Rooster Street Brewing has begun to brew in downtown Lititz. There will be beer available in July, and the brewery will look to formally open with a Grand Opening in mid to late summer. They are located at 11 South Cedar Street.
David Stoudt, owner of Rooster Street Butcher, Bulls Head Public House, and the Lititz Springs Inn, decided to add the brewery to the restaurant with a few partners.
We recently caught up with the head brewer of Rooster Street Brewing, Josh Kauffman, to learn about the new brewery, and what beer fans can expect.
Josh is a Lancaster, PA native, and has had 8 years in the brewing industry so far, ranging from Tampa, FL at Rapp Brewing, to Vasen Brewing Company in Richmond, VA. He most recently managed the wild and sour program, as well as the barrel aging program there.
See below for our conversation!
BIPA: What stage are you currently in? Licensing?
Josh: We have licensing and a brewhouse. We just brewed our first beer to see how everything will work. A little hoppy pale ale that we are excited about. These will be will available at the restaurant in limited quantities to start, as work through getting started.
BIPA: Who is involved in the brewery?
Josh: David Stoudt (owner), Ed Nevling (CFO), Rob Commero (GM), Josh Kauffman (head brewer), and Carson Kegerreis (Beverage Director/Spirit Guide). Mike LaRosa from New Trail Brewing Company also consulted on the project.
BIPA: What styles of beers will you focus on?
Josh: We will start with some classic styles: West Coast IPA, Witbier, English mild, and stout. The goal is to always have a variety on tap from light to dark: lagers, saisons, fruited sours, stouts, and English styles.
Then I’m going to get weird with it and start making some dry-hopped wild ales. I was to offer some really approachable mixed-culture beer. Beers that aren’t aged for a very long time.
BIPA: Can you describe the space you are opening?
Josh: We are opening in the current Rooster Street Butcher location, and the brewery is now housed behind the kitchen.
The restaurant serves lunch and dinner, and we will be expanding our hours soon as well. For beer, we have 10 taps to start, which will eventually all be our beer once we can brew more! We already have all PA-based spirits, and a craft cocktail menu is coming. We will be getting a full liquor license shortly as well.
The space seats about 50 people, and there’s currently a small amount of outside seating out back by the parking lot. We are also looking to make a rooftop beer garden this summer and use the patio next to the apartment above the restaurant. This would more than double our capacity.
For the brewhouse, we currently have a 3 BBL system. Our goal is to serve the restaurant and bar first. We will get some kegs to Bulls Head Public House up the street, and also select few accounts to start. From there we will see how it goes, and hopefully expand.
BIPA: Will you release crowlers/cans there as well?
Josh: We will be doing crowlers to go to start. We are a little too small to can right now but will look toward that in the future as we grow.
BIPA: Will there be food offered?
Josh: Yes! The full menu from the Rooster Street Butcher will always be available.
Make sure to follow Rooster Street on Facebook and Instagram for the next beers they will offer, and all the latest news.
