When TrAils to Ales originally opened their brewery in Franklin, PA their goal was quite simple; offer locals a community gathering place they can be proud to call home. At the same time, they wanted to build a business that paid homage to the area’s robust outdoor hiking trails.

While they have done exactly that, as we learned, they have gone a bit further in those initial goals by creating a brewery that has become a must-stop for any out of town traveler. We recently spoke with brewery General Manager Mark Shreffler and co-owner Dave Ballard (both Franklin locals) who shared the history and planned future of this Venango County brewery.

As you’ll see below, our conversation with the pair covered a wide array of topics. While many details were discussed, they all shared the same theme. And that is that the team behind TrAils to Ales has an unrelenting passion to give back to their community in everything they do. What cannot be understated is how much pride this brewery has for the community of Franklin, PA.

Having sold over 42,000 drafts and 20,000 cans in the previous year alone the brewery has quickly become one of the top craft beer producers in the area. And with such offerings like their top-rated Broken Spoke Blueberry Wheat or Applefest Apple Pie Ale, there is no shortage of creativity and flavor coming from their 7 bbl brewhouse. Crafted by head brewer Justin Dudek, who comes to TrAils to Ales with an impressive background having spent time at Pennsylvania’s own Voodoo and Blue Canoe breweries. You can see the complete line of beer the brewery has to offer here.

The 16 draft beer lines just scratch the surface when it comes to consumption options being offered by the Franklin brewery. Along with the aforementioned craft beer variety, the brewery also has an almost equally robust wine and spirits menu that includes cocktails as well as adult slushies. Yup, you read that right, by far the breweries most popular liquor beverages are their slushies that have been made in a number of different varieties, including using their very own Apple Pie Ale!

The dining experience at TrAils to Ales is completed by a locally sourced food menu that offers over 90 different items! Including (their #1 seller) wood-fired pizzas, appetizers, main dishes, and a kids menu that rounds out the family dining experience. As we learned the brewery and restaurant are both equally critical to operations which is why TrAils to Ales puts an emphasis on being able to provide both at a very high level.

The only way to truly understand the wide variety this menu offers is to view it for yourself.

Any number of the accomplishments listed above would be enough to consider the brewery a success. But the TrAils to Ales growth is just beginning. The brewery is already planning an expansion of its operations. They are currently looking at a local offsite space that was once a former car garage to operate as their new brewhouse. This space also comes equipped with a large outdoor parking lot, which the brewery plans to convert into a fenced in outdoor venue to be used for live music as well as operating an outdoor bar on the weekends.

Inside of this anticipated new brewhouse would be used as an area for small-batch releases as well as a future beer wall. A location that would allow users to pour their own beers directly for themselves.

The expansion goes beyond the new brewhouse space. Along with this, in late 2020, the brewery introduced their very own canning line which will allow them to increase to a 50+ mile distributor radius as well as offer a significant number of more cans to locals at the brewery directly.

As you can see from all that we have shared above, TrAils to Ales has worked hard to pay homage to the rich history of Franklin, PA while also becoming one of the top modern neighborhood gathering locations the area has to offer. Between their robust craft beer, wine, spirits, slushies, and food offerings TrAils to Ales has become a must-visit for any PA beer traveler.

We highly recommend a visit to their brewery on Liberty Street for yourself. But if you cannot immediately get there, make sure to keep up with their growth by following them on social media at Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.