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Beer, wine and cocktail bars coming to York in 2016


Take a look at four new brewpubs, wine bars and cocktail bars coming to downtown York this summer.

Take a walk through downtown York, and it’s not hard to see that the city is becoming a destination for craft beer, cocktail and wine drinkers.

In the last year, York has welcomed Otto’s Kitchen & Cocktails and Tutoni’s wine bar. And before that, customers could order a craft beer at downtown locations, including Mudhook Brewing Company, Holy Hound Taproom and Liquid Hero Brewery.

By the end of summer, Yorkers should have even more downtown options to grab a drink with friends.

Here are a few brewpubs, wine bars and cocktail bars to look forward to in the coming months.

Collusion Tap Works

A new brewery and cidery is headed to the Royal Square neighborhood of downtown York this summer.

Collusion Tap Works plans to open behind The Bond building at 105 S. Howard St. in June, according to owner and head brewer Jared Barnes.

Barnes – who was the head brewer at Wyndridge Farm for eight months and previously worked at breweries in Delaware, Florida and New York – said he decided it was time to “do his own thing.”

The focus of Collusion Tap Works will be in-house made products, such as beer, cider, mead and soda, he said.

Twenty-four draft lines will be available, and products will rotate weekly. Beer offerings will include farm house ales, saisons and wild ales as well as pale ales and IPAs, and the ciders will be made from locally sourced apples.

Collusion Tap Works will also serve food, Barnes said, but the menu has not been finalized.

The 4,600 square-foot building, which will seat 65 to 70 inside, will have a casual, laid-back atmosphere with shuffleboard and dartboards available, Barnes added.

It will be a place to “drink, have fun, play games and relax,” he said.

Gift Horse Brewing Co.

What was once a Liberty Tax Service and a Hair Razors barber shop could become a brewpub by late spring or early summer.

Gift Horse Brewing Co. is renovating the more than 100-year-old building at 117 N. George St. to open a pub and tasting room, where it will serve freshly brewed beer and casual fare, such as sandwiches and appetizers, co-owner Jason Snyder said.

The brewpub will have eight to 12 beers on tap, including its CitraWheat, an American pale wheat finished with citra hops; Roasted Irish Ale, a traditional Irish red with increased roasted barley; and Day at the Races IPA, a session IPA with citra hops.

Customers can look forward to a “rustic, organic and relaxed” atmosphere, Snyder said.

“We don’t just want you to come have a beer,” he said. “We want people to come hang out with us.”

While Gift Horse continues to gear up for its grand opening, customers can taste select Gift Horse brews at upcoming events like Brew Kids on the Block and Drive It For Disabilities Golf Tournament.

The King George

After nearly two years operating as a BYOB Italian restaurant in downtown York, Tutoni’s is not wasting any time putting its newly acquired liquor license to use.

Following the opening of a self-serve wine bar in March, the restaurant – located at 108 N. George St. – is now preparing to open a speakeasy-style cocktail bar in its basement, according to Tutoni’s marketing director Allison Given.

The small space – which Tutoni’s plans to call The King George – seats only 20 people, Given said. The restaurant is currently working on a membership structure to accommodate its guests.

The hope is to open by the end of summer, she said.

Guests can expect an old world, vintage, lounge-y atmosphere. The menu will include cocktails, wine and small plates, unique to that area of the restaurant.

The Handsome Cab

A second wine bar is setting up shop on George Street this summer with a mission to introduce guests to grapes and wines they’ve never heard of.

The Handsome Cab – which plans to open next to Tutoni’s Restaurant at 106 N. George St. – will offer more than 100 different wines, including 30 or 40 by the glass, co-owner Robert Godfrey said. Beer, cocktails and small plates will also be on the menu.

Godfrey said the atmosphere will include influences from places he and his business partner have traveled around the world.

“People won’t believe they’re in York when they walk in our place,” he said. “We’re going to bring something new to York that York hasn’t seen.”

Godfrey also plans to open an art gallery on the second floor that will double as an event space that can seat 40 or 50 people. The Handsome Cab will also provide studio space for several area artists.

“Adding the art element to George Street is going to bring a lot of new people … and it certainly pairs very well with wine,” Godfrey said.

The project, which has been in the works for more than three years, is expected to open in early summer.