This story originally appeared in the November 2024 edition of Town&Gown magazine.
A little more than 10 years ago, Big Spring Spirits opened its distillery and tasting room in Bellefonte, bringing craft cocktails and house-made spirits to a town that was about to experience what many have called a renaissance.
Nestled into the historic Match Factory building, Big Spring Spirits’ cozy tasting room balances the history of the building with the kind of comfortable modern feel that makes you want to sit and stay a while. It is matched by the wonderful service of bartenders who take their time catering to customers and making craft cocktails that showcase the quality spirits that are made in the distillery on the other side of the bar.
The location serves as a gathering place for locals and a destination for those from both near and far who like a quality mixed drink.
Now, folks from the Centre Region won’t have to make the trek down the Benner Pike to get that Big Spring Spirits tasting room experience because the local establishment has teamed with the Scholar Hotel to operate out of the hotel’s bar and bistro at 201 E. Beaver Ave. downtown State College.
A grand opening celebration for Big Spring Spirits at Scholar State College will be held from 5 to 11 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 7.
It is one of many signs that Big Spring Spirits has been doing things right over the past decade—they have also added a tasting room in western Pennsylvania’s Sewickley, and will grow even further into Pittsburgh when The Distillery at South Shore opens in the future.
I know that location will be a must-visit when I am in the Pittsburgh area. It looks to feature a restaurant with indoor and outdoor seating, a 5,000-square-foot craft spirits distillery and tasting room with walk-up access from the riverwalk (an eclectic artisanal marketplace with local merchants sharing their craft), a rooftop bar with expansive views of downtown Pittsburgh and more.
But, for now, I am just happy to be able to stop by for a Big Spring drink close to home in State College. According to Tasting Room Manager Lucy Rogers, State College was a logical next step for the distillery. After all, back when co-owner and Penn State alumnus Kevin Lloyd wanted to bring a distillery to the area, State College was the first place he looked.
But, as fortune would have it, they ended up in Bellefonte, providing an ideal location for the spirit making process due to the distillery namesake, Bellefonte’s famous Big Spring. That Big Spring is known far and wide for the quality of water it produces for the town of Bellefonte. Water, as you know, just happens to be one of the main ingredients in alcoholic spirits.
Kevin and his team have done well with that good Big Spring water, making a wide variety of products from bourbon to vodka and many things in between. While these wonderful products have been available at State College area bars and liquor stores for a while, the new partnership with the Scholar Hotel will give locals an opportunity to taste excellent craft concoctions made by the Big Spring team in a great downtown location.
Like the Match Factory in Bellefonte, the Scholar Hotel location provides a historic ambiance for Big Spring Spirits’ newest bar to call home.
The Scholar Hotel opened in the renovated Glennland Building on the corner of East College Avenue and South Pugh Street in 2021. Constructed in 1933 by builder O.W. Houts and physician Dr. Grover Glenn, the Glennland Building is listed in the National Register of Historic Places. For 40 years, it was the tallest building in State College and was home to the area’s first public elevator and first indoor swimming pool.
Now the hotel offers a boutique experience with nods to its place in State College history. The pool, sadly, is long gone, but worry not, because now there is Big Spring. Lucy says they plan to provide customers with the same well-cared-for experience that has come to be expected in Bellefonte, with some added bonuses.
She says customers will find many of the same cocktails made with Big Spring Spirits that are served in Bellefonte. Since they will be operating on the hotel’s liquor license instead of the distillery’s (which limits establishments to Pennsylvania-made beers and wines and their own spirits) the State College location will be able to have different things on hand. Expect a wide variety of wines (Lucy is a wine connoisseur, after all) and interesting beer selections.
With new liqueurs and spirits to experiment with, the new location will be able to offer some different concoctions that are sure to please. A revamped menu looks to provide diners with an experience to uplift their spirit and their spirits.
“I am hoping that the experience that people will have will be very similar to the experience in Bellefonte,” Lucy says. That includes on-tap cocktails, an interesting menu with something for everyone, cocktail flights and the great service that they are known for.
“I like to think that we are doing it right. I try to train the staff and hire people who care about what they are doing and enjoy doing it. We try to really learn about and care about the customers,” Lucy says.
Cheers to that. I hope Big Spring Spirits keeps springing up all over the place. In the meantime, I’ll be happy to visit Lucy and her team in State College for a craft cocktail or two. Hope to see you there. T&G
Vincent Corso enjoys drinking local and meeting new people at central Pennsylvania’s many interesting establishments.
