For the friends and co-owners of The Press taproom, a college town felt like a natural classroom, where customers can learn about Pennsylvania-grown cider, among other subjects.
In 2021, the lingering impact of the COVID-19 pandemic was taking its toll on bars and restaurants across the US—and Central Pennsylvania was no exception. The Deli and Z Bar was among over a dozen small businesses in downtown State College to close after fighting to stay afloat in the socially-distanced landscape. Meanwhile, nearly two hours away in Punxsutawney, a new business was just getting started by a group of friends in a basement.
The Press taproom brings Punxsutawney-grown cider to downtown State College. Photo credit: Bona fide Photography.
Committing
The restless days of lockdown led to several spur-of-the-moment, life-changing decisions for Morgan and Andrew Divelbiss. Morgan says, “We really didn’t have anything to do. But we had some friends that had some vineyards, and they said, ‘Hey, come pick grapes.’ So, we did, and made some wine in our basement.” Andrew and his friend Chase Carulli had been fermentation buddies for years, but this was the first time Morgan pitched in.
It was with a similar carpe diem spirit, Morgan shares, that Andrew, “who was my partner at the time, said, ‘I think we should just get married.’”When Morgan, a dietitian, and Andrew, a farmer, planned their wedding, everything from the flowers to the beverages was grown, cooked, or fermented by the bride and groom. Guests who sampled their homemade wine raved about it, and they started to feel like it might be worth getting serious about, too.
Along with Carulli, an Air Force veteran and engineer, they continued experimenting and assessing the local craft beverage landscape. Realizing that the Pennsylvania wine market was fairly saturated, they pivoted to cider. They leased an orchard, locally sourced ingredients from nearby farms, and even foraged wild apples.
In 2022 they made it official by investing in a two-story cidery that allowed them to move operations out of the basement and into a facility designed for fermentation at scale. They joined the PA Cider Guild, got all their licenses in order, and Punx Cider Worx was born.
Friends and fermentation lovers Morgan Divelbiss, Kory Blose, Andrew Divelbiss, and Chase Carulli teamed up to create a cider-forward bar for the Penn State crowd. Photo credit: Bona fide Photography.
Their first cider sale, on Groundhog’s Day in 2023, was to Kory Blose, a long-time friend and fellow cider maker. Morgan says, “he drove from State College, and was the first person standing in line.” And Blose, an assistant research professor at Penn State, kept showing up. Anytime Punx was selling their ciders at pop-ups and festivals, their friend was there cheering them on.
At a festival near State College in the summer of 2024, Punx’s ciders stood out among a line up of mostly wines, but some customers were disappointed to learn they were all the way over in Punxsutawney. Kory showed up, as usual, but this time he said, “I really think, if we could find a spot here, we could do this together.”
A farmer, a dietitian, an engineer, and a research scientist walk into a bar…
After touring a string of spaces in State College, the group of friends walked into the former home of The Deli and Z Bar. Morgan shares, “We were like, ‘This is perfect.’ It gives that warm pub feel. The place had so much character, and Kory had memories of visiting it in his college days.”
Renovations got underway in January of 2025, and The Press opened for business in the fall.
Morgan says, “It’s a really fun thing to do with friends—to create different products for other people to enjoy.” She credits the friend group’s ability to work together, and their individual skill-sets for the early success of the taproom business model. “Chase, with his engineering brain, he kind of did a lot of our, ‘Okay, How’s the tap system going to be set up? How are we going to get the glycol from here over to here?’ Kory handles the management of the bar, payroll, point of sale… It’s very much a group effort.”
Friends and family join in for the ribbon cutting at the grand opening of The Press. Photo credit: Bona fide Photography.
The friends view the venture not only as a way to reach a larger market, but also as an opportunity to grow a community of cider lovers in Central Pennsylvania. Morgan says for some, this fermentation education starts at the 101 level, “People are like, ‘You brew this beer?’ and I’m like, it’s actually cider—from apples!”
For others it’s more about deepening their understanding of how cider is made and what it can be. Morgan enjoys talking to customers about how different cider apple varieties, yeasts, and brewing methods can yield drastically different ciders. Punx offers a wide range of styles for folks to expand their palette—dry, off-dry, sweet, spiced, still, hopped, single-varietals, and creative blends.
Morgan shares, “Our crabapple cider is probably my favorite thing we’ve ever produced. We have a map that indicates every wild crabapple tree in our area—my husband sought out each tree. We note the different flowering and fruiting times of each one, so we can find the best trees to represent a terroir. Last year we used specifically only 13 of the trees on our map.” The result of this labor of love, she says, is “very tannic and tart in what we believe represents our wild fruit to the best of our ability… letting the fruits speak for themselves.”
Patrons can quench their thirst for knowledge while sipping on Pennsylvania-grown ciders and other local craft beverages on tap at The Press. Photo credit: Bona fide Photography.
Education at The Press doesn’t stop at craft beverages. In addition to live music and trivia, a cornerstone of the bar’s community-focused programming is their “On-Tap” lecture series, featuring Penn State professors on topics from history and morality to astronomy. They’re also thrilled to host student group meetings like the Drama Club. “That was kind of the point of The Press,” Morgan says, “having it be a community spot. A local place where you could learn things. So having it in downtown State College—where there’s so many professors and, just, educationally-driven humans—was the absolute perfect spot for it.”
Especially as a business that grew out of the pandemic, it’s also important to this group of friends that their bar is a place that fosters social interaction. You won’t find any TV screens at The Press, though there is a projector for screening Penn State games and Groundhog Day. “We’re so on our phones these days,” Morgan laments. They wanted to create a space for genuine connection, where guests can “actually hear someone talk …see their actual passion. It’s a more immersive educational experience.”
Research & Development
As much as The Press is a classroom, it’s also a kind of laboratory. From the time they started selling, Morgan says, customer feedback has been key to improving their product and ensuring their lineup is well-rounded—not surprising, given everyone’s science background.
Morgan says they’re always experimenting with new Pennsylvania-grown ingredients, including herbs and flowers from a farm Andrew runs with Morgan’s mother and maple syrup they produce themselves. The syrup gets added to their “Mappleau”—a dessert aperitif with higher ABV—and to “Pumpkutawney,” which took home the blue ribbon in the Spiced Cider category at the 2026 Pennsylvania Farm Show Cider Competition.
Now with a steady stream of customers at the taproom, there’s even more data. Their current top sellers are an off-dry cider with ginger, pear and a cheeky name, “Ginger? I Pear-ly Know Her,” and “Feb2Blue,” a new blueberry and basil cider that sold out in under a month.
In addition to their award-winning ciders, guests can sample several craft meads. “And we usually have some friends on tap,” Morgan says, including fellow Guild members Ploughman Cider and Brother Monk Ciderworks, plus local craft brewers and distillers. “It’s all PA products.”
Friends from PA Cider Guild were on hand to celebrate the grand opening. Left to right: Morgan Divelbiss, Andrew Divelbiss, Kory Blose, Dan Holoubek, Joe Holoubek, Ben Wenk. Photo credit: Bona fide Photography.
Morgan says the PA Cider Guild as a crucial source of support. As a newer cidery, Punx has leaned on fellow Guild members for their expertise, and Morgan appreciates that they share a passion for educating both the public and public servants. She points to last year’s Cider Symposium as a prime example, where the Guild helped lawmakers understand how outdated laws are limiting cidermakers. While wine and beermakers have clear regulatory homes, she describes cider as often overlooked, despite being a craft beverage that is Pennsylvania-grown. “Were’ talking orchards,” Morgan says. “This is agriculture,” which is, after all, Pennsylvania’s top industry.
This summer, visitors can look forward to tasting the PA terroir of that 13-tree foraged crabapple cider. Punx’s long-awaited “Porter’s Perfection,” picked in the fall of 2023, has been aging for 2 years and will be bottled soon, along with their coveted “Old-Timey Perry,” made from the fruits of a single pear tree.
Outdoor seating at The Press will be perfect for summer events in downtown State College. Photo credit: Bona fide Photography.
Also on the horizon are June’s PA Cider Fest in Adams County, PA and the Downtown State College Improvement District’s “East End Social,” when, May 11 through August 3, a block of Heister Street will become pedestrian-only and the local open container ordinance will be waived. “We’re really excited about that,” Morgan says.
The summer “pop-up park” will feature live music, public art, and other community events—a refreshing contrast to the days of social distancing that shuttered storefronts. The outdoor seating at The Press will be a great place for folks to gather, sip, enjoy the festivities, and maybe learn a thing or two.
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Can’t make it to State College? Catch Punx Cider Worx at PA Cider Fest June 13, 2026 in Adams County. Get your tickets today!