Exton craft beer and coffee lovers, mark your calendars for the spring of 2018. That is the projected time frame for the opening of Stolen Sun Craft Brewing & Roasting Co., a new venture from locals Jonathan and Deirdre Zangwill.
Jonathan, who has a degree in food engineering, has been honing his brewing craft for 20 years: he spent the first 10 years working in the craft beer industry, and he continued to homebrew while spending the past 10 years in the corporate world. In one of his more recent corporate jobs, he built a state-of-the-art coffee-roasting facility, and became passionate about roasting as well. “I love the science behind it, and I love the art part … I’ve been building my expertise day after day to do something like this! To see it happening now kind of blows my mind,” he says.
The Zangwills, who are seeding the entire project themselves, have lived in Exton for 12 years, just a few miles away from Stolen Sun’s location (which will be across the street from the Target on Route 100). Jonathan says that Stolen Sun’s artisanal beer, coffee and BBQ will offer an alternative to the standard bars and pour houses in the area and hopes that guests will take more away from a visit than just a good time. “We want to have a place to educate people,” he says. “We want people to understand why we’re doing this.”
Stolen Sun is currently in the permitting stage, with plans to break ground and begin the build-out soon. The space will host a 10-barrel brew house, where Jonathan will brew his signature hoppy, clean beers, as well as a coffee roastery. Jonathan’s roasting style is medium to medium-light, and he plans to offer both blends and single origin beans. “I want to showcase what’s inside of the bean … it’s about the farmers and where the coffee is grown. It’s about taking that raw material and making the most of it,” he says. He enjoys the fruit- and citrus-forward beans from South and Central America and Africa, comparing them to hops. Once it’s open, Stolen Sun will also serve food, with an emphasis on BBQ. The Zangwills are currently searching for a chef who will bring the same level of craft to the menu that they will deliver with the beer and coffee.
The name Stolen Sun comes from the Zangwill’s son, who made up a song about how a cloudy day is like the clouds stealing the sun. Their son offered the name up while the couple was brainstorming about what to call their new business. “I quickly was like, ‘That’s an awesome name!'” Jonathan says. “My passion is about beer, coffee and creating, and for so long I have been under the clouds of other people. Now is my time in the sun.”
Keep up with Stolen Sun Craft Brewing & Roasting Co. on Facebook for more updates on its spring 2018 opening in Exton!
- Photos: Stolen Sun Craft Brewing & Roasting Co.
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