A coffee shop, a Chinese restaurant and a brewery.
Those were the top three businesses that Newville residents put atop their wish list, in a recent survey taken by borough officials.
There was one problem—not with coffee or Chinese food. But would a brewery be possible, given Newville’s longtime designation—since the Prohibition era—as a dry town?
Dean Yaukey was going to find out. A longtime local resident, he’d been “homebrewing up a storm” since the pandemic. He and his wife Katie were scouting out the perfect location for a brewery—and they really wanted it to be in Newville.
“I contacted Newville borough in March of 2021, and they said it was going to a vote in May—they were going to reverse their status as a dry town,” said Dean. “The town, the council, the community—they were all for it.”
After 82 years, Newville’s dry town designation from 1939 was lifted. The Yaukeys were so confident in the vote, they applied for a state brewery license and signed a lease for their new brewery, before the vote was official.
Brewing up Business
At 9 S. High St., a 1930s-era car dealership had gone through a string of reincarnations—as a butcher shop, thrift store, florist—but it sat vacant for 10 years.
“I saw the potential in it—I see potential in the whole town,” said Jeff Bouder, who purchased the property almost two years ago.
Bouder’s home and insurance business are across the street, and he serves on the borough’s economic development committee.
“I don’t like to see vacancies in the borough,” he said. “When Dean approached me about a brewery, I was all on board.”
There was a flurry of activity through the summer of 2021.
Renovations transformed the circa-1800s building, and the Yaukeys hit upon a business name—Whiskers Brewing—featuring their beloved English bulldogs on the logo, and tying into Newville’s Big Spring Area High School’s nickname, “the bulldogs.”
“We wanted to be a pet-friendly brewery, so we have a turf area outside,” Dean said. “We call it the bark yard or the puppy patio, so that people can bring their dogs.”
With Dean as head brewer, the dog-themed beer lineup was set, featuring his Bulldog Blonde Ale, a Chihuahua Mexican Lager, Pointer Pale Ale, Old Hound Dog Brown Ale, Pitbull IPA and more.
The Yaukeys traveled to Colorado for training, tailored to new brewery owners. Meantime, the husband-and-wife team was still running their primary business, Phantom Entertainment, offering party inflatables, amusement rides, rock-climbing walls and more. Through the pandemic, that business had stalled, but things were picking up again.
Everything seemed to be going their way, and Whiskers Brewing was set to open in March of 2022.
Tough Luck
On Feb. 28, during a half-hour period of time in the afternoon when no one was at the brewery, flames engulfed the building. A fire marshal would later determine the cause: a USB port charging tablets for servers’ use. The fire company, less than a block away, acted quickly, but the interior was a total loss.
“We were very heartbroken,” said Katie. “But we knew we had to rebuild, and the town was behind us. People on the streets came up to us, [as the building was burning], asking if they could give us donations.”
Community support—and several incredible strokes of good fortune—came out of the ashes.
“Luckily, no one was hurt,” Dean said. “We would have to gut the building down to the studs, but we realized the walk-in beer cooler was untouched. All of our inventory was saved. We didn’t have power for two days, but it stayed cold.”
The day after the fire, Whiskers Brewing posted a “beer sale” on Facebook.
“The community was super supportive,” Dean said. “There was a line of people, going two blocks, up to the corner. They were buying cans, filling up growlers, telling us, ‘We want to do anything to help you.’”
About a month later, the brewery opened its outdoor seating area—offering beer, with dog bowls and biscuits available. Business was brisk through the summer as the interior was rebuilt.
Slightly bowed wooden tables were salvaged—Dean calls them “survivors”—and the metal chairs were grinded down and repainted. Colorful pet portraits, repainted, lined the walls, created by one of the Yaukeys’ daughters. But a cat took the place of honor behind the bar—a framed Nittany Lion pays homage to the family’s alma mater. Not only did Dean and Katie meet at Penn State, but their three children are all in the process of becoming alums too.
Dawn of a New Day
In late September, Whiskers Brewing opened its doors—Katie behind the bar, Dean cooking up flatbreads, pretzel flights and more in the kitchen, giving it away to taste-testing customers and finalizing the menu.
“Every time someone came in, people said, ‘Welcome to Whiskers,’” said Katie. “Everyone was saying it, and it felt cozy in here, as if we were on [the television show] ‘Cheers.’”
So has Jeff Bouder, the property owner, tried the beer—and what does he think?
“I’ve probably tried all 12,” Bouder said with a laugh, “and it’s some of the best beer I’ve had.”
But what Newville is really tapping into is community spirit.
“We absolutely needed this—conversations were disappearing since COVID,” Bouder said. “The fire could have been devastating, but it actually brought a lot of people together. I’ve lived here a long time, and I’m meeting people from town that I didn’t know before. People are getting together and making up for lost time.”
Whiskers Brewing is located at 9 S. High St., Newville. For more information, visit whiskersbrewing.com.
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