Big Spring Spirits, a distillery in Bellefonte, Centre County, is opening a satellite location in Seven Fields in Butler County. The menu is full of cocktails, house cordials and food, including appetizers, paninis, flatbreads, salads and savory to sweet fondues.
The cozy space formerly was Vines Wine Bar, adjacent to the former Hines Ward’s Tavern 86, just off state Route 228.
A grand opening is set for Halloween on Saturday. Festivities, starting at 11 a.m., include pumpkin and kids and adult costume contests, an adult tasting/voting/naming of four fall cocktails, live music, a DJ and dancing.
Regular hours are 4-10 p.m. Tuesdays-Thursdays, 4-11 p.m. Fridays-Saturdays and 4-9 p.m. Sundays (closed Mondays).
The extensive cocktail menu (more than 30) has some local twists, such as Seven Fields Iced Tea (vodka, gin, rum, orange cordial, lemon, cola for $10), and a special Marriage of Figarye made with fig creme from neighboring Oil & Vinegar and rye whiskey ($9).
Current state COVID-19 mitigation measures require food to be purchased with alcoholic beverages, and Big Spring has that covered with a menu of tapas and small plates. The fondue fits the brand’s sensibility of having offerings that are a bit unusual and can be shared, says co-owner and production manager Kevin Lloyd.
“We’re creating an experience — something people can’t get anywhere else,” says Mr. Lloyd, who hails from Marion Center, Indiana County, between Punxsutawney and Indiana, Pa. He went to Penn State University, where he got a degree in molecular and cell biology and co-owned a research company for six years before starting the distillery just north of State College with friend and interior designer Paula Cipar.
They chose the Pittsburgh area for a second location because the brand had gained a following here, thanks to an early partnership with Pennsylvania Libations.
The Seven Fields location already had a lovely, rustic interior, so all they had to do was rebuild the wine bar and give it “a distillery vibe,” including barrels and photos of distilling equipment. The bar does not offer any wine, like the main distillery, but there are a couple of Pennsylvania beers.
“Our identity is spirits and cocktails. We take a lot of pride in the breadth of our cocktails,” says Mr. Lloyd.
He notes that people can try everything before they buy, including by ordering a flight of a half-dozen spirits.
There’s room, with current restrictions, for about 50 customers inside and 50 more outside in a courtyard, where Big Spring has set up heaters but no tents. “We’re going to use the heaters to hold off the weather for as long as possible and go from there,” says Mr. Lloyd, who is hopeful that a vaccine will bring some normalcy by spring.
The address is 526 Northpointe Circle, Seven Fields (16046) and the phone is 724-591-5859. The website is www.bigspringspirits-sevenfields.com.
Big Springs Spirits (www.bigspringspirits.com), which opened in Bellefonte in 2014, makes and bottles vodka, rum, gin, whiskey and ready-to-drink cocktails — very popular during the COVID-19 crisis — that are sold at some state Fine Wines & Good Spirits stores and finewineandgoodspirits.com and the Seven Fields outlet. Its name as well as its water comes from the Big Spring that feeds Spring Creek and is Bellefonte’s acclaimed water source.
Bob Batz Jr.: bbatz@post-gazette.com, 412-263-1930 and on Twitter @bobbatzjr.
First Published: October 29, 2020, 2:06 p.m.
