Brandalynn Armstrong sits on a high-backed bar chair and surveys the room with her eyes.
She motions to the orange-painted walls, to the space where local artists will display their works, to the windows into the brewhouse.
This was her dream.
This was the dream that she and her husband Theo spoke of nearly two years earlier when they first went public with their hope to open a microbrewery in Harrisburg.
“It will happen,” Brandalynn wrote in a Facebook post after a story entitled “Beer Ambition” appeared in TheBurg.
And, now, incredibly, it has.
This month, Zeroday Brewing Co. will open its doors, and the first thirsty, curious customers will stream in, ready to sample Theo’s artisanal quaffs, from blondes to stouts.
They will gather at the bar made of salvaged corrugated metal from a 100-year-old Perry County barn. They will sit at a counter ledge carved from locally sourced, reclaimed wood. They’ll huddle with friends at the dozen or so tables and high tops, maybe while enjoying a bite of charcuterie or listening to someone from the neighborhood play guitar.
Brandalynn pauses a moment, looks up at the roof timbers they uncovered after removing the drop ceiling; looks down at the freshly poured concrete floor.
“This building was just made for us,” she said.
Where We Left Them
From the beginning, the Armstrongs centered on Midtown Harrisburg as the home of their future brewery.
They liked the neighborhood feel of what they wanted to be a neighborhood place and the complement of nearby destinations like Midtown Scholar Bookstore, Midtown Cinema and the new Susquehanna Art Museum.
They first had their eyes on Midtown’s landmark “Carpets and Draperies” building on N. 3rd Street, but abandoned that plan after calculating the cost of transforming the large, dilapidated structure into usable space.
That disappointment, though, led directly to where they eventually landed. Surveying the outside of the building, waiting for their realtor to arrive, they were approached by Adam Porter, co-owner of St@rtup, the co-working outfit next door. Porter recognized them from TheBurg story, and they got to talking.
“I said, ‘Oh, you’re the brewery folks,’” Porter recollected. “I got their email and later found out that the building they were looking at wasn’t going to be a good fit for them.”
He then thought about the large, unused block of space down the street at the back of Midtown Cinema, where he serves as director of operations.
“I thought it would be a great complementary use for the Cinema,” Porter said.
Built as a grocery store, the squat, circa-1940 brick building long had been cut in two, the back half last serving as a plasma donation center. It had been empty for about 20 years.
“It wasn’t much to look at,” joked Brandalynn.
Indeed, floor and ceilings tiles were damaged and missing. Medical equipment had been left behind. The dust was thick, and debris was scattered everywhere.
But the Armstrongs liked the size and loved the location. They also got the strong backing of John Tierney and Matt Tunnell, principals of Lift Development LLC, which owns the building and the Cinema.
“After Adam introduced the Armstrongs, we saw what they were doing and that they already had a great following,” said Tunnell. “We thought they’d be a terrific addition to the Cinema and to Midtown.”
Cool Area
Brandalynn and Theo had found a place they wanted, but they now needed to find out if the community wanted them.
So, they set out to meet their potential neighbors and get their support before appearing before the city’s Zoning Hearing Board. Some people did object to the proposal, worried about potential traffic, noise and odors. Many others, though, supported the brewery, which strengthened their application for a zoning variance and, just as importantly, gave them assurance that they were welcomed.
“We never could have done this without the community’s support,” said Brandalynn.
The build-out began in August and was completed just a few months later. Licenses, permitting and equipment delivery, however, pushed the open date up several months. The Armstrongs were especially frustrated by the delay of a critical piece of equipment called a mash tun, which got hung up at a port in Seattle during the recent dockworkers strike.
The couple’s greatest disappointment, though, came last year, when they learned that they would have to abandon their original, beloved moniker, Alter Ego Brewing Co.
They had conducted a trademark search before settling on Alter Ego, but a subsequent, more thorough investigation revealed a potential conflict with another company. The Armstrongs didn’t want to run the risk of losing a trademark challenge down the road. So, for the long-term good of their business, they reluctantly changed the name of their brewery.
After brainstorming, they agreed to Zeroday Brewing, after the hiking term, “zero day,” which means a day when no miles are logged. It was a nod to the time that Theo hiked the Appalachian Trail and a statement of how they felt about their new home.
“You only take a zero day to explore a cool area,” said Brandalynn. “We feel that Harrisburg is a zero-day destination.”
Grain to Glass
When I met up with the couple in early March, the tasting room was complete. The tables were set up, the stools positioned, and the USB ports below the Corian bar counter had just been installed.
The 1,500-square-foot space comfortably holds 60 people, and the high ceilings and well-spaced tables give the room a relaxed, uncrowded feel. Brandalynn describes the décor as “man cave chic,” by which she means “manly with warm accents.” Though the intentional absence of that most essential part of the man cave—the TV—might belie that description.
On the other side of the wall, the brewhouse was nearly complete. The seven-barrel system was installed with the exception of the 25-foot exhaust stack, which was erected in the midst of a snowstorm several days later and now towers above the building.
They had even received their first shipments of barley, which sat in piles of large, heavy bags, just waiting for Theo to start the process of milling, mashing, fermenting, kegging, tapping and pouring.
“It is literally 20 feet from grain to glass here,” he said.
On a nearby pallet, two-pint cans called crowlers (can-plus-growler) were stacked, ready for take-out, a perfect portable vessel for movie patrons who want to enjoy a beverage while in the theater.
A few weeks before opening, Zeroday somewhat resembled an empty movie set itself—built out, but just waiting for the action to begin. Behind the scenes, though, the Armstrongs had been attending to a hundred last-minute details, and the mad dash to the final approvals clearly had taken a toll.
“I’m exhausted; Theo’s exhausted,” said Brandalynn. “But, when we push that first pint of beer across the counter, it will be worth it.”
Two years ago, when we first met the Armstrongs, they had a goal to build a business and share their beer with the world. Since then, their mission had grown.
They still wanted to make excellent beer, but they also hoped their brewery would be a credit to the people of Harrisburg, that it would serve the needs of the community and bring in outsiders—“beer tourists”—who might not venture into Midtown otherwise. The newcomers then would be able to experience the charming, historic neighborhood and the destination that it’s rapidly becoming.
“We always say that Midtown made this happen,” said Brandalynn. “It’s taken a community to make this work, and we don’t want to let them down.”
Zeroday Brewing Co. is located at the rear of 250 Reily St., Harrisburg. The grand opening is slated for April 8. For all the information, go to www.zerodaybrewing.com or visit their Facebook page.
