Cool Down at Arts Fest’s Craft Beverage Expo

This story originally appeared in The Centre County Gazette .

STATE COLLEGE — Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts kicked off another year of arts and entertainment on Wednesday, July 9, with Children & Youth Day. The annual festival will continue to run from Thursday, July 10, through Sunday, July 14, featuring not only art vendors and musicians, but also a Craft Beverage Expo, hosted by Central Pennsylvania Tasting Trail. The expo will take place on Friday, July 12, and Saturday, July 13.

The Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts has been a summer staple since 1967, spanning four days and featuring art vendors, live performances and food vendors.

In 2022, the festival added a Craft Beverage Expo. This year, 12 featured craft beverage makers, which can be found on the Central PA Tasting Trail , will be in attendance.

The expo is located at the Martin Luther King Jr. Plaza on South Fraser Street and has a variety of local beer, wine, cider and spirit vendors. The event has a cover charge of $10 and will provide participants with samples and allow them to purchase drinks.

The event lasts from noon to 8 p.m. on both days.

There will be six different exhibitors on Friday, July 12, providing attendees with a variety of wines, spirits and beers. All of them are local to central PA and are sourced from local products.

Barrel 21 Distillery, Otto’s Pub and Brewery and Keewaydin Cider Mill are three separate vendors but are all connected. Otto’s Pub and Brewery was founded in 2002 by a Penn State graduate. It offers a variety of different beers and cocktails.

Barrel 21 Distillery is owned by Otto’s Pub and Brewery. All of their products are made from locally sourced products and produce. Barrel 21 offers a variety of spirits at the expo from a collection of whiskeys, vodkas and rum.

Likewise, Keewaydin Cider Mill is partnered with Otto’s Pub and Brewery. It has been producing apples for over 75 years. They have a variety of ciders and wines to choose from. Most of them are made from Keewaydin’s apples.

Boal City Brewery is located in Boalsburg and has a selection of different beers. It is owned by Gordon Kauffman, who works alongside brewer Mike Smith to make each craft offering.

“It is of course about the beer — we’re a beer manufacturer first and foremost,” Kaufmann previously told The Centre County Gazette when discussing the brewery’s recent first anniversary .

Titian Hollow, located in Bellefonte, is known for its unique range of ciders. It provides a selection of flavors from apple cider to green tea cider.

University Wine Company is a family-owned winery in State College. The winery has a collection of wines, wine slushies and some PA craft beers.

While the Central Pennsylvania Festival of the Arts website noted that University Wine Company will return for the second day of the expo, Saturday, July 13, will also have five exhibitors different from the first day.

814 Cider Works, located on Shingletown Road, serves ciders that are made from the apples grown on their farms. The cidery has a variety of tastes and selections and some of their ciders are also provided in slushy form.

Axemann Brewery is located in Bellefonte but also has a tavern in Selinsgrove. The brewery is inside a revitalized metal factory and serves seasonal and a few staple beers.

Big Spring Spirits creates craft cocktails in Bellefonte, but also has a location in Sewickley. Its website noted that they put a big emphasis on being local and community-centric. They serve an assortment of spirits and bottled cocktails.

Mount Nittany Vineyard and Winery is in State College and has a selection of wines. The vineyard is owned by Linda Weaver, the second generation to own the winery. The wines are made by the winemaker, Scott Hilliker.

Robin Hood Brewing Co., located in Bellefonte, offers a variety of beers. They have IPAs, wheat beers, experimental brews and more.

Pisano Family Wines is a small-batch winery located in Millheim. They have wine, local beer and cocktails.

In addition to the craft beverages, the expo will also have a series of entertainment throughout.

Friday entertainment schedule:

• 12  to 12:45 p.m. OverheaD Duo
• 1 to 1:45 p.m. Acoustic Artifacts
• 2 to 2:45 p.m. Ady Martinez
• 3 to 3:45 p.m. Conner Gilbert
• 4 to 4:45 p.m. Jason O
• 5 to 5:45 p.m. The Extra Miles
• 6 to 6:45 p.m. Hops and Vines
• 7 to 7:45 p.m. Mountain City Acoustic

Saturday entertainment schedule:

• 12 to 12:45 p.m. Dough Irwin and Larry Bogess
• 1 to 1:45 p.m. Pat McGinnis
• 2 to 2:45 p.m. Andy Tolins/JT
• 3 to 3:45 p.m. Big Red
• 4 to 4:45 p.m. Kevin Briggs
• 5 to 5:45 p.m. Ted and Molly
• 6 to 6:45 p.m.  Honey Pie
• 7 to 7:45 p.m. Tyne and the Fastline

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