Powell’s Valley Farm (located in Halifax, PA) is planning on opening a brewery in Lykens, PA. The building was built in 1892 and served as the main train station for the town.
We recently spoke with Jim Booth who is the owner of Powell Valley Farms. He gave us details about the plans for the building, as well as the brewery.
Lykens Chamber of Commerce owns the building, and it’s been vacant for some time. The plan is to have a few businesses in the building: Powell’s Valley Farm Brewery, a cafe, a small bike shop/outdoor shop, and a new museum to preserve the history of the railroad and the town (Jim’s background is in museum exhibit design and fabrication). It is important to note, he plans to keep the integrity of the historical building inside and out. This project is all about community and support of the town, as well as the local trails for mountain biking and hiking.
Jim is planning on starting small with the brewery and plans to brew a small batch with a 1 barrel system. As they grow they want to move the brewery offsite and keep this as a taproom exclusively.
To start there will be no bar seating, as he wants more of a communal atmosphere. There will be 20 seats indoors and a large outdoor area. The bar will utilize 8 taps, will have some guest taps from other local breweries and cideries, as well as some craft soda recipes with all-natural ingredients.
As far as styles of beer, the goal is to have a little of it all. Jim told us there will be a farmhouse ale/saison always on tap too. The brewery will aim to use as many homegrown and farm-grown ingredients as they can. On Jim’s farm, he grows hops, many herbs, and raises chickens and honey bees.
Jim has won two beerfest competitions. At the Lancaster Iron Brewer, he took first place in the Stout competition with his Whoopie Pie Stout. And at the 2019 Brewsgiving in Pottsville, where he teamed up with Fahnestock & Baer brewing on a Hawaiin themed fruited sour called “Getting Lei’d In The Skook”, which included pineapple, coconut, and hibiscus. Look for this kind of variety in beers once the brewery opens.
Jim is currently looking for a partner to help with food and also someone to help with some simple basic bike repair and retail. If you are interested, make sure to contact him on his social media below.
Keep a lookout for the October 1st Kickstarter to launch, to help create the Lykens Station Project. In the meantime, make sure to follow Powell’s Valley Farm Brewery on Facebook and Instagram for updates when they are available.
