Philadelphia’s Prime Station Brewing Releases First New Beers

A new Philadelphia brewery has opened and has released its first brews.

Owned and operated by Connor Sheridan and Jon Henning, Prime Station Brewing reflects a steampunk-era style that honors the legacy of a fictitious character, Axel Hopsworth, a brewer, entrepreneur, and inventor living in 1860s Philadelphia. 

According to Breweries in Pennsylvania, Hopsworth “built a time machine that suddenly transported him through Philadelphia's illustrious history. But after time-hopping to 2025, he was encouraged to see the brewing industry thriving after the post-Prohibition decline and realized a new era of culture and art was flourishing in Philly. He decided to permanently remain in 2025, to eventually open a new Prime Station.”

Each beer in the Prime Station portfolio draws from lesser-known events, people, and places from Philadelphia's history. Initial releases include “Cult of the Divine,” a 4.5% ABV dry-hopped pale lager inspired by the history of the Divine Lorraine Hotel, and “Howling Wilderness,” a 5% ABV extra pale ale that borrows a phrase from a quote about Philadelphia's pre-urbanization years.

While Sheridan and Henning hope to open a taproom in South Philadelphia in the future, the two are focusing on launching with seven-barrel batches that will yield approximately 80 to 90 cases of each beer in each batch before they scale up as demand increases. Sheridan and Henning will initially self-distribute their brews to bottle shops, bars, and restaurants throughout Philadelphia before expanding to the suburbs.

According to Breweries in Pennsylvania, Sheridan and Henning are structuring their draft list to lean heavily on “lighter, sessionable, yet flavorful beers, while also rounding out the list with beers that can pack a punch.”