Liquid Therapy

Karin Knaus

No brooding over these brews: Your cup is always full at Therapy Brewing, or if it’s not you can order another.

Keep Calm and Head to Therapy Brewing in Montoursville

By Karin Knaus

One of the simplest pleasures and most brilliant joys of life in the Pennsylvania Wilds is a Sunday drive. Turning off a major roadway onto a winding country road, past idyllic horse farms, houses neat as pins, and apple orchards bursting with fruit is as valuable as any hour or two spent doing work around the house. Now, imagine at the end of this lovely drive is a cold, imaginative beer, welcoming smiles, and more spectacular views. Oh, and a tire swing.

While the drive to Therapy Brewing, tucked away in eastern Lycoming County, is so worth the time, the experience gets even better. Thirsty folks pulling off the country road onto the gravel driveway cruise past an old red barn and silo to the parking area, and, on your average weekend afternoon, are met with a couple scores of potential pals lounging in Adirondack chairs, enjoying picnics under the signature sugar maple, and making new friends on the porch.

Inside the farm’s former wagon shed lies the heart of Therapy Brewing—the three-barrel brewery itself and the busy tasting room. You’ll also find one of the owners, Quinn Kirk or Chris Kuriga, ready to treat you to one of their latest creations. Therapy Brewing features seven beers on tap to try every Saturday from noon to 7 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 6 p.m., year round. Beer is available in full and half pours, so you can taste all you’d like. And tasting is what you’ll want to do, as what you’ll find here are not the typical craft brewery offerings. There’s something for everyone. For instance, they always keep one IPA on tap, and one lighter beer—Quinn affectionately refers to that as the Dad’s Tap.

“This is something light for the guy who says, ‘I only drink Busch,’” he says. The rest of the beers are seasonal, varied in style, and a little unpredictable.

On a warm Sunday in late summer, that means a cucumber saison, a pilsner, a bright peach brew, and a traditional ESB. The highlight of this day’s tasting escapade, though, was Luna, a coconut cream pie dessert beer. Quinn explains there are no signature beers at Therapy Brewing. They rotate and re-invent constantly, and only rarely feature the same brew twice.

“Whenever something kicks, something new comes on,” he says, which keeps the beer lovers who enjoy the drive to Montoursville happy to show up often.

It was Quinn’s passion for the creative brewing process that brought the two together, though Quinn says, “I like to joke that he stalked me on the internet.” In fact, Chris reached out to Quinn via a social media group for Lycoming County

home brewers thirteen years ago. They started brewing and experimenting together, and six years ago Quinn purchased a farm. In 2019, the two, along with two other partners who have since moved on, opened the doors to Therapy Brewing on that farm.

The name Therapy Brewing is reflective of the careers each has outside of brewing—Quinn is a family practice physician and Chris is an athletic trainer. But as Quinn acknowledges with a wave of his hand to the tranquil meadow and barn, “There’s nothing more therapeutic than sitting here and looking around. Not one person is on a cell phone. It’s real human interaction. That’s pretty darn therapeutic.” Not to mention the tire swing, which came with the property and is highlighted on Therapy Brewing’s logo. Visitors are strongly encouraged to take a ride.

“When you sit in it, I don’t care who you are—you’re ten years old,” Quinn says.

The friendly and scenic atmosphere and innovative beers appeal to a variety of patrons. Quinn says he loves that—the people part of the business. He says older visitors come for the craft beer and end up chatting with younger folks about all kinds of things— from beer to baseball. He has also had the joy of seeing complete strangers exchanging phone numbers, planning “beer trips,” and establishing clubs to continue their brew-focused camaraderie.

David and Kathy McCorkle were visiting from Eagles Mere to enjoy the afternoon. Kathy, who purports to not like beer, says she enjoys their adventures to Therapy Brewing because “I like the beer here.” David says they keep coming back because “the beer’s good, the brew master’s friendly, and the grounds are delightful.”

The beauty of the spot is attracting more than just beer connoisseurs. It’s been a venue for private parties, meet-and-greets for local businesses, and rehearsal dinners. The farm and brewery hosted a small wedding for a couple who’d shared an early date here and loved it. So, they raised a tent in the front lawn, and Quinn, Chris, and company helped with getting a caterer. Quinn says they’re open to doing more weddings, but limited parking keeps the number of guests to around sixty.

Therapy Brewing also hosted a fundraiser for a local child battling leukemia. There was food, music, and games, with plenty of community members coming together for the cause.

“It was everything good about small-town America,” Quinn

says.

To know what’s next from Therapy Brewing, look no further than the ever-changing liquid in the taps. A creamed corn cream ale was reportedly in the works, and Oktoberfest and pumpkin beers are scheduled for the fall. If you stop on just the right day, you might find your glass filled with something really special, like the very popular Fanny Pack, an oatmeal crème pie dessert beer that appeared over the summer. Quinn swears it tastes just like the real thing.

Find Therapy Brewing at 3978 Quaker Church Road, Montoursville. Visit them on Facebook, at therapybrewing.com, or call (570) 560-0987.

Karin Knaus is a teacher in Northern Tioga School District and a master Sunday driver. She has been spending her free time tremendously looking forward to driving an hour and a half to taste that creamed corn cream ale.

Saturday Oct 1 & Sunday Oct 2 OPENING WEEKEND COMMUNITY FESTIVAL

Saturday 10am-9pm and Sunday 12-5pm Farmer vendors, food, donuts, hay rides, live music, fire trucks, antique tractors and much more!

Fridays, Oct. 7th, 14th, and 21st

5pm - 9PM (Bring your flash light after dark!) Saturdays, October 8th, 15th, 22nd

11AM-9pm Closed on October 28th and 29th.

**CASH ONLY ** Kids three and under are free! Youth 4-18 are $5 Adults $10 Admission includes both mazes and hayrides. 931 Sopertown Road. Columbia Cross Roads, Pa