Altered State Distillery Celebrates Five Years in High Spirits
A weekend of live music scheduled to say thank you to Erie
BEGINNING FRIDAY, NOV. 15
The first five years of owning any business can be tough, especially when a good chunk of that time was during the COVID-19 pandemic, but Altered State Distillery has grown and thrived. With the recent addition of a kitchen, patrons can now enjoy delicious food along with their craft libations. Altered State Distillery is hosting a fifth anniversary celebration that kicks off on Friday, Nov. 15 and will feature Erie's premier party funk group Phunkademic, along with craft cocktail specials. The party continues on Saturday with music from Cosmic Rhythm followed by a special acoustic brunch on Sunday featuring Lopaka Roots.
Owner and distiller Gavin Maus says, "This is all to thank Erie for supporting us and voting for us every year as the Best Distillery in the area."
The idea for opening a distillery came after Maus found himself unemployed after 29 years as a sales engineer for a local machine manufacturer. Maus states, "My wife and I took a vacation to visit relatives and came back with an idea. Based on reviewing the industry nationally and its growth, along with my love of brewing, we saw an opportunity in the distillery market." Maus then began honing in his skills, doing research, and creating connections with other distilleries in the region.
Altered State started out with the idea of putting a big city cocktail bar in a small town, and developing their craft cocktails using syrups, house-made vermouth and coffee liquor, and a mango habanero infusion to create their unique flavors. Maus spoke on how the business has grown over the last half a decade. "We started hosting music regularly and became a music venue with our booking manager. This grew our business exponentially."
Once Altered State began featuring live music they became a stop for fans, specifically in the genres of jam, funk, and jazz. "We developed our marketing around concert posters. The artist John Vogl created our labels. He worked with bands such as String Cheese Incident, Ray LaMontagne, Trey Anastasio, Primus — the list goes on. As a musician at heart and my wife a lover of music, it made sense. Without her we wouldn't have the quality of bands that fit our style," states Maus.
The concerts are free and that's also important as Maus explained, "Free music in a small town enables folks the ability to come and have some drinks and enjoy themselves. It is getting much more expensive for us small businesses to afford these bands, but we will keep trying as long as we can."
The state of Altered State shows growth — with new products in the works including a Blue Dent Corn Bourbon and a Rosen Rye Whiskey, which both use heirloom grains grown at Faytak Farms in Girard. Maus also said that all their barrels are made from Pennsylvania white oak. Help keep it local and head to Altered State to raise a glass, bust a move, and celebrate five years of success. The party starts at 6 p.m. with Phunkademic starting shortly thereafter.
Friday, Nov. 15 from 6 to 9 p.m., Saturday from 7 to 10 p.m., and Sunday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. // Altered State Distillery, 1535 W. 8th St. // 21+ // Free entry
