Brewing in the PA Wilds: Logyard Brewing

Located along Scenic Route 6 in “The Star of the Forest” town of Kane in the Allegheny National Forest and Surrounds landscape of the PA Wilds, Logyard Brewing creates hyper-local, innovative and tasty beers.

Why is it named Logyard? You don’t need to look any further than the location itself: an old logyard.

Logyard Brewing was founded in 2017 by Michael Dunn, Royce Novosel-Johnson, and Timothy Robinson. The brewery production facility is housed in a building that sits aside one of Royce’s family’s old logyards. This has been a Novosel logyard in one capacity or another for over 60 years. 

The location, in addition to the extremely rich and long logging history of this part of Pennsylvania and the local and family ties to the industry, helped secure Logyard Brewing as the name.

Achieving what others view as impossible is in Logyard’s DNA. One of their most innovative brews is made from real birch. They are the only brewery in the entire country (according to the Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau and the Food and Drug Administration) that organically extracts black birch oil from the source and infuses it into a beer. That’s their Bucking Birch Kane Style Ale!

You can literally taste the trees of Pennsylvania in some of Logyard’s beers, but you can also see those trees in their taproom… especially the birch.

As a brand, Logyard represents (of course) logging, forest, forestry, and outdoor recreation. But they know that none of these industries are doable without a sustainable approach, and that’s how they approach the brewery as well. The guys at Logyard are not wasteful, and they try to find a use for everything we use. One great example is their tap handles. When they cut down a black birch tree for their Bucking Birch Ale, they strip the bark from it, then they cut the pole into specific lengths to convert them into their own signature hand-made tap handles or their flight boards.

Logyard Brewing isn’t just all about birch though. In fact, they specialize in IPAs, with many being Hazy Double IPAs. However, they also brew a lot of rotating and seasonal beers also – more than 30 a year! These numerous other styles range from Lagers to Shandys to Imperial Stouts.

The names of these beers won’t disappoint either, as many of them are groan-worthy logyard-related puns, such as Trees Louise, Reservoir Logs, Woodfellas, and Branch Manager. 

Other beer names make reference to the rural culture of the PA Wilds, with names like I Have A Camp Near There, Two Hours From Anywhere, Prognosticator Pils (after Punxsutawney Phil), Triple 6 (named after an infamous highway in the region), Padiddle (the name for a car with one headlight out), and We’re Right Here (with the label showing where Kane is located if you were comparing the state of Pennsylvania to your left palm, a common tactic for explaining where you live in Pennsylvania).

Logyard Brew beers are distributed throughout PA and can be found in 61 counties in PA. While you can certainly get Logyard beers at distributors, bars and restaurants, grocery stores and convenience stores throughout the state, they encourage you to visit them in Kane and taste it straight from the tap at their Logyard Brewing Taproom on Fraley Street in Kane.

Are you truly a craft beer aficionado and want to see behind the scenes? If you inquire ahead of time, Logyard Brewing even offers private tours of their brewing facilities.

A first timer or just want a good recommendation? The guys at Logyard Brewing are always happy to suggest something you might like and tell you about the process behind each brew.

Their food menu rotates and offers a mix of standard bar food and interesting additions like seasonal soups, pierogies, tacos and quesadillas. Their beer cheese is always a big hit with customers!

Stay up to date with Logyard’s latest events, brews and menus by visiting their event page on their website or the Logyard Brewing Facebook page.

Logyard Brewing  is a Host Site member in the Experience Makers category of the Wilds Cooperative of Pennsylvania. Learn more about Logyard Brewing and leave them a review or recommendation on their WCO profile.