John Hart Farms on Titus Mill Road is a true working farm. There are cows, chickens, horses, pigs and fields of crops in season.
The property, which John Hart purchased in 1986, includes buildings which date back to the early 18th century. One of them, which has beams that have been dated by historians to as early as 1713, had served until very recently as a home for the cows that live on the farm.
A few years ago, Hart got the idea to start up a farm brewery on the site. He would grow a certain percentage of the brewing ingredients on the farm — namely, barley — which is a requirement for those seeking to be licensed by the state as a farm brewery.
For a tasting room, Hart tapped the old cow barn. But first, a few changes had to be made. Such as, the cows had to be relocated, and the barn converted to its new purpose.
The result almost has to be seen to be believed: the brewery, which opened on Valentine’s Day weekend, has the kind of rustic authenticity that other farm-based breweries can only aspire to.
“A lot of people, when they walked through the door, they had their mouths open,” John Hart told the Express. “Like, ‘Wow, this place is so cool. It’s like going back in history.’”
The tasting room is an open space filled with both round and long tables. There is a bar with 12 taps, although in the early weeks of operation there were usually four or five beers on offer. Beers are available for consumption on the grounds, or to go in 32-ounce, freshly filled cans known as Crowlers.
Off to one side is the general store, where visitors can purchase meat and dairy produced at the farm, as well as candy and snacks. Beth Scheuerlein of Needle Creek Farm Brewery said they have plans to add local honey and jams to the mix.
There are also three firepits outside, and plenty of wide open farm spaces where people will be able to gather once the weather turns warmer. While the brewery is not legally allowed to serve prepared foods, Needle Creek has hosted several food trucks since opening, a trend that is expected to continue.
It took a lot of work to get things ready for opening. In addition to the construction of a new cow barn, the old barn had to be completely cleaned out, aired out, shored up and refinished.
To help accomplish that, Hart brought in Gregg Marantz, formerly of Screamin’ Hill Brewery in Imlaystown, to be a partner and to manage operations. Once he was brought on board, Marantz wasted no time in getting started in the barn. King Construction of New Holland, Pa., which specializes in barns, was brought in as well.
“It was nine months of cleanout and demo. Gregg was here every day. If we didn’t have Gregg here, we wouldn’t be nearly open right now,” Hart said.
Hart said he got the inspiration to start a brewery while in Colorado visiting his son, Ben, who lived there at the time. “I went to visit my son, go skiing, and we went to a couple of breweries out there. His wife worked at one. I got a tour of one, I said, ‘This is nice. You know, I could put one on my farm.’”
To head up brewing operations, Hart, Scheuerlein and Marantz turned to Larry Littlehale. The Needle Creek brewmaster has worked for breweries throughout the U.S. and Europe, including most recently at Trillium Brewing in Massachusetts.
At Needle Creek, Littlehale has been making a variety of beers on a 15-barrel system. Brews on tap for the opening included a blonde ale, a golden ale, a hazy India Pale Ale and a Belgian-style ale. Hops in the Hen House, the hazy IPA, has been the most popular so far.
The beers are predominantly in the mid-range in terms of alcohol by volume—between 5 and 7% ABV. “When the ABVs are lower, you can stay and drink and enjoy yourself longer,” Marantz said.
They have (nonalcoholic) root beer on tap, brewed by Littlehale, and plans to add flavored seltzers in the future. The goal, Marantz said, is to be able to please any palate. “Everyone that walks in here, from a light beer drinker to a dark beer drinker to a fruited beer drinker, we want to have something for everyone,” he said.
Being located on a farm has its advantages. “We’re trying to make this a destination with beer as the center of it, but offering a lot of other activities — there’s a playground in back, there are all the farm animals, live music, food trucks,” Marantz said.
“It’s a farm,” Scheuerlein added. “People come because they want to see what a working farm is like.”
Hart and Scheuerlein said they have long had a commitment to sustainability on their farm, and that extends to the brewery operations as well. For example, the spent grain left over after a beer is made can be used as feed for the cows. “A lot of breweries, they do that, but they have to have someone from a brewery come get the spent grain, bring it back,” Hart said. “Here we can just take it from here over to our cow barn.”
Waste water left over from the brewing process can also be used to irrigate the farm’s crops.
Response to the brewery has been positive. “A lot of people who have come were people who have heard about it and were excited to finally be here and be experiencing it,” Scheuerlein said.
While things are just getting started, the partners are already looking forward to the fall, when they plan to have a pick-your-own pumpkin patch, a corn maze and other farm activities to attract visitors. John Hart has even been known to give visitors tours of the farm.
“A lot of people have said, ‘This is exactly what Hopewell needed,’” Marantz said.
The brewery is open Fridays from 3 to 8 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m. and Sundays from noon to 6 p.m. Hart said that people have been asking him to open on Thursdays as well, and he said it’s a definite possibility down the road.
The tap room is also available Mondays through Wednesdays for private parties.
Correction March 4: A previous version of this story in print and online referred to Beth Scheuerlein as Beth Hart.
