‘It’s All About A Vibe’: Voodoo Brewing Company Delivering One-Of-A-Kind Brewpub Experience

There are few places in State College to indulge in a high-quality craft beer, a fresh lobster roll, and an easygoing, creekside atmosphere.

Tucked away on Elmwood Street, though, a mile and a half from Penn State and with Beaver Stadium in sight, Voodoo Brewing Company’s State College brewpub sits along Slab Cabin Run — a trickling branch of Spring Creek — offering a unique, beer-centric, customer-oriented ambiance.

The brewpub, which opened in 2019 in State College, is one piece of a greater Voodoo Brewing Company franchising model that outsources its recipes and character from its original brewpub in Meadville, Pennsylvania.

With roots in Western Pennsylvania but established Voodoo enthusiasts around the state and the Mid-Atlantic, an expansion into State College was a logical step in its evolution. And with investor connections with the folks at State College’s Maine Bay and Berry, the new brewpub quickly discovered its identity as a location in which community members could treat themselves to exceptional craft beer and seafood.

It originally operated with a farmers’ market permit and only sold beer in plastic to-go cups with lids, but folks still could drink on-site. The pub’s first day of business remains its busiest day of sales to date, emphasizing the market support from the start.

“The proof of concept here was definitely something that State College needed,” Wes Day, State College general manager, said. “The area was definitely hungry for something new, something innovative. When we came in, we just hit the ground running.”

Graduated from its farmers’ market days, Voodoo directs all aspects of its business from the brewing to the kitchen to the overall experience, and while maintaining an important relationship with its upstairs neighbor, Voodoo took over the kitchen from Maine Bay and Berry to provide a more pub-focused menu while staying true to familiar seafood and Happy Valley-specific favorites.

The “regular-driven” brewpub is home to weekly specials and provides a place where bartenders know your name and your order.

“The State College pub is synonymous with having that local vibe,” Voodoo Chief Marketing Officer Tom Guzick said.

But what it really boils down to is simply “a vibe.”

“It’s not something that you can put into words,” Day said of Voodoo. “It’s something you have to experience and feel. When you pull into the parking lot, it doesn’t seem like much, but as soon as you hit the deck and you walk in the door, you feel it. It’s something that can’t really be described. It’s a vibe.”

Encapsulating the Voodoo brand in its own beer, West Coast IPA “good vibes” is the brewery’s best-seller in State College, Meadville, and across Voodoo’s distribution which spans 15 states. The 7.3% tropical fruit-flavored IPA is what Day says is easiest to sell because of its significance to the Voodoo identity.

“‘good vibes’ is a branded beer that we have that fits the entire model of our culture right in one can,” Day said.

Day is proud to be a part of the ever-evolving Happy Valley beer scene and contribute craft beverages to a town with once few options available. A cornerstone of the State College brewery community, he believes the place he calls home is turning into a “brewery destination” along with Otto’s, Axemann, Boal City Brewing, and more, he said.

But while the State College craft beer landscape continues to develop, Voodoo will proceed as the relaxed, neighborly brewpub on the creek.

“It’s just a laid-back, community-driven atmosphere,” Guzick said. “We don’t take ourselves too seriously here. We’re just trying to have fun and be the best we can each day, and be the best people we can to help the local communities we have roots in.”

“Drop the worries, come in, have conversations, have a beer, try to experience something a little bit new, but it’s just something you have to experience,” Day added.