Welcome to our “Meet The Brewer” series! Where we interview brewers in Pennsylvania, from breweries small to large. Let us know if you know anyone who should be featured, email us at [email protected].
Bradford Brew Station first opened in March of 2019 at 104 Chestnut Street, in Bradford, PA. They brew on a 7 BBL brewhouse with 14 taps of fresh beer. The brewery features a great selection of wholesome pub food, as well as their signature beers that are brewed right on-site, like the Raspberry Wellhouse Wheat and The Go-Devil IPA. Recently, Bradford Brew Station began distributing cans locally to 7 PA counties.
Devin Zelko is the head brewer at Bradford Brew Station. Read more to find out his introduction to craft beer, where he sees the craft beer industry heading, and more!
What was your introduction to craft beer?
I have to admit; that I am still pretty new to craft beer. In 2011, I joined the Navy, and we drank a lot of beer but never craft beer. I had my first craft beer in 2019, right here at the Bradford Brew Station. Since then, it’s been exciting to try new beer styles and flavors.
How did you get started as a brewer?
Well, my mom decided to open a brewery, and the rest was history. During the height of Covid, the Brew Station needed a new brewer, and I had recently left a job I had lost my passion for. I decided to give brewing a try, and I loved it. It’s been fun exploring craft beer, breaking the “rules” of craft beer, and learning what it means to be a craft brewer.
What style allows you to be the most creative, and why?
Shandies. We like to say that, “we make beers for people who don’t typically consider themselves craft beer drinkers.” Every shandy we’ve done has gone over really well with our customers because they are the perfect halfway point on the way to craft beer. Shandies also can come in so many flavor combinations. The possibilities are endless.
What was the first beer you ever brewed, and what did you learn from it?
We got started nice and easy with our blonde Frac n’ Lager. It’s not every day that someone’s first brew is on a 7 bbl system. I’d say the thing that I learned is that everything that can go wrong, will go wrong.
Where do you see the craft beer industry heading in the next few years?
The craft beer industry is naturally innovative, and there’s no way to know for certain where it’s headed. However, I think IPAs will have some competition on their hands. Lagers and Ales have so much versatility that the possibilities are endless. As long as we keep pushing the idea of what people think craft beer is, then there’s no telling what the craft beer industry can do.
Describe what it’s like to be a brewer in Pennsylvania.
I can’t really speak for PA as a whole, but I really enjoy being a brewer in rural PA. The amount of support and pride that the community gives us is awesome and makes it all worth it. From creating a beer to celebrate our local fire department to raising money for local causes, the community always shows up for us. There is no place I’d rather brew than in this rural town.
What is the inspiration behind your beer names?
Bradford has a lot of historical connections to the Pennsylvania oil industry, and our brewery celebrates that history. Most of our beer names come from the oil fields. For example, Go-Devil IPA, Yellow Dog Honey Ale, Music Mountain Ale, and the Raspberry Wellhouse Wheat – All borrow their names from the oil fields. We have a lot of local historians or oil field workers that are always coming up with new names for our beers.
What is your favorite beer to drink right now?
The sweeter the beer the better! I’m a sucker for a shandy. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for one of the first shandies I ever brewed. It was a Blackberry Cobbler Shandy that had notes of vanilla and blackberry.
What is the most important lesson you learned in the beer industry so far?
You can’t be afraid to be different and try new things. So many breweries have 14 taps and 8 of them will be IPAs. We currently only have 4 IPAs in our brew schedule for the rest of the year.
Thank you to Devin for talking with us! Make sure you visit Bradford Brew Station’s website to see all the latest beers and news. Also, follow Bradford Brew Station on Facebook and Instagram.
