The dirt and stone flew as Hidden Key Brewing Co. broke ground at 101 West Baltimore Street in Greencastle on Saint Patrick’s Day 2022. Greencastle’s first contemporary brewery is targeting a late summer opening and will be part of a multi-business complex called Station 101.
Nick Searfoss, owner of Dapper House Barbershop, welcomed nearly 40 friends, family and community members, including the Greencastle-Antrim Chamber of Commerce and the Cumberland Valley Business Alliance. Hidden Key Brewing Company is planned as an anchor of Station 101, which will also house a restaurant, bakery, and Dapper House Barbershop. The investment and business team is comprised by Nick Searfoss, Annette and Kevin Searfoss, Rick Houck, Tim Houck, and Steve Bandstra. The brew team brings more than twenty years of crafting experience to Hidden Key Brewing Co.
Nick Searfoss explained why the brewery is named Hidden Key. He said it is simply because beer brings people together and is often the “hidden key” to making a special time.
Annette and Kevin Searfoss are project investors and will take the lead in creating a restaurant where families with young children feel welcome and want to come again and again. They bring years of experience in the restaurant industry to create a special vision for family-friendly dining and relaxing—something that was a family dream.
The property, which formerly operated as a restaurant, has a patio and garden area next to the rail line with a chance to watch trains pass on the tracks. The nearby train station was put into service by the Cumberland Valley Railroad in February 1909. The station grew to have seven, daily round-trip passenger trains running between Hagerstown and Harrisburg and morning commuter trips to Philadelphia and New York.
Hidden Key will have a five barrel brew system, housed in a 450-sq. ft. brew area. The brewery will be able to produce up to 500 barrels per year. On tap for the opening of Hidden Key Brewing Co. are a Pilsner, Wit, Double IPA, and New England IPA.