Keeping the Gears Turning for the Local Community: Meet David and Erin Kozloski of GearHouse Brewing Co.

The expressive phrase “I can see their gears turning” is indicative of the process of creation. Thoughts being spurred, inspiration coming to light, and enthusiasm for the future being fostered are all part of the unique elements of truly passionate creativity. Maybe that’s why it’s so fitting that David and Erin Kozloski, as well as their four business partners, Jessee McMath, Heather Gray, Candice McMath, David Kozloski and LaVan Gray, named their brewery GearHouse Brewing Co.

“GearHouse began as six friends (three couples) with a shared love of bicycles and great beer,” said Erin. “We love our community, and found that there was a need for our neighbors to gather. The name GearHouse reflects our love of cycling and the industrial nature of our railroad yard location. We restored a Cumberland Valley Railroad warehouse and tried hard to preserve the history and character of our beautiful building.” 

So, what got the GearHouse team started on the journey to opening their own brewpub? “We started this venture believing our town could benefit from a great gathering place, and we quickly found that to be true,” she added. “We learned early on that Chambersburg was very supportive of us, and our community turned out in droves. We became more than a brewery taproom, offering wine, cider, spirits and cocktails in addition to our beer so we could serve everyone who came in.”

This ethos didn’t stop with libations. “The same had to be true of our food, so we set out to partner with Chef Josh Fidler to create a broad menu with wide appeal and adaptability. Along the way, we’ve learned from our customers what they want from us,” Erin said.

GearHouse’s brewing roots began with David’s experience, first as a winery assistant and homebrewer, and then later on at two major breweries (including Tröegs Brewing Company). Shortly after these experiences David began helping to start GearHouse Brewing Co.

Like many brewers, GearHouse isn’t looking to stay static. “We just finished up a major expansion to include a bulk grain silo, a new 15BBL brew system and tanks, new drainage and a new production floor, as well as additional cold storage and cooperage,” Erin detailed.

This isn’t the limit of what GearHouse has in mind for the future, either. “We’re still working on getting our sour program online — in the basement of our building,” continued Erin. “This will include various sorts of spontaneous and wild fermentations, incorporating neutral oak barrels and local ingredients, some of which are even grown on site.”

GearHouse has embraced “local” and encapsulated it in their on-site garden which includes hops, herbs and more that all go into their brews and menu items. “We opted to put in the hop yard and start the garden in the early days of planning. Not only did we feed ourselves from that garden, but we started it to add a variety of hyper-local ingredients we can use at the bar, in the kitchen and in the brewhouse,” she said. “We grow a variety of herbs and spices, peppers, tomatoes, pumpkins, strawberries, pseudo-grains and flowers. Not only does it help save some costs, but it also adds to the visual appeal of our location. There’s even outdoor yoga in the hop yard during the summer months! We do use the hops every year in a wet hop pale ale recipe that Jessee and David originally worked on together with our pilot system.” 

What hops do they grow and feature in this special wet hop ale each year? “Cascade, Nugget and CTZ are harvested and weighed by volunteers, staff and owners. This all happens while David starts the brew,” Erin explained. “The hops are used as a whirlpool addition that same day. It’s certainly a changing flavor, year to year, but it’s still popular.” 

“There are absolutely plenty of challenges with trying to grow all these items, but the marketability and savings, as well as the community relationships, make it entirely worthwhile,” she added.

Beyond what they grow on site, GearHouse is proud to support local ingredients and farms as well. “We feel that the ‘source local’ culture is important for economic, ecological and sustainability reasons. It’s also quite marketable for us, and for the other businesses we help support through these endeavors,” Erin continued. “Yes, we could make cheaper beer, but is that really worth it?”

That is an increasingly common question for many in the food-and-beverage industry, as well as for the consumers that support these establishments.

“We’ve used apples, strawberries, gooseberries, rhubarb (a local favorite used in our Saison), sorrel, chocolate, roasted coffee, apricots, peaches, nectarines, and even our own garden-grown-pumpkins, hops and spices, in a variety of styles of beer and cask ales,” she said.

These local collaborations can sometimes be the core of the most interesting creations. Case in point: GearHouse Brewing Co.’s collaborative chocolate porter, made with Nathan Miller Chocolate, another resident business in Chambersburg. “Nathan Miller is a local celebrity in Chambersburg, and we were lucky to introduce ourselves to him early on (read: business planning at his coffee house!),” Erin said. “He and David became quick friends and worked on the recipe together. Fun fact: We cycle some of the finished beer back to Nathan Miller for him to use in making more chocolate!”

It will be exciting to see what the future has in store for GearHouse Brewing Co. and all that they have planned. In short, it’s good to see that local beer and ingredients can continue to find a home in seemingly every, town, city and locale. 

 

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.

 

—Nathan Greenwood