Years ago, I remember my old beer drinking buddy Ryan telling me that I needed to check out Marzoni’s Brick Oven and Brewing Co. in Duncansville. He raved about the food, the atmosphere, and, most importantly, the beer.
It took a few years of him telling me, but eventually I made it out to the cozy little brewery and pizza pub after a trail race in the area. After running a half marathon, I was very hungry and thirsty, and Marzoni’s did not disappoint. Ryan was right—they served up “Good Food, Good Beer, and Good Times,” and that is exactly what is written all over the walls at Marzoni’s newest location in State College (1214 North Atherton Street, former home of TGI Fridays).
The new spot opened in the heart of Penn State football season last September and hasn’t looked back. It is Marzoni’s fifth location, after also branching out to Selinsgrove, Altoona, and Mechanicsburg over the past couple of decades since the Duncansville location opened in 2003.
I had been meaning to stop by the new State College location, and when I finally did I was happy to chat with manger Mandy Bryner as she poured me a couple of beers.
After being a part of the Marzoni’s team for four years, Mandy helped get the new location off the ground last fall. She did a great job keeping the customers at the horseshoe-shaped bar happy while filling my glass with beer and filling me in with what Marzoni’s is all about.
“We are known mostly for our brick oven pizzas and our beer. All of our locations have a built-in brick oven out in the restaurant, So, on the dining room side, you can actually see our oven and the pizzas being made,” Mandy said.
The pizzas, pub food, and other food on the full menu all looked very tempting when I stopped in, but I’ll have to come back for that. This time I was there to the try the craft brews made in Duncansville by head brewer Bill Kroft. He has brewed every single batch of Marzoni’s beer over the years, and he must be busy supplying the five locations with their large variety of brews.
“Everything gets sent out to all the locations weekly from Duncansville, so it is fresh beer. We always have seven staple beers, ranging from IPAs, stouts, pale ales, and then we also have brewer’s choice varieties, which are specialty and seasonal brews,” Mandy told me as she suggested the Avalanche IPA, an American style brewed with Amarillo, Centennial, and Chinook hops, and the West Coast style Nectaron IPA, which is Mandy’s favorite.
I enjoyed both and was happy that they offered both twelve-ounce and eighteen-ounce pours (I stuck to the twelve-ounce pours for the strong IPAs).
I enjoyed them so much that I came back again the next day with my buddy Ty to try some more. We both were happy with the multitude of offerings that ranged from the easy drinking Locke Mountain Lager and Amber Lager to the tasty Pathway Pale Ale and Stone Mason Stout, brewed with lactose, brown sugar, and seven different malts—yum.
“Our brewer comes up with everything himself and he is constantly trying something new. We don’t just specialize in one type of beer, so we have everything from lagers, stouts, IPAs, Belgians, and more. We have something for everyone,” Mandy said.
Beyond their beers, Marzoni’s keeps a selection of guest taps on draft and a mix of bottles of domestics. For those interested in something beyond beer, the full bar is well stocked, and on a Friday afternoon, many patrons were enjoying Moscow mules that were on special for happy hour.
The location seems like a nice place to watch a game, or to stop by for a meal with family and friends before heading up to campus to watch your favorite Penn State team. The brick pizza oven makes the location feel warm and inviting.
“We are kind of a cross between a family style restaurant, a sports bar, and a brewery,” Mandy said. “We kind of have all the different concepts. Our bar area has big TVs, and we are always playing a variety of games. We play all the Penn State games, so the bar area is like a sports bar type feel, but we are a brewery, so we have our own beer. Then the dining area is more family friendly. We also have outdoor seating, which is really helpful because who doesn’t want to sit outside and drink a beer when it is warm out?”
Cheers to that, because I know that I do. Warm or not, I’ll be back soon to try some more beer and get my hands on some woodfired pizza. Yes, it’s nice to have another addition to State College’s craft beverage scene, which continues to grow brick by brick oven. T&G
Vincent Corso enjoys drinking local and meeting new people at central Pennsylvania’s many interesting establishments.
