Long before there were craft beverage producers all over Centre County, Zeno’s Pub was one of the places where Penn Staters and townies alike went to learn about the world of good beer and local music.
Located, as the saying goes, directly above the center of the earth, at the State College/Penn State nexus of West College Avenue and South Allen Street, just below the historic Corner Room, the establishment has been an underground haven for half a century for those looking for a place to get away from it all and enjoy a distinctive beer and listen to live music.
A longtime rite of passage for any beer connoisseur in the area was the honor of having your name imprinted on a plaque on the wall of Zeno’s after getting every stamp on your “beer passport,” which consisted of 80 beers from around the world. This all started in a world where craft beers were not often found on menus.
As town and the local craft beverage scene has grown up around it, Zeno’s continues to be a refuge for many, from young grad students who are looking to experiment with different beers to alumni who come back to have a pint (or two) at their old college hangout, and many other searchers along the way. All the while, Zeno’s has been true to itself, says longtime General Manager Dave Staab.
“Zeno’s is one of those places where people walk in the door—some people get it right away and other people don’t. Some people, it takes a while to have an affinity for Zeno’s, and certainly some people never do. We are not for everybody; we do what we do,” says Staab. But he adds, “When people find that they like it, it can be a powerful, long-lasting relationship.”
Those types of relationships were on full display over the second weekend of October when Staab and his team celebrated fifty years of Zeno’s by throwing a big old party, featuring an array of live music and many friendly faces from the past. All weekend long around the pub, old pals shared memories of their glory days as their favorite bands played in the background.
Staab has been a part of the team at Zeno’s since 1984, when legend has it that he hitchhiked after attending his first Grateful Dead show in Harrisburg to make it in time for his first shift as Zeno’s weekend janitor. The shift started at 8 a.m., ouch.
“True story,” says Staab. Thirty-eight years later, and Staab has made a career out of making people feel comfortable and at home at Zeno’s, which was evident during the 50th-anniversary celebration by the many enduring hugs, handshakes, and close conversations he had with patrons from the recent and distant past. He only wishes he had more time to sit with everyone to catch up and tell stories.
Maybe most telling were the two women who joined the celebration clad in shirts that read “I love Dave” and featured a photo of the man himself.
“It was wild,” says Staab of the weekend. “It was a continuous stream of old regulars, friends. Locals, travelers. The live music changed every couple hours. It was one of the most enjoyable weekends I’ve ever had for sure. And challenging, too. It is my profession and social life in a microcosm. I was hosting and bartending the whole time, too.”
Zeno’s history dates back a dozen years before Staab’s tenure. The location was previously a shoe store until Zeno Papadopoulos and his brother Chris bought the Hotel State College property in 1971. While going through an old desk, they found an unused liquor license that they smartly decided to reactivate for the premises. So, after Zeno’s was established in 1972, named after Zeno himself, the bar quickly became a hangout for the college crowd and the underground scene in State College, says Staab.
With the aforementioned beer passport introduced in the 1980s, the bar became known for its wide selection of beers from around the world. With Staab on board, the bar began following on his lead, becoming one of the first bars on the east coast to introduce a cask-conditioned beer.
As beer selections became more widely available, the bar was able to focus on not just having beers from around the world but having some of the best beers, from those cask-conditioned ales to Belgians and everything in between.
“Over the years, with the U.S. beer market becoming such a powerful player and innovative, going back to the 1990s, the list became more U.S.-heavy,” says Staab. Showing its long-time connection to the local beer scene, Zeno’s even has its own beer, Zeno’s Rye, produced by Otto’s Brewery. Millheim’s Elk Creek Café and Aleworks also produced a special brew to celebrate the pub’s anniversary.
“The beer culture added to the vibe of the room all throughout the ’80s and ’90s. Live music came in the ’90s … but the energy of the room, the sort of communal vibe of the room, has been a steady thing that is arguably the most powerful part,” says Staab. He adds, “The beer culture part continues. But it is a little bit harder these days. Really good beer is everywhere, for the most part.”
Now, while still hanging on to Zeno’s beer culture roots, Staab and his team are exploring the bourbon and whiskey world. In anticipation of the 50th anniversary, local distillery Barrel 21 produced a rye whiskey that aged five years for the occasion. That and many other fine bourbons are available for patrons these days, as the bar continues to evolve.
“That certainly follows other craft beer bars, where a nice whiskey with your nice beer has been a thing for a long, long time. But a really nice whiskey has been a thing for the past three or four years,” says Staab.
As it looks toward the next half century, Zeno’s will continue to be “familiar” even as it innovates and adapts, Staab says. The bar is already experimenting with non- and low-alcohol drinks that are becoming more popular for people who want to hang out and try new flavors without alcohol.
“I think that is going to be a bigger part of the social environment than it ever has been. People want to go out, but they are not looking for double shots of Fireball,” says Staab. “We are certainly exploring all the different levels of beverage service, but the main thing we do is provide a social environment.”
During the 50th-anniversary party, that social atmosphere was evident, and the party didn’t end that weekend. So, for those looking to catch up with old friends and enjoy a nice beverage and some tunes, Zeno’s is there for you. Stop in, say hello, and maybe try something new in a familiar environment. T&G
Staff writer Vincent Corso enjoys drinking local and meeting new people at central Pennsylvania’s many interesting establishments.
