If you are looking for a great place to enjoy some exceptional beer in Columbia, PA, you have two amazing options just one block apart, and now a third option just a few blocks from downtown.
The interesting part about the two breweries where you can enjoy craft beer in Columbia is that they collaborate in their marketing because they know that working together, they can both benefit from bringing people to our historic river town to share stories, meet friends, and enjoy a night out.
Now if we are being technical – some folks may split hairs and say that a distillery is different from a brewery(a brewery can only make beer and a distillery can only make distilled spirits) but we wanted to share all the love on one page for you.
Cheers!
Starview Brews
224 Locust St, Columbia, PA 17512
- WED: 3:30-9PM
- THUR: 3:30-10PM
- FRI: 12:00PM – 10PM
- SAT: 11:30AM – 10PM
- SUN, MON, TUE: CLOSED
This Columbia brewery is perfectly placed in a historic building that was the vision and passion project of the founder and Head Brewer, Mike Knaub. In 1985, Mike first got into home brewing. Since then, he has won numerous awards, started homebrew clubs, become a certified Beer Judge, and in 2013, he got the urge to open his own place to share his passion.
That chance became a reality in January 2022 after a few years of design, build, sweat, tears, laughs, and back-to-the-drawing-board sessions. Starview Brews was born!
They opened up with five main beers: Long Level Lager, a German Dortmunder style; Chickies Rock Cream Ale, an old pre-prohibition version, different from a modern-day Genesee style; Pinnacle Pils, a Czech-style pils; Columbian Red IPA, a mid-90s version of the west coast Red IPA style; and Chickies Rock Iron Brown Porter, an English Brown Porter style.
What to expect at Starview Brews
Starview Brews is a friendly atmosphere where you will likely meet and chat with Mike — and he’ll probably offer to give you a tour of the back of the house and show off his fantastic setup and coolers.
The food is fantastic, and they have a light seasonal menu. Our favorite items are the crab cakes and the flatbread pizzas.
The bar itself is rumored to have been made from a tree they felled 3 miles from their house. The building itself was seized during the Iran-Contra scandal and has some spooky catacombs below — not to mention its beautiful historic facade!
Columbia Kettle Works
40 N 3rd St, Columbia PA 17512 | Parking Info Here
- Monday – Wednesday 4–10pm
- Thursday – Saturday 12–10pm
- Sunday 12–8pm
Kettle Works is located just one block from Starview Brews and has a beautiful industrial vibe, complete with an art gallery upstairs (Switchboard Studios & Gallery), indoor and outdoor seating, and plenty of room to hang out with your friends and family. You can even rent space for your next graduation party, wedding shower, reunion, or company gathering!
What to expect at Columbia Kettle Works
From the moment you walk in, you’ll notice the tasteful decor, open space, and funny looping videos on huge projection screens. The industrial feel with concrete floors and plenty of bar space will make the hardest decision you have to make about where to sit.
The menu features a light, seasonally updated menu with some favorites being the paninis, soups, salads, and pizzas… can you tell we eat there a lot? Here is the full menu. When the weather is nice, the new renovation includes large open glass doors that give you cool seating right along Third Street.
You’ll find no shortage of drinks to choose from, and the staff is friendly and can help you narrow it down if you need some help – lol.
Lancaster Distilleries
230 N 4th St, Columbia, PA 17512 |
- Monday – Wednesday Closed
- Thursday – Friday 4–10pm
- Saturday – Sunday 12–10pm
Lancaster Distilleries, established in 2018, is the first distillery in Columbia since prohibition. Enjoy a full line of award-winning spirits, including vodka, gins, rums, bourbon, and rye whiskey, all available at the Columbia tasting room for purchase by the bottle or in craft cocktails. In addition, they craft hand-made cocktail accessories like mixers, syrups, shrubs, and bitters.
The Columbia tasting room, affectionately named The Boring Bar after our founder, has a game room with darts, pool, shuffleboard, and cornhole for your entertainment. They also offer a lite fare menu with tasty snacks for you to enjoy while sipping on a yummy cocktail.
Fun Events… you ready?
Throughout the year, Lancaster Distilleries hosts seasonal events like “Crank and Drank” bike rides and live music to keep things lively. They take pride in creating a vibrant atmosphere for visitors to relax and have a good time.
Best part of Breweries In Columbia, PA
It goes without saying that the people make the beer better. Whether it’s the passion of the person crafting the brew or the person serving you a cold one — it’s the friends you share the time with, the stories you learn as you listen, the laughs between dart misses or stuffing your face with some amazing food that makes the Columbia breweries a special place to visit.
If we can learn from the example of the co-marketing of the breweries — much like the recent efforts of antique shops in Columbia, PA to co-market on billboard advertising — that the world is a better place when we work together, then I am sure your trip to our river town to visit our microbreweries in Columbia will be richly rewarding.
