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].
Floating Feathers Brewing Company first opened in December of 2021 at 380 S Main Street, in Mill Hall, PA. Floating Feathers opened in a 150-year-old building, on 4 acres right on Fishing Creek, and is the first brewery in Mill Hall. The taproom has 12 taps of their own beer, cider, and seltzer.
Richard Powers is the owner and head brewer at Floating Feathers Brewing Company. 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?
While living in the Finger Lakes for school amongst the well-known wineries, I would seek out breweries and sharpen my palate to assist in my studies.
How did you get started as a brewer?
During COVID I would be cooped up with my wife and to get through the tough times I would resort to brewing beer in my wife’s horse barn.
What style allows you to be the most creative, and why?
Everything in craft beer has the potential to be creative in your own way, whether it be your water, grain bill, hops, fermentation schedule, etc. I try to make a wide variety of beers, ciders, hard lemonades, and seltzers that I’ve never tried or heard of elsewhere, without trying new things the essence of “craft” is dead, and at that point, we would all just be bars. I feel as though ales give brewers the most creativity due to the quick turnaround time and variety of things that can be done to tweak them.
What was the first beer you ever brewed, and what did you learn from it?
The first beer I brewed was named by my wife “The hair of the toad”, this is because as we were brewing in the barn, the power went out during my boil, after flipping the breaker and the lights coming on, there was a toad hopping at our feet. This beer was a juicy low abv IPA.
Where do you see the craft beer industry heading in the next few years?
I see craft beer going in 2 main directions for the next few years, I see the industry moving towards more “traditional” type beer styles and I see the expansion of new products with more of a fruited feel. With the starting decline of seltzers from the boom over the past few years, I see another non “beer” taking the flash in the pan light.
Describe what it’s like to be a brewer in Pennsylvania.
Being a brewer in PA is great! We are on the rise in PA, but I also feel like we have a long way to go in working on getting legislation and things changed through the PLCB and other state agencies.
What is the inspiration behind your beer names?
Most of our beer names are local towns with something well known or important from that area or whimsical names that we thought sounded fun and cool.
What is your favorite beer to drink right now?
My favorite beer to drink right now is a French toast brown ale on nitro that I made from some locally grown raw rye.
What is the most important lesson you learned in the beer industry so far?
There are so many lessons to be learned in this industry, I think the number one thing that people in the industry and people as customers need to realize is that beer is meant to bring people together and at the end of the day we are making sugar water so don’t be a jagoff. The world is full of critics and what makes breweries what they are is 100% the culture. Let’s not lose sight of that and we will continue to grow and be the cool industry.
Thank you to Richard for talking with us! Make sure you visit Floating Feathers Brewing Company’s website to see all the latest beers and news. Also, follow Floating Feathers on Facebook and Instagram.
