New brewery plans to open in Conneaut Lake

Keith Gushard, The Meadville Tribune, Pa.
·3 min read

Feb. 4—CONNEAUT LAKE — A new brewery is expecting to open in downtown Conneaut Lake in a familiar spot.

"We're hoping April," Jason Mulligan of Rising River Brewing Lakeside said of the anticipated opening. "It just depends on licensing."

Rising River Brewing Lakeside is planning to open at 115 Water St. in the borough. It's moving forward with what it can while it awaits both federal and state licensing approvals for the brewery.

The location is at the eastern entrance to the borough at the former site of Home Brewing Co., which opened in May 2019 but later closed.

Mulligan and a fraternity brother from college, Ron W. Beitler, own Rising River Brewing Co. in the borough of Macungie in Lehigh County. Rising River Brewing Co. was established in late 2021 and opened in early 2022. The brewery is located in a renovated 120-year-old barn along Little Lehigh Creek.

Rising River Brewing Co. just won "Best New Brewery" and "Best Destination Brewery" in Breweries in Pennsylvania's third annual Readers Choice Awards.

Mulligan, 36, just didn't jump into the brewing business blindly.

He had home-brewed for about three years and worked as an assistant production manager for four years at Voodoo Brewing Co. of Meadville before going into business with Beitler.

"I always wanted to have a brewery — and so now we have one over there," Mulligan said. "I wasn't going to look over here (for a location)."

However, fate played a hand.

Realtor David Schepner had purchased the building on Water Street at Conneaut Lake and was looking for a tenant. Mutual acquaintances got the two together and Mulligan was sold on its location.

"I couldn't pass up the opportunity to put a business in here — it's a great location that doesn't come available too often," he said.

The location is right at the eastern entrance to the borough with Ice House Park and Conneaut Lake across the street.

"I didn't want to do it this soon cause I just got over there going, but here I am again doing it all over again," he said with a smile. "That's why I've got this gray hair here," Mulligan said pulling on his beard to show the few strands of gray in it."

The brewery will offer up food with a familiar Crawford County connection.

"I didn't want to deal with the food," Mulligan said. "People were like 'Dude, you need to have food.'"

So Mulligan turned to another friend, Ethan Curley, 33, of Saegertown of Curley Concessions fame.

"Jason came to me to see if I wanted to do food out here," Curley said. "I've been in food industry my whole life. My dad started the concession business in early 1990s."

Renovations are being done to the building's kitchen area.

"We do a Texas-style barbecue brisket," Curley said. "We'll be offering finger food things like sandwiches, sliders, tacos."

"Gotta have Curley fries," Mulligan quickly added, referencing the famous fries at the Crawford County Fair.

"We'll have fresh cut fries," Curley said.

The location plans to operate year-round once open, Mulligan said.

Keith Gushard can be reached at (814) 724-6370 or by email at kgushard@meadvilletribune.com.