Rosko's Brew House: The Origin Story

As time has marched on I've become less comfortable with the "spotlight" of being a small business owner in a small town. This is due in large part to the fact that Rosko's isn't about me. It's about making great beers, cultivating a fun and welcoming environment, and serving a special community that wants to support one another deeply. Taylor has taken on nearly all of the physical brewing duties and together we set the vision of the beer program, but he has taken hold of the reins. Our taproom staff does an amazing job each week of being an engaging resource to the fun times we have at Rosko's. I have a young family that I am dedicated to being the best possible version of myself for, therefore I'm personally not at the taproom as much on the weekends and do most of my work during non-business hours.

All of this being said, the old saying goes that 90% of businesses fail within their first three years. We just passed that milestone, and I'm incredibly proud and grateful for the times we've had and the memories we've made. So I've been holding onto the origin photo of this journey, until now. And I guess you can say I'm in a story telling mood!

The Origin Photo: it all started with a Mr. Beer kit.

It all started with a Mr. Beer kit I received as a lad for Christmas one year. I was not quite of age to drink my potions, but to the best of my knowledge it was okay to have some dry yeast and wort extract - what you did with it is up to you. 😄 I bought some recipe books, How to Brew books, and dug into the art & sciences of making beer. Some people said it was actually pretty good at the time, but I highly doubt that. I continued to home brew through my 20's, and despite a business degree and good corporate job, I was yearning to come home to Williamsport from Pittsburgh.

Williamsport is a wonderful place, but it isn't exactly the land of job opportunity, and as a 3rd generation entrepreneur I didn't think I would feel satisfied if I didn't put forth the extra willpower to open a business of my own.

Williamsport is absolutely a wonderful place to open a small business. The barriers to entry are lower, and people get generally excited about new and exciting fun things to do. However, while my background in business allowed me to develop many skills, the most marketable one I had was being a wiz at Microsoft Excel, which doesn't exactly sound new, exciting, or fun.

But, I could make beer, and beer is awesome. So in 2016 I enrolled in the Intro course at Siebel Institute of Technology in Chicago and earned a certificate in Brewing Technology. Shortly after I moved to Williamsport with my wife Samantha, I joined the local homebrewer's guild, and continued working on my craft.

Brewing Beer & Brewing Babies, it's what we do best!

In 2017, my stepfather Matt stumbled upon the property at 601 Sixth St. An elderly couple in West Chester had been sitting on the vacant and blighted property. The gentleman who owned it had grown up in the house, but moved away and could not care for it anymore. He had several offers to buy the property, but each of them had plans to tear the house down and turn it into a parking lot. Matt, a history lover, promised the gentleman that he would preserve the house, and was able to purchase it. Matt, however, could not find a use for the property, and when I expressed interest in turning it into a brewpub, he sold it to me in May of 2018.

Fun fact: we found out we were having our first child (Theo) the same week we purchased the building

I kid you not, when I say this place was a rat's nest, that's an understatement. It took us 4-and-a-half years, every weekend, day and night, to renovate the property. Luckily my cousin Gabe got me kick started - he helped me with the building plans, taught me how to demo and frame, and helped me find contractors to do the stuff I couldn't do.

In the spring of 2022, our future head brewer Taylor had just finished his studies in Brewing and Fermentation Sciences at the Pennsylvania College of Technology, and he linked up with me to brew our first beer in anticipation of our upcoming opening.

I have no shame in admitting that, while I still loving making beer, Taylor brews much better beer than me!

Now here we are, 3 years (and 3 children) later and still beating the odds of small business success. We have created over 90 batches of beer, with 65+ of them being unique recipes. We have hosted dozens of events and parties, donated $1,000's in money and swag to local charities, and made countless memories in this space. We don't know where the next three years will take us, but we are constantly discussing ways to innovate, grow, and meet the needs of the Williamsport community. I am incredibly proud of the progress we've made over the past 3+ years. I am proud of my own personal growth as a business owner, brewery operator, father/husband, and person, despite adversity and setbacks along the way.

For all of our customers out there, I truly hope Rosko's has impacted your lives in a positive way. For anyone who hasn't visited us yet, stop in and see what we're all about, and always feel free to let me know if there's something we can do better. Thank you for everything over the past three years. To many more, cheers!

Rosko's Forever,

Adam & Family