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 info@breweriesinpa.com.

Therapy Brewing opened in May of 2019 in Mountoursville with a 3 barrel brewhouse. The brewery and taproom are run out of a 100 year old renovated wagon barn, on a 90+ acre plot of land, with some of the most picturesque views in the state. Quinn Kirk and Chris Kuriga are the brewers at Therapy Brewing. Read more to find out their first beer they ever brewed, where they see the craft beer industry heading, and more!

What was your introduction to craft beer?

Quinn: I think the first beer I had that opened my eyes was Chimay. I was living in Philly at the time. That’s really when I learned that beer could have flavor other than “the big three.” Being in Philly meant I had access to try other craft offerings l, so I started trying the various styles.

Chris: Full Sail Nut Brown, my college roomate got ahold of a case and made me try it. I had no idea at the time beer could have that much flavor. Luckily, he was a bartender too with a huge bottle selection, so I drank something different every visit after that.

How did you get started as a brewer?

Quinn: I began as a home brewer a little more than 11 years ago. After joining the local home brew club, things really took off. Chris and I often worked together to make better beers by collaborating and giving honest feedback- there was a summer we did nothing but IPAs, each of us brewing alternate weeks. Four years or so ago while chatting over a beer, after Chris had done some work at a brewery, we began to think about putting a brewery on my farm and we opened in May 2019.

Chris: I had been homebrewing for years, and started volunteering to clean kegs at another brewery. I’d clean, ask questions, and learned a ton in a couple years just by watching. It really gave me some ideas of what I liked and didn’t like about the setups available.

What style allows you to be the most creative, and why?

Quinn: We’ve been having fun with our Porter lately. I also like to play with saison and various additions there. Generally for me though, there are so many variables to a given beer that I can find most anything to inspire creativity.

Chris: While we are new, I think we’ve played with porters the most. We have a base recipe we love to accent with flavors like coconut, coffee, and bourbon. It’s the one we are playing with as I write this too.

What was the first beer you ever brewed, and what did you learn from it?

Quinn: Chris described our first brew at Therapy Brewing quite well. The first beer I ever brewed as a home brewer was a Christmas ale extract kit. I made it in a barely-big-enough kettle on a turkey fryer burner. The beer was ok in the end- nothing great, but nothing to dump. I learned brewing was more complex to do right than I thought, that I wanted to make better beer, and that appropriate equipment would make brew day more relaxing.

Chris: At the brewery, the first batch was brewed to purposely dump. It’s tough to commit to that, but we really needed to learn. We had a brand new system that we designed, it was our first time brewing on that scale, we had no idea if we have enough water, or grains, or hops, or ….the list was long. Our normal brewday lasts 5-6 hours. We called this one at 12 hours and hadn’t technically boiled the wort even. But we hopped it, chilled it, fermented, kegged, and served it, to ourselves only. We changed a lot in our sytem after that but learned how to handle grains, hops, water, and wort management. It really gave us the ability to see what our system had the potential to do, and I keep that in mind on most brewdays.

Where do you see the craft beer industry heading in the next few years?

Quinn: I think we will continue to see more breweries open in small towns that don’t currently have breweries. I also think that shipping of beer is going to continue to grow.

Chris: I’ve met a bunch of brewers since we’ve opened, and the list of new openings keeps growing. I have a list of places within 2 hours I really need to get to. We are a very small place, and I think it’s easy to think ‘Eat local, Drink local’ during these crazy times. Maybe that model will have the larger growth.

Describe what it’s like to be a brewer in Pennsylvania.

Quinn: It’s great brewing in the area I’ve grown up. Local support has been amazing. We have several great breweries in the area and we support each other whether it’s stopping in for a beer, a quick question about a process, or an ingredient that someone needs last minute.

Chris: I’m happy to be a brewer where I’ve grown up, with the folks I know, and the places I frequented when I wasn’t a brewer. We have a nice community of businesses that really go out of the way to help each other.

What is the inspiration behind your beer names?

Quinn: Hahaha! Beer naming is challenging. But, I love it. While some beers name themselves, others require group think. I enjoy brainstorming, and generally suggest everything that pops into my “easily distracted” brain. While it helps me to do this, it drives Chris absolutely bonkers! (I think he secretly enjoys the process, but won’t ever say it!) A lot of our names come from local locations, sites, etc. but really anything is possible inspiration.

Chris: Oftentimes, we take it to the committee of wifes, kids and friends. Some are named before we even write the recipe. A ton of names get tossed in the trash, but we keep a list we glance at when we need inspiration.

What is your favorite beer to drink right now?

Quinn: It changes so often and seasonally. I’m sad that our ESB has kicked and also our “Crash and Burn.” I am currently enjoying our “Toboggan Slide” and our newest IPA.

Chris: I have a soft spot for lots of malt, and I will be sad when this last keg of our doppelbock is gone.

What is the most important lesson you learned in the beer industry so far?

Quinn: Be flexible. This past year the entire industry has had to change their model on the fly with very little (if any) forewarning. The good news is that, for us at Therapy Brewing and for most all of us in this industry, our customers are amazing and willing to flex along with us.

Chris: We modeled our brewery, and its operation, to brew beer we are happy to drink, while maintaining quality in our lives. We make all of our decisions based on that and I think it really comes through when folks come to visit.

Thank you to Quinn and Chris for talking with us! Make sure you visit Therapy Brewing for all the latest beers, news, information, and special events. And also follow Therapy Brewing on Facebook and Instagram.