As the story goes, Zeroday Brewing was born from the minds of owners Theo and Brandalynn. It all came about while unwinding after a long day in their cubicles. Theo had been home brewing for a few years, and the two, seeking something beyond the corporate lifestyle, started home brewing recipes for possible commercial production.
In the first six months, they ran blind taste tests by volunteers who sampled the batches and provided their feedback. It didn’t take long for them to realize they were on to something.
Situated behind the Midtown Cinema, a local independent theater in Harrisburg, this 3,600 sq. foot space was brought to new life in November 2014 and by April 2015 Zeroday was born! We learned the name “Zeroday” came from Theo’s love of hiking. In hiking, a “Zeroday” is a day where a hiker records 0 miles. Typically used as a day of rest. Or the perfect day to have a beer!
Walking into the Zeroday location you cannot help but be overwhelmed by the color and artwork throughout. Once you get passed the sensory for your eyes, you settle up to their bar and are in for a real treat.
But we will get to the beer in a second.
What is most noteworthy of the Zeroday Brewing Company is how community centric they are. It’s obvious in so many ways how much they value the city of Harrisburg. Take a look closely at their tap handles the next time you’re in, you’ll be greeted to the Harrisburg skyline.
They are also very friendly to the local running scene. It’s more and more common that running and beer go together. There’s something about losing calories and then gaining them back (or vice versa) that people love. And Zeroday not only supports the local running group so much to give them a hang out location, they even brewed a beer for them! Need a light and refreshing drink after a run? Try the Runners HiPA; a 3.9% session IPA.
Which brings us to what you are really here for…..the beer! With 12 taps it’s not hard to find a beer that fits your style and taste profile. At the same time, Zeroday does an amazing job infusing their beer with a plethora of flavors.
This was the tap list during our visit:
The beers were:
• Accidental FLUFFer: a 6.7 Marshmallow Fluff Candy Cane Malt Beverage (named and designed after the local drag queen Felicia O’Toole…. seriously) Read our beer review here
• Douglas The Fir: a 6.9% Saison made with an entire 6ft Douglas Fir tree that the entire Zeroday team took a party bus to harvest before putting it right in the kettle.
• Cheap Date: a 4.5% American Blonde Ale
• Cherishburg: a 5.5% Sour Pale Ale
• Critical Condition: an 8% Imperial Amber
• Dolce Vita: a 5.5% Chocolate Hazelnut Sweet Stout
• Zeroday IPA: a 6.5% IPA that is ever changing, no two batches of their west coast IPA series are alike
• Large Ass IPA: a 12.4% staple triple IPA
• Mango Hab: a devilish 6.66% Mango Habañero Pale Ale (a beer featured in Men’s Health!)
• Midnight Angel: an 11.3% Russian Imperial Stout
• Runners HiPA: a 3.9% Session IPA
• The Evil Sip: an 8.7% Belgian Strong Ale
Christmas trees, marshmallow, Habañero and so much more. The flavor Zeroday brews with seems to be endless.
[URIS id=21002]
They have such a passion for flavor that their bar is one of the only ones we have ever seen with their very own infuser! It’s hard to find fresher flavor than here.
We got the chance to tour the brewery and meet with assistant brewer Hannah, who has a very interesting story in her own rights. Her political career brought her to the Harrisburg area and a few years later she’s the assistant brewer for one of the areas most exciting breweries. However after trying her very own “Hannah Series” beer; The Evil Sip, it was obvious she made the right decision getting into brewing.
We were lucky enough to be there on a brew day and to see how and where Zeroday concocts these amazing flavors.
Take a look at their brew house for yourself:
The city of Harrisburg is growing in terms of beer and it is because of locations like Zeroday. With a tap room full of flavorful beers, bright colors and vibrant activity it isn’t hard to see why the city is becoming a staple for Pennsylvania Beer. We highly suggest you get to their location for yourself.
And make sure to follow them on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook and their Website to stay up to date with all the excitement.