About 30 minutes outside of Harrisburg in Newport, just steps away from the Juniata River, River Bend Hop Farm and Brewery has dug its roots deep into a 100-year-old barn. What started as a worn-down barn and a dream to own a farm has blossomed into a happening brewery. We chatted with owner Denny Browne about what it was like to build River Bend, which opened on September 22, 2017.
Denny explained, “My wife, Wendy, and I had some beef cattle, and I really wanted buy a farm.” While Wendy was skeptical of the idea, Denny ended up finding a prime spot with the help of a few friends. Once he was able to show her the land with the barn, especially during a spectacular sunset, “She said, ‘I’ll do this, but you have to come to this conference with me in Pittsburgh.’ So we went, and they had a class on growing hops. They made it sound really fun, when in reality, it’s a pain in the ass. Anyway, we did get really into growing hops, and then we decided to put a hop yard in at the farm.”
After those serendipitous events, Denny solicited help from some buddies. “When I told my friends we were putting in a hop farm, they thought I was nuts, but they all showed up the next day to help. The day after that, only Tom Beers showed up. He’s been with me since. We had a lot of family help, but for the most part, he and I built the hop farm.”
As Denny and Tom grew the farm and started selling hops to brewers, they were often asked why they weren’t brewing themselves. “That’s where the real money is,” they heard. So they decided to try their hand at brewing, and at the same time recognized that the space was due for some much-needed renovations. Denny said, “The barn was trashed when we started. We basically had to gut it, clean it and put down a new floor.”
Denny and Wendy —along with Tom and his wife, Melissa — put in long hours renovating the barn while continuing to hold demanding full-time jobs. “It took us 14 months from the first hammer swing to finishing up,” Denny remarked. “There were trees growing through the walls, so we had two local stonemasons come in and rebuild most of the walls using stone original to the farm.” After months of labor and construction, the team felt proud of the building it had recreated. “Now we’re running out of space,” he chuckled.
With brewery Brian Keaney at the helm of the brewery operation, River Bend offers quite the selection off of its flexible one-barrel brew house. At any given time, the brewery offers 12 beers (including a sour and a mead) and two homemade sodas, plus The Winery at Hunter’s Valley wine and mixed drinks featuring Hazard’s Distillery spirits. Even brewing twice a day, three days a week, the team is finding it tough to keep pace with demand. Denny explained, “There is good and bad to the small-brew system. The good is we can make 12 different types of beer. The bad is we sell it like it’s going out of style.” While an upgrade is most likely in River Bend’s near future, Denny likes the small system for now. “Brian is an amazing brewer, and he loves to experiment with different styles.”
On weekends, River Bend Hop Farm and Brewery can be especially full with thirsty guests. Denny and the team are looking to host private events at the space, with an in-progress, second-story room that can seat up to 250 guests. He said, “The barn is what’s called a bank barn, so it has two floors. The brew house and seating is downstairs, and now we’ve started building out the upstairs.” Ideal for weddings, family reunions and other events, River Bend is becoming a destination for great beer and more.
The Brewers of Pennsylvania is a nonprofit trade association that brings together leaders of Pennsylvania-based breweries in order to promote and protect the brewing industry in the state. Established in 2011, the Brewers of Pennsylvania serves the consuming public of Pennsylvania by encouraging brand diversity in the market. We believe in the nobility of brewing and hold dear the great traditions and history of Pennsylvania brewing.
Photos: River Bend Brewery
