery was most well known for the sour beers that were produced. Their proprietary house yeast was inoculated from an 1840’s mansion built on a canal turned highway, in Liverpool Pennsylvania. This is what made their rare barrel-aged (200-day minimum in red wine oak barrels) sours so unique.
As the original piece notes, Highway Manor made headlines during the pandemic in late 2020 when Compton posted a sign that brought allegations of racism to the brewery. He called the sign, which read “TO GO ONLY BLAME CHINA,” a joke that was misconstrued.
There are currently no public statements from the brewery about the status of the business. We will continue to update as more information is made available.
