At a little more than 2,000 square feet, the Spring House Brewing Co. in Conestoga is, by definition, a micro-brewery.
As head brewer and president of the company that produces Seven Gates pale ale in a 214-year-old converted barn, Matt Keasey embraces the title.
"Oh yeah, we're small, that's part of the appeal," Keasey said Thursday, "and it's still almost impossible to keep up (with demand)."
Spring House, at 2519 Main St., Conestoga, last week began selling kegs, cases and growlers — refillable glass containers usually holding a half-gallon — from the brewery next to his home.
Since its February launch, Spring House has produced beer for area restaurants. Seven Gates is now sold in 30 eateries and through several beer distributors.
Keasey, who left his position as a pharmaceutical chemist with Lancaster Laboratories to start the business, has persevered despite tough times where brewing ingredients have tapped out.
"I luckily got a hop contract (with locked-in prices) for the next five years, where I'm guaranteed to have hops," Keasey said.
Keasey said some small - craft beer producers were forced out of business — because of a scarcity of hops — just as he was entering the market.
Between June 2007 and January barley prices increased from about 20 cents to 40 cents per pound. Hops prices tripled — from $5 a pound to more than $18 per pound.
"Otherwise it is a good time to be in the microbrew business," Keasey said. "Other microbrewers have led the way in educating people on what craft beer is."
Microbrewery beers, which generally sell for about $30 per case at a distributor, have up to four times more grain and hops than mass-produced beer.
Keasey, who felt compelled to open the business after his brews twice took victories in the National Homebrew Competition, recently added a second beer to complement Seven Gates, a pale ale that customers have compared to Sierra Nevada and Dogfish Head IPAs.
Spring House began to offer its new Imperial Red Ale at taste testings at a bar on the top of the two-level micro-brewery. Guests can come to the brewery Monday and Wednesday evenings from 6 to 9 p.m. to sample and purchase Seven Gates and Imperial Red Ale, which is not available outside the brewery.
Spring House will produce 1,200 barrels this year. Keasey and assistant brewer Pat Pletz, the only other employee, also bottle and package Seven Gates for distribution at the brewery.
Keasey said he next plans to produce a summer ale, and then make a yet-to-be-determined brew around September.
"We'll listen to all of the feedback from our customers and then determine what we will make in the fall," Keasey said.
E-mail: pburns@lnpnews.com