The craft beverage scene sure has been booming in Centre County over the last decade. It seems like every time you turn around there is a new winery, cidery, distillery, or brewery to check out—it is a good “problem” to have. But, with all that growth, there has long been something conspicuously missing: a craft beverage producer in the heart of downtown State College.
Most vibrant towns the size of State College tend to have a few breweries and cideries that one can walk to. But for the longest time, those looking to visit a craft beverage producer in this area have had to be willing to venture away from downtown, where they will find a plethora of great local beverage producers all around the county, each unique and fun to visit.
Now, it’s true that those looking for a locally made beverage while in downtown State College have never had to look far, as many of its famed establishments are proud to carry local products. But State College Borough has been without a brewery for many years.
Finally, that changed after Antifragile Brewing Company opened at 324 E. Calder Way in late April with a focus on fermenting small batches of craft beverages, while building a space for the Penn State and local community to visit right in the heart of town.
Owners Lisa Harpster and John Schaffer are the team bringing this dream to reality, with help from a friend of a friend, who happens to be an award-winning brewer from Brazil.
It all began with another fermented drink that is growing in popularity, kombucha. While on a “once-in-a-lifetime” trip to the Super Bowl in San Francisco back in 2016, Shaffer, a long-time lover of craft food and drink, tried the fermented drink for the first time.
“I just really liked the beverage, and when I came back here, I couldn’t find anything with a similar taste,” says Schaffer. So to quench his thirst, the Penn State grad started experimenting with brewing kombucha in his basement. Harpster, who grew up in State College and is also a Penn State grad, became one of his first taste testers of the product, soon helping him develop more flavors.
As they continued to experiment with the drink, people started to take a liking. Once Schaffer and Harpster realized they were giving away nearly all their product to family and friends who couldn’t get enough, they knew they were on to something.
Before long, friends over at Rothrock Coffee asked if they could sell the drink at their store, and Moody Culture Kombucha was born. It became a hit. Now, their kombucha drink flavored with fruit, herbs, and roots is available to purchase at multiple locations (and will be featured at Antifragile).
Then, right before the pandemic, Schaffer went on a brewery tour trip up in Vermont and noticed that many of the breweries, even the small out-of-the-way places, also had kombucha on tap. He pondered, “Why can’t we have something like this in State College?”
With their kombucha already a hit, the pair, who both have a history of working in the service industry, decided to make this dream a reality.
“We knew we needed to start looking for a place, and we needed to start looking for a brewer,” says Harpster. As luck would have it, right around that time, one of Schaffer’s friends introduced them to Paulo, who just happened to be an accomplished brewer from Brazil (and who prefers to go by just his first name).
Paulo spent time in the nearby Bald Eagle Valley as an exchange student growing up and often comes back to visit Happy Valley because he loves the area. In Brazil, he learned the brewing process at the award-winning Cathedral brewery, but he always thought about moving back to central Pennsylvania.
While in town on a visit, Paulo brewed up a batch of beer and kombucha for Harpster and Schaffer. After meeting him and tasting his brews, they knew they had their brewer. Now, they just needed to find the right location.
Then COVID hit, adding a layer of difficulty to the process. Many different ideas and locations for their dream were discussed, but they finally found a home on Calder Way at the former spot of Barranquero Café.
“When more and more vacancies became available downtown, we sort of changed our vision; maybe the post-COVID solution is to start a small taproom experience, instead of this grand destination place. This would allow us to get not only the Penn State community, but get the opportunity to bring more members of the community downtown.” says Harpster. “That is what we are trying to focus on. While of course the college students are welcome, we are attracting a little more than that. … Part of the experience that we are trying to provide is something that feels a bit urban, that feels a little elevated. A place where older adults feel comfortable, enjoying high-end cocktails, high-end beer, high-end kombucha.”
At Antifragile, they have built a spot that feels that way. It is open and modern with two levels of seating. As the weather warms and they get more settled in, the patio will open up even more seating. With multiple small businesses nearby, patrons are encouraged to bring over take-out to go along with the gourmet popcorn that Harpster and Shaffer will offer for noshing.
In the back of the house, Paulo will be manning the high-tech nano brewing area, turning out a wide variety of styles to keep beer lovers happy—pale ales, IPAs, lagers, porters, stouts, and more. One thing is for sure: every time you stop by, there is bound to be a new flavor to try.
“Paulo wants to do a hundred different beers in six months. We’ll have our flagships, and we are going to be trying different things. If something winds up being a hit, maybe it will be part of the normal rotation,” said Schaffer.
The first goal is to keep the taps filled, but canning will begin soon for those looking to bring some of the flavors home.
Beyond beer and kombucha, local spirits will be available for cocktails. Eventually, hard seltzer and an alcoholic kombucha will be added to the mix.
While the owners get their feet wet, the brewery will be open on weekends—3 p.m. to close on Friday, and 1 p.m. to close Saturday and Sunday. Hours may expand in the future.
The name Antifragile is based off a favorite book that had a huge impact on their approach to life, Antifragile: Things that Gain from Disorder, by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. Harpster says things that are antifragile take on disorder or hardship and don’t just withstand it, but grow and become better from it.
“The parallel here is, though not by design, that we are starting small. When you are small you can be agile. You are not taking on a bunch of depth that limits the choices you make,” says Shaffer. “So, we can do what we want, how we want it, and I think it ties in pretty nicely.” T&G
Staff writer Vincent Corso enjoys drinking local and meeting new people at central Pennsylvania’s many interesting establishments.
