Interior Demolition Begins at Future Site Of Newtown Taproom

NEWTOWN BOROUGH, PA — Work to transform a vacant North State Street storefront into the borough’s first taproom is officially underway.

Interior demolition began on Monday at 17 North State Street, the future home of the 50-seat Second Sin Brewing Company. And renovation work is scheduled to commence once final permits are in hand.

“It took a while to find a place that fit our needs, and we think this spot will be a great addition to the Bucks County beer scene and an inviting space to come and enjoy a pint of Second Sin beer,” the owners wrote on Facebook in announcing the new location earlier this fall.

When completed, the 1400-square-foot taproom will be the second location for Second Sin, which is home-based inside the Keystone Industrial Park in Bristol Township where its brewing operations are located and it runs a taproom.

“The official groundbreaking started yesterday and we’re hoping by February we’ll be able to open,” said head brewer Jake Howell. “It’s going to be great for us being in a town, being part of another community that’s super close.”

The future taproom is located next to the Newtown Borough Hall and inside the former location of Rittenhouse Home, which relocated to the Village at Newtown a number of years ago.

“We’re putting in a good sized investment into making the taproom really nice, inviting, and upscale to fit with Newtown,” said Howell. “Our Bristol operation is in a manufacturing plant in a warehouse and it’s always going to have an industrial feel. In Newtown it’s going to be a much more well-designed, aesthetically pleasing place to hang out and have some good beer.”

When they open, they will be bringing their successful formula to Newtown, including a “balanced list of different types of beer.”

The 12-tap operation, said Howell, will feature a list of beers that will appeal to everyone’s taste. In addition, several additional taps will be devoted to cocktails, Pennsylvania-produced wine, and potentially a nitro coffee offering.

“A lot of breweries focus on one niche like IPA. We try to keep everything balanced so anyone who comes in we probably have something that you will enjoy,” said Howell. “We always have something light on tap for the typical Bud, Miller, and Coors type of drinker. We always have one lager on tap. We have IPAs, stouts, and sour beers. We carry a list that will appeal to everyone,” he said.

In addition to its broad selection, Second Sin’s beer quality separates it from the crowd, adds Howell, noting that Second Sin has consistently been named as one of the top 10 breweries in the state out of more than 400 breweries.

The beer will be brewed at its manufacturing operations in Bristol and delivered to its Newtown site, which will be used as a taproom to showcase its brews.

The new taproom won't be serving food, but the owners will be encouraging its customers to bring in food from one of Newtown's many restaurants and eateries. They will also be talking with the borough about arranging a food truck option.

The brewery, founded by Pennsbury graduates Mike Beresky, Phil Harris, and Howell, opened in 2011 as Second Sin Brewing Company at 1500 Grundy Lane in Bristol Township, the former site of the Broken Goblet which had relocated its taproom to Bensalem.

Since 2011 it has built a reputation and a following for its craft beer.

Opening in Newtown is kind of like coming home for the three owners who often visited Issac Newton’s while formulating their plans to open a brewery and taproom in Bucks County.

“Even when we were originally looking for a spot for our brewery we had looked at the Newtown Business Commons,” said Howell. “But we ended up opening in Bristol.

“It almost goes without saying that we couldn't have done this without the undying support of the people that love our beer,” the owners said. “Fret not, our taproom and brewery in Bristol will remain open. This will be a chance for us to get our product in front of a lot of new people, and expanding the Second Sin family.”